which of the these two is harder to take

[nealglen37]

Ok lets have a discussion......which of the these two is harder to take.

A.) shooting a ten point buck shot on private land with a corn feeder nearby?

 choice two

B.) shooting a fork horn buck on public land with 20 hunters per section
  line?

 What do you think guys......remember.......there are no right or wrong answers.

[bigbore442001]

To me, the greater challenge is the four pointer with the hunting pressure.

[JPSaxMan]

I second that. The ten pointer is way too easy and is almost not classified as hunting (Don't take that too literally, please...don't wanna splatter blood yet).

[huntsman]

What do you mean by "harder to take"? Does it mean difficult to do or not easy to tolerate? Just a little unclear to me.

[Redhawk1]

What does it matter. Just because a deer is taken by a feeder does not make it not hunting. It is no different setting up on natural feeding areas. You still have to be there when and if the deer come. Also hunting on public land with a heavy concentration of hunters is going to have the deer moving.  

[Graybeard]

Didn't care for your confrontational attitude so I edited your post. If all you come to GBO for is to argue you came to the wrong place. I'd suggest you look up AR instead.

As to your question I have one for you. Have you ever done either?

If you're speaking of a low fenced piece of private land even in TX then most likely the answer is it would be harder to take a nice 10 point buck over the feeder as opposed to taking a four point on hard hunted public land. I used to do that most every year when I hunted on WMAs. Often more than one a year.

Now on high fenced land where the population is artificially high as is the buck to doe ratio it might be no huge task to take the 10 point. Especially if the land is managed for such deer.

If you've not done it then why are you so upset about it? Personally I don't care for hunting white tail deer over a feeder either. Have never done it in fact. Might some day but haven't yet. But I don't condemn those who do where legal. I honestly see no serious difference in it and hunting over a green field or for that matter in an oak flat where acorns are dropping. In either case you are taking advantage of the deer's natural urge to feed and are hunting what is available to them. Most places a feeder is used such as in TX there is but a limited supply of natural food for them. The feeder is just put there by man as is the green field. The land owner could just as easily cut the oaks so that source wasn't available.

I think as hunters we need to stop attacking each other over different but legal hunting methods and worry more about the enemy. Nothing pleases them more than us arguing amonst ourselves.

[nealglen37]

I did not mean to start an argumemet..............I appologize to all..............as I said .............no right or wrong answer

[nealglen37]

the ten point that eats at the feeder........would not have lived that long on a public hunting area...........unless he had acess to a cevlar vest.

  I actually took a 4 and and 8 pointer this year on public land.........I have hunted it for two years with no success ...........now i have my own little special spot.........and actually use the other hunters to push the deer to me.............all i have seen this year were those two bucks.......didn't even see a doe.


  I mean no offense......................if i had access to privat land i would be enjoying the heck out off it...........be safe................have fun.

[nealglen37]

greybeard................i love you man............but you need to come out of your shell..............tell me how you really feel.

Sorry...............didn't mean to diss one of our senior citizens

[hardertr]

I share a lease with a buddy that has a 50 gal feeder about 30 yards from his blind.

We both go in together and leave together.  He sees the same 2 or 3 doe, a couple of small bucks and a little one or two.  He NEVER sees the big bucks I see.  AND, he's only 300 yards away from me.  I hunt where I do INTENTIONALLY.  I know the big boys aren't going to go anywhere near his feeder (I don't tell him that or course...he has to learn on his own :grin:  )

I've followed some of the bigger deer tracks after a rain and found they go out of their way to avoid the feeder.  SO, my answer is:

I agree with GB!  A mature 10 pointer is about as attracted to a feeder as I am to a tupperware party!  Anyone can shoot a young-and-dumb juvy on public land  if he stays still and hunts on the week days.

[Graybeard]

the ten point that eats at the feeder........would not have lived that long on a public hunting area...........unless he had acess to a cevlar vest.

Dunno so much about that. There are nice 10 point and better bucks killed on heavily hunted public land here in Bama every year. This one was taken on a heavily hunted WMA by me.



True it's a nine point not ten as one was broken off but appeared to have at one time been there.

greybeard................i love you man............but you need to come out of your shell..............tell me how you really feel.

And here I thought I had. Bluntly but plainly.

[JPSaxMan]

I meant something along this line;

I just got back from deer camp. The area I was hunting was on public land and there were several hunters around that were not in our camp. Concluding that the deer herd was extremely small for the area and that there was over 5-6 miles of public land to be covered, that sure seems MUCH harder than waiting by a corn feeder where you know deer will eventually show. That's what I meant.

Still considered hunting, still legal...just which is more challenging and gives you more thrill dragging a deer out. I tell you what though, the area I was hunting was extremely hilly and actually...we were on a mountain. So that's where I drew my conclusion from. I would have loved to have sat next to a food source (natural or not) and have waited. But it was more challenging and hence more difficult to hunt the public land in this instance.

I have not experienced hunting over a feeder but obviously I have experienced hunting public land. From what I can see one is somewhat harder than the other. And that's what makes it thrilling and exciting to harvest a deer. But...every man to his own.  

[JPSaxMan]

Oh and by the way...there were big bucks living where I hunted. Most veterans from the area (which I am not) believe that many old bucks die of old age up there. So...oh well. I didn't get one of those bucks but I have heard of them and one of our guys did shoot at one and missed. No deer taken though.

[WD45]

A lot of those big old bucks die of old age cause they run at night. You'll never see them during shooting hours... They have their watches set by it

[JPSaxMan]

This is true...that one must have had his watch set wrong  :-D . But after climbing mountains and losing my gun (for a time...another long story; look in the 'Deer Hunting' forum if ya wanna check it out)...the cornfeeder bit seems like cheating. Because you know that at one point or another a deer will come in. The only thing you have to do is do some scouting to see when they come in and when that bruiser walks in; make sure your aim is good. That's it. Unless I'm wrong...but I think that's about the size of it. But...as I said earlier...every man to his own.  

[Graybeard]

The big ones will seldom come to a feeder and almost never during legal shooting hours. That's how they got big. So if you're not hunting in a high fenced area with an artifically high population of bucks waiting by a feeder expecting one is a losing proposition. If you just want to shoot ANY deer then yeah it will get you one for sure. Most likely a doe or young buck.

[trophyhunter]

Like you said no wrong answers.  i personally don't hunt on a feeder but do hunt at food plots actually on paths to food plots.  But a feeder in some places is good so that you can help manage the deer herd it is a great place to take a mature doe or 2. and help you identify the trophy potential that is in the area.  Like they said though a good mature buck will not go to feeders to often during daylight hours.  and will hardly feed at all during the rut. me it seems that it would be easier to take a 4 pointer in heavy pressure.  It also depends on the hunting pressure. in my area no one shoots at the 4 pointers so the are seen though out the season even though the is allot of hunting pressure.  On the other hand a ten pointer could be killed easier if its just a small basket 10 and not very old.  if it was a mature ten then its is defiantly easier to kill the 4 because like they said the don't grow to maturity by being stupid.  It is always a challenge to take a mature buck. anyway good luck in your decision and hunting adventure.