NY, most of this talk comes from guys who post their land, pay to hunt or have private leases. I rarely if ever hear that from public land hunters like myself. Yes, i shoot basket racked bucks. Not on the first day of archery, but later in the season, he's getting shot. I don't have a 'ranch' to manage.

I was watching a nice 4x4 muley getting ready to hop the fence and head my way. But one of his does saved his life. She led him by the nose back deeper in the private land. As I watched the rest of the does and fawns pass I seen a spike heading towards me. If that was not opening day I would have taken him no question. I have not found a recipe that makes antlers taste good. Most hunters would like to have a nice buck hanging over the fireplace but that don't feed the family. By the same token we all hunt for different reasons. You keep hunting the way that makes you happy.

If I had my own property or hunted private land I would respect the owners wishes obviously. I really could care less about rack size. I do prefer to shoot mature animals due to breeding etc. I am an excellent cook but have yet o figure out how to make antlers taste good.

To be honest NY hunter, it depends on where I'm hunting and what tags I have. If I'm hunting in the Adirondacks in NY, I generally shoot the first legal buck I see simply because it may be the only buck I see all season, and I need to put meat in the freezer. I would rather not shoot a doe in the Adirondacks because a harsh winter will take its toll on the does, but I will shoot one during the late muzzle loader season if I have not killed my buck.

Pennsylvania is a whole different ball game! There are antler restrictions, deer densities comparable to central and southern New York, and the doe to buck ratio in the area I hunt is about 2:1. With that combination, the chances of getting a nice buck are pretty good. First I fill my freezer with a doe or two, then I hunt for a nice buck. If I don't get one, then oh well, at least the freezer is full and I got to spend more time hunting. This year I shot 3 does, passed on some small bucks, and couldn't get a shot off at the big bucks I saw. It was one heck of a great season to say the least!

The way I look at it is this. The tag is yours. Yoour u bought it with your money and have the choice to put it on your choice of animal. If you have not broken any laws there is nothing wrong with dropping a smaller buck or even a spike. I have passed up on smaller bucks only to have an empty tag at the end of the season. I guarantee you the buck you shot was bigger than mine. I do want a big buck someday but untill then if I shoot a few that are in the "good eating" cartegory that's fine too.

Bottom line is don't feel bad about shooting a smaller buck.

you know the way it sounds to me those are guys who own their own land and only take big ones well when i see a bigger and older deer i am taking it for the past 4 nights all if have seen is spikes and little ones and i ain't going to shoot cause you can tell they are young i will let them live another year and let them get bigger cause we have let spikes go one year and come back the next bigger and better let them breed and and have more big boats bred for the next year

BTW Most of the farms I hunt are just folks that gave permission.

I am just lookiing to fill my freezer, I have two nice racks on my wall, don't need anymore unly is a really huge atypical.

i think if you shoot a 6 -8 point that is great but if the deer ages 2 or 1 i wouldnt shoot it. Also i dont think a small buck is 6-8 a small buck is 4 and less points. I think hunters shouldnt shoot a 1 or maybe even a 2 year old but 3 and above is great.

I've personally never gotten a trophy. I would like to have one decent set of antlers on the wall in this lifetime, but I go with "meat first" people. I only go hunting if the meat is justified. I've never gone out with everyone's freezer full just to get "the big one". We pretty much just get the first really fat, juicy, delicious one we see. Anyone else getting hungry?

The definitiion of a trophy buck is greatly misunderstood. Each hunter has in his own mind what a trophy is to him. The Outdoor Channel and the Tropy Buck videos have ruined our young hunters. They think that every deer they see in the woods will be a Boone and Crockett buck. I watch the Outdoor Channel along with my grandson and through me he has learned to view the Outdoor Channel as entertainment and not a program on the proper way to deer hunt. We watch the big bucks being taken but realize that we will never have a piece of property like that to deer hunt on, especially since a lot of it is high fence. I had to work every deer season for 35 years. I was a Conservation Officer and patroled so everyone would have a fair chance at getting a deer. Now since I am retired , the last 3 years, I am able to go to a deer camp and hunt for all our deer seasons. My grandson is 9 years old and has killed a 3 does and 2 bucks with his rifle and this year got his first deer with a bow. This year for the first time in my life I killed 3 bucks, a 7 point and a 5 point with my rifle and a 7 point with my muzzleloader. All of the deer that I have killed are special trophies to me. My grandson also tells me what special trophies the deer he kills are to him. I think we get too hung up on the size of rack a deer has, but if that is what a hunter wants then I realize that the deer is a trophy to him. Every hunter is different and each hunter has his own idea what a trophy is. Right before I typed this I haad some great deer balona. That is truly the trophy to me.

unless* doggone laptops! AAAAAAAAAAAArrgh.