Meat Hunter versus Trophy Hunter

R.J. · Post by **R.J.** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 11:49 am

I'm a " Deer hunter " ... and I do exactly that , I hunted with bow , crossbow , shotgun , rifle and camera ... Have taken all sizes of buck and doe over the years ( antlers are a bonus but not a must for me ).

If I have lots of opportunity I will sometimes pass smaller bucks , especially if I have a good photo opportunity ...

Southern Ontario offers multiple tag opportuinities in my WMU of choice .

This year I have some work committments that keep me out of the field on dates in October / November that I should be in the field .... still I expect to get out as much as I can and fill my tags ...

I have been invited for a few days to hunt with BUCHSHOT and BJ at their camp ... looking forward to that adventure !

Also got invited back to Saskatchewan where I have a chance at a decent Whitetail buck and two Mule deer does ( approx $20. extra for tags )

Outdoor adventures and hunting are what " floats my boat " ... ducks , geese , phesants , rabbits , grouse , deer , turkey or whatever the season brings ... they will all be part of my " table fare " ...

I share my harvests with friends , family and the landowners who's property I am privledged enough to hunt on ...

I have next week off vacation and will be at many farms , working hard = bush hogging trails , mending old stands , putting up new ones and all the other activities that come with pre - season prep ...

We will scout geese for the Friday Sept 7th opener as well ...

Some say " you have good luck " .... they don't realize how much time I put in to ensure success ...

I don't feel I am a game hog ... I hunt within the Ontario guidelines and limits ... and we never let anything go to waste ...

Hard hard , hunt ethically , enjoy the outdoors , enjoy time with your friends and family , and have fun ! .... that's what it's all about ...

My $ 0.02

DrDan · Post by **DrDan** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 10:57 pm

I shouldn't even get involved in this conversation, but I will at the risk of being flamed. It makes me totally sick to find a deer in the woods with head cut off. Some people are a little gung - ho on antlers if you ask me when you find things like this. I hunt for the sport of hunting... My parents always made me clean my plate so I still don't kill what I don't eat. I just finished using up the last of my venison and bear so now it is time to hunt again. Sure it would be great to nail a big buck, but in actuality, I'd rather get a couple nice does since they taste so much better.

DrD

Mike P · Post by **Mike P** » Sun Sep 02, 2007 10:58 am

DrDan wrote:I shouldn't even get involved in this conversation, but I will at the risk of being flamed. DrD

Of course you should get involved Dr. Dan. And no one should ever fear posting on this forum for fear of getting flamed. I post subjects that I know are controversial. I do this so we all acquire a better understanding of everyones position on these subjects.

Your input is valued and I always look forward to hearing what you have to say. After all, any one that owns a Sako must be a learned man and have vast wisdom to share!

sjohn464 · Post by **sjohn464** » Sun Sep 02, 2007 11:48 am

I usually get 2 weeks to hunt. The first week and a half I'm looking for a nice buck. Then I take the first thing that walks by, usually a nice doe or BB. The chance for a big buck don't come along very often.

That being said, I hunt for therapy. Any meat or horns are a bonus.

exocet200hunter · Post by **exocet200hunter** » Sun Sep 02, 2007 2:01 pm

Personally, I just love to get out of the house and up into my stand enjoying the out door's.
I'm sure we would all love to be able to shoot a nice buck but when it come's down to it - but those does are damn good eatin'.
So like previous year's and this one as'well I'll shoot the first thing that get's in front of me as long as it over 150lb's, I'm not the type to shoot a baby. Ethic's fall deep inside of me when it come's to hunting, only shoot what I'm going to eat. Now if I had a Big old Boy say 14 point but was really old, I would probely let him pass by - sounds stupid " i know" but I rather have a freezer full of good lean tastin meat then an old buck hangin on my wall.
Thank's
-Matt

wabi · Post by **wabi** » Sun Sep 02, 2007 8:04 pm

I'm strictly a "trophy" hunter, but I don't base judging "trophy" on antler size. To me a "trophy" is any healthy adult deer I can get within bow range of.

BigUgly · Post by **BigUgly** » Sun Sep 02, 2007 8:21 pm

Every deer I've shot is a trophy to me and I remember and respect them all. If I could mount a plate full of tender loins with baccon and onions. Now wouldn't that be a trophy.

FredBear · Post by **FredBear** » Sun Sep 02, 2007 9:48 pm

I am a trophy hunter, but need and love meat hunters who kill mature does. I personally see no reason to shoot a 1 1/2 year old buck? but i dont think its wrong. i hunt for a trophy buck first and when i get him i move on. i then begin the management side of the season. I feel its a good system. With out killing the proper number of mature does your not a trophy hunter! your using the others in your area to grow you big antlers! my biggest petpeeve in the woods killing ''trophy deer'' and doing nothing about producing another! deer management is the first and most important step to trophy deer. Thank you to all you who are doing your part!!!!!

taureau noir · Post by **taureau noir** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 11:21 am

I would call myself an hybrid hunter,First is meat for the table,but on the other hand I love to take the challenge to find the big buck with 10/12 points racks.I'M a selective hunter wich mean that I, from march till mid july I search for the best deers around then I chose 1buck and 1 doe .I hunt only for those two deers.Some time I come back at end of the season emptyhanded but the challenge was there all season.I do QDM in my neck of wood and 90% of time will bring in a big doe.
Taureau noir

Hoss · Post by **Hoss** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 7:11 pm

well I believe everyone of us are Trophy hunter to some degree. I can tell you every time I go to the woods Im hunting and hopeing for ole Mossy horns. I do pass up shots on doe early in the season thinking them being somewhat creatures of habit she may lure a big boy into my area come rut. If I am in a tree or area just changing my pattern sometimes I will down a doe for the freezer speacialy if I just got busted by a big boy cause he wont make the same mistake twice in that area..which then may push him to my other areas..

..I do pass small bucks without a doubt so to let him get some more age on em. But Im always huntin Mossy horns, But I always have venison too. so Im both i guess..I go to places and harvest my doe for the freezer but I never harvest a doe in the areas that I think will give me the best opurtunity to get the big one,,,,,BUT just when you think you got them figured out is just when they show you you dont....

The best chance a fella could have baggin the big boy is the first time you hunt a virgin area. (Except durin the rut everything changes) ..cause if the big boy ever figures youve been there your chances drop alot....and then you may only get a shot at a stupid deer

Ive killed plenty..

duber · Post by **duber** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 8:07 pm

I am a deer hunter.I hunt for deer.In the area that I rifle hunt there is a well managed and balanced herd so we typicaly have a well balanced harvest.Last year we took 2 mature 10 pointers,one small 6 point buck,one mature doe and one yearling doe for 8 guys.
Were i hunt with the crossbow there is alot of deer and extra tags are givin out too control the population so I like to harvest a doe for the freezer if I can.

Arkbow · Post by **Arkbow** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 9:21 am

I am a hunter who enjoys all aspects of the hunt but first and foremost I am a HUNTER who supplies meat for myself and my family; I believe that "trophy hunting" has become a enemy bcause these so called video giants has sold the general public the ideal that anything that doesn't make the "book" isn't a trophy.....

...well all I can say ..WRONG!

To me a dead doe is as much a trophy as a big buck and I do NOT pass a shot if given; my family depends on the meat and it helps to reduce the grocery bill; so..... I am NOT a trophy hunter. I am a HUNTER.

buckeye · Post by **buckeye** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 1:00 pm

I think at one time or another a lot of us hunters were trophy hunters. When this trophy bug or shooter buck thing hit it made a lot of hunters feel "unworthy" or a "bad hunter" if you didn't kill a book buck. I was bitten with this bug in 1988. I decided from then on out I would only kill mature bucks. This lasted until 1992, the year I saw the light so to speak. I managed to kill a few real good bucks including a monster 12 pointer during that time. Why did I stop? I found myself not having much fun anymore. Hunting became a lot like work rather than an activity I once loved to do. I also found out that it didn't matter if I was a good hunter or a bad hunter; I didn't need to prove anything to anyone; especially to myself. I also came across a very large body deer with its head and neck removed. I thought "what a waste". This animal was killed solely for its antlers so someone could have bragging rights. That is when I realized that I was just a plain ole hunter and never again would I seek out an animal just for its "Trophy" status again. Ever since then I have enjoyed every minute spent afield with a lot less stress. Don't get me wrong, there is absolutely nothing wrong with trophy hunting as long as we use the entire animal and understand that every hunter doesn't associate the word "hunting" to mean trophy hunting.

ecoaster · Post by **ecoaster** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 2:37 pm

I truely believe that those that call themselves "Trophy Hunters" do so because they are afforded the luxury of hunting in an area where there are many mature deer. They can pass up smaller bucks within range, knowing that it is only a matter of time until a "shooter" comes by.

Most of the people out there do not have the seemingly unlimited time to scout, sit in wait, or stalk a mature whitetail. I know lots of people who can only hunt a handful of days each year and are pleased as punch to be able to connect with any deer.

It also depends on the number of tags you are allowed. I get two tags each year. I am allowed 4 tags this year, but I would never eat all of that meat so why kill 4 deer. My first tag goes to the first unlucky deer to present a good shot. The second goes to a buck. That is my choice! That is how I see fit to fill my tags.

The fact of the matters is that the government dictates what sex your tag is good for, not how old the deer is. It is up to the hunter to decide when or if they are going to fill those tags. No one owns the deer, they are wild and free to be hunted by anyone.

I do not look down on anyone for their decision to take an animal as long as it is legal and humane. I am a meat hunter and a trophy hunter. I fill my freezer to feed my family and I also enjoy trying to outsmart those tough old bucks. But, if I were to only hunt "shooter" bucks where I am able to hunt, then I would not be eating very much venison. Someday I may be able to have the skill and time it takes to consistently connect with big bucks, but I don't think it will ever compare to my first deer. It was a 100lb button buck and my most prized "trophy" to date. I took a brute of a 10pt two years after that, and it was exciting, but no where near as exciting as the first.

crazyfarmer · Post by **crazyfarmer** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 3:32 pm

I always say to each his own...

but during bow and ML season I do hunt for the best buck in my area. I have 2 now im hunting this season. If I cant get them in the 6 weeks time I have for that, then I start reducing the deer numbers. Im lucky enough to see atleast 6-7 deer everytime I hit the woods so picking and choosing isnt a big issue in the doe area. But trophy hunters can be meat hunters also. Im both. I probably take atleast 15 doe every year(atleast). Along with 2 decent bucks on average. We dont have the ohio type deer here, but the main reason for that is that most shoot every little spike that walks by. They never get a chance to grow. Now I have nothing against someone that might hunt 3-4 times a year or has never even killed a buck shooting a small rack buck. I dont favor the guys that shoot spike and 4pt after 4pt every year and then they say, why cant I kill a BIG buck and not all this little ones... HELLOOOO lol

but from Oct 1st-Mid Nov im after a wall hanger... trophy mode as I call it...

there afterwards I start to pick and choose doe while still looking for a gaint to walk out. Normally I'll wait untill last light those days and if no decent buck walks out, then its lights out for a doe. If alot fo guys would hold out for another 10mins, they would probably have something to mount also

I also process deer for hunters for the hungry, so after skinning 20-30 deer a weekend I dont feel like killing much of anything

But I still do my part in trying to keep the herd in balance. Every buck I kill here, I try to take atleast 10 doe since the doe/buck ratio is really out of wack in Va