It is sad what hunting has become.....are we our own worst enemies????

[JHbowhunter]

1 minute ago, hammer4reel said:

not by increasing buck tags .

.

I think we all concluded a long time ago, that 6 buck tags (proposing 7) is 100% about revenue and zero about biology/science. I was at their meeting and they said our biggest issue in NJ is poor forestry management and we do NOT shoot enough does.   What is their solution - add a 7th buck tag!!!!!

[MGHunter66]

14 minutes ago, JHbowhunter said:

I think we all concluded a long time ago, that 6 buck tags (proposing 7) is 100% about revenue and zero about biology/science. I was at their meeting and they said our biggest issue in NJ is poor forestry management and we do NOT shoot enough does.   What is their solution - add a 7th buck tag!!!!!

Agree Jack, totally the wrong direction tag wise but it is what it is. NJ by far isn’t a trophy buck state so you’re left with hunting the way you want for what you want. Some guys are going to be happy with a 100” 8 pt or smaller, be happy for them because maybe they take that 8 and no more. 

Edited December 28, 2023 by MGHunter66

[MGHunter66]

I think the whole buck tag limit is pretty inconsequential these days. They may be available but I for one don’t know one person that takes more than 2 bucks a year. 

[archer36]

I don't buy into the "stages/progression" of a hunter. I have been hunting for over 50 years. In September of 2022, I killed a few animals in South Africa, one being an Eland that weighed as much as 2,000 lbs. It was shot at about 20 yds. As thrilling as that was, I got the same rush shooting a Doe in NJ on my first sit, two days after coming back from my Safari. 

If only shooting a mature/trophy deer excites you, then you are missing out on a lot. 

There is no doubt that if you want a "big" buck, you have to pass on smaller ones. I went down that road years ago and was mostly disappointed. 

Every deer I shoot, no matter which weapon, is a thrill to me. Enough that I don't want to do it only once every 5 to 10 years. 

I was raised a " meat" hunter. I still am a meat hunter. I was being conned into thinking it was wrong. But is it more noble to shoot a deer for its antlers and not it's meat? Up to you to decide. 

I like big racks as much as anyone. The ones that I have shot were purely by accident. No plan or strategy involved. Just luck and time. 

When hunting becomes a "job" or stresses you out, it's no longer helpful to you. 

Do what makes YOU happy. 

Edited December 28, 2023 by archer36

[Live to Hunt]

I love ❤️ hunting 

[JHbowhunter]

11 minutes ago, Live to Hunt said:

I love ❤️ hunting 

anywhere BUT NJ!!!!

[Live to Hunt]

Just now, JHbowhunter said:

anywhere BUT NJ!!!!

Sadly but true. 

[fab]

I think lots of ppl progress or change views on hunting over time based on life and success

 

after 41 years most of the thrill is gone over deer.  Shooting them to ME is all work and aggravation so I don’t shoot many anymore.  I got 2 bucks in 2020. I got a doe in 2021 a doe in 2022 and a 6 pt this year. 

moving forward I only plan to go out during 6 day  if the weathers good and I have bucks on my cams     Some ppl live it and still get that rush    Many like myself lost interest     To me it’s time n effort vs reward     While I was so excited to get that small buck this year with my granddads gun   I was also relived I didn’t have to get up early the next day and crazy enough said to myself cool now I can go back to work     Amazing to me I ended up here    It’s a combo of alot of factors   

 

[Roon]

4 hours ago, hammer4reel said:

Funny how so many wanna throw out that for a trophy hunter it’s all about the inches .

its about hunting an animal that’s mature . While many will have larger racks , not all do .

hunting a deer that has been educated by hunting pressure adds greatly to the thrill of the chase .

it also allows you to spend more quality time in the woods .

I’m in no hurry to tag out on a smaller deer and end my season early .

.

.

My poor kid got busted by a 5ish year old doe by simply moving her hat, she's on the top of the hit list just because she wants to out Smart an old girl 

[Lunatic]

3 hours ago, Nomad said:

Of course he wants it to grow so he can shoot it😃

Whenever someone preaches to you about let him walk it is all about “let him walk so I can shoot him later.” No one cares what you actually take, only what you eliminate from their target list 

Edited December 28, 2023 by Lunatic

[Lunatic]

3 hours ago, hammer4reel said:

Less tags for bucks .

guys want more deer , they will then shoot does .

deer management should be based on keeping the herd in check keeping doe numbers down .

not by increasing buck tags .

.

I know 7 bucks is scary but almost none takes 7, if any., few take 3. Yet if you consider bbs we take more bucks than does. 

IMO crying about 7 tags is pointless since it does not happen.  
 

One meaningful way is to eliminate BB kills. Make a hunter burn his buck tag for killing button buck and you will see buck numbers go up. Guy’s would be more carful and shoot does. 

Edited December 29, 2023 by Lunatic

[Lunatic]

1 hour ago, fab said:

I think lots of ppl progress or change views on hunting over time based on life and success

 

after 41 years most of the thrill is gone over deer.  Shooting them to ME is all work and aggravation so I don’t shoot many anymore.  I got 2 bucks in 2020. I got a doe in 2021 a doe in 2022 and a 6 pt this year. 

moving forward I only plan to go out during 6 day  if the weathers good and I have bucks on my cams     Some ppl live it and still get that rush    Many like myself lost interest     To me it’s time n effort vs reward     While I was so excited to get that small buck this year with my granddads gun   I was also relived I didn’t have to get up early the next day and crazy enough said to myself cool now I can go back to work     Amazing to me I ended up here    It’s a combo of alot of factors   

 

That’s sad, I hope I never get there. 
all I do is check the wind and weather several times each day to plan my next move during the hunting season. 

[Roon]

5 hours ago, BHC said:

one thing I learned on here this year is don't post your kills if they happen not to be standards of a select few, you will be ridiculed to no end .

I'm happy for whatever game/size/sex a person takes, if that person is happy I'm happy for them

It comes down to not posting every thing you shoot. There's people here that shoot a lot of deer yet you may only see one or two at most.

I get it every animal shot gave it's life and regardless of size of body or antlers will help you and your family survive.

If the spike you are talking about, if this is the reference, it was your choice and no one else's.

Don't know how else to say it, however you apparently made a good shot on your property.

What you did is not what all would have but, I bet more would than would admit lol

Congratulations either way 

 

[bucky]

3 hours ago, archer36 said:

I don't buy into the "stages/progression" of a hunter. I have been hunting for over 50 years. In September of 2022, I killed a few animals in South Africa, one being an Eland that weighed as much as 2,000 lbs. It was shot at about 20 yds. As thrilling as that was, I got the same rush shooting a Doe in NJ on my first sit, two days after coming back from my Safari. 

If only shooting a mature/trophy deer excites you, then you are missing out on a lot. 

There is no doubt that if you want a "big" buck, you have to pass on smaller ones. I went down that road years ago and was mostly disappointed. 

Every deer I shoot, no matter which weapon, is a thrill to me. Enough that I don't want to do it only once every 5 to 10 years. 

I was raised a " meat" hunter. I still am a meat hunter. I was being conned into thinking it was wrong. But is it more noble to shoot a deer for its antlers and not it's meat? Up to you to decide. 

I like big racks as much as anyone. The ones that I have shot were purely by accident. No plan or strategy involved. Just luck and time. 

When hunting becomes a "job" or stresses you out, it's no longer helpful to you. 

Do what makes YOU happy. 

Thats not some form of progression or stage of being a hunter?  And I was wondering how much did it cost you to ship 2000 lbs of meat back to the US

Edited December 29, 2023 by bucky

[Pathman]

2 hours ago, JHbowhunter said:

I think we all concluded a long time ago, that 6 buck tags (proposing 7) is 100% about revenue and zero about biology/science. I was at their meeting and they said our biggest issue in NJ is poor forestry management and we do NOT shoot enough does.   What is their solution - add a 7th buck tag!!!!!

Ok, I swear this ain't personal JH, it's just that we come at this from a totally opposite perspective, here's mine in hopes of providing the other side of the coin.

I'll address the "we do NOT shoot enough does" issue, the forestry is someone else's dept.

I don't believe it's 100% revenue or biology driven, but a possible workaround to get the number of deer they feel necessary to be killed in NJ, killed, and here's my reasoning.

So, lets look at the WHY we aren't shooting enough does in NJ. If it's possible to be objective about it, just think back to many of the comments from guys on here, including yourself, for years and years that say they don't like killing does, they kill one or two doe a year for meat, or they wont kill does because of that old school mentality that does should be protected at all costs because they increase the herd size and draw in bucks during the rut (both of which are not absolute) and they'd rather kill a spike or forkhorn (or any buck for that matter) rather then a doe, and lets throw personal choice in the mix for good measure, which is fine, I'm not passing judgement in this instance, just peeling back the layers for your consideration.

The reasons don't actually matter, what matters is, the goals of the state (right or wrong, accurate or not) are not being met, even with unlimited doe harvest in many zones. So they say to themselves, the hunters in NJ simply don't/won't shoot enough does to impact our goal numbers and minimize the issues the public has with an overpopulation of deer, but they do like to shoot bucks, so let's give them the opportunity to shoot additional bucks in order to help achieve our goal numbers, pretty clever right?

Remember, the habitat, or the "biology" could care less if it's a buck or a doe, only we do! Bucks destroy crops, trees, habitat, are vectors for disease, cause DVCs, etc., just like does do, so to the state, and the public's mind, a deer is a deer (in the context of achieving a determined goal), so why not make up the low overall kill numbers by allowing the hunting public to kill what they like, which is bucks? 

What we think is an ideal population as hunters, is totally different than what the science and the public tolerance says it should be. I know that doesn't matter to most of us when were in the field and not seeing what we think we should be seeing, but that's the reality of it.

It's been said many times before, the deer in NJ aren't managed for us, we're not paying for trophy hunting in NJ, we're just paying to hunt, of which we are just part of the overall management plan. The state could care less if you shoot a 150" ten point or a 100" six point, a buck is a buck, and that's what you're paying for, to shoot what's out there, not what we'd like to be out there, no more no less.

Oh, and just one more observation from many, many years of doing deer surveys, there are always, and I truly mean always, way more deer then hunters think there are, and that includes big bucks!

So take heart JH, all is not lost, they're out there somewhere, believe me!