Trophy or tablefare?

[JPSaxMan]

When you guys go out in the woods...are you hunting just for that 12 pt you've seen all year, and won't even look at a nice sized doe or a smaller buck just for the sake of food, or do you guys go out and hunt to put meat on the table, and would just think of it as nice if that 12 pt happened to walk up to you?

I hunt for food. :grin:

[.308sniper]

I hunt for food.  I would shoot the 12 point in a heartbeat but i would shoot a doe if I saw one.

                                   sniper

[JKump]

I do not trophy hunt, I freezer hunt.  Anything that I shoot will be eaten.  However, I will not pass up the shoot on the Trophy deer, just know the meat will be used.

[Redhawk1]

I could not answer your poll, I do both. When I go on a big hunt, I am after a trophy, the meat is secondary. Now when I am hunting in my home State for deer, I like the doe's for the freezer. I don't waste any meat, I always have people I give meat to and I also give to the hunters for the hungry.

So in short I do both.  

[victorcharlie]

I kind of thought there should be another answer to that question as well.......

[Savage .250]

I`m at a stage of my hunting career (been there for a while now) that
   i don`t shot doe,my choice.  Don`t shot spikes.  Just looking for
    something bigger than i already have.  Shot a lot of deer in my time so
   shooting another is not paramount to me having a good hunt.  
    As far as the meat goes......cooked properly it`s great, also makes
    great jerky.

 " The best part of the hunt is not the harvest but in the experience."

[rickyp]

what I normally do is
I hunt for the freezer first but will not pass on a nice buck. once I take a few deers I will switch to trophy only hunting and let most of the deer I see go by and just watch them. I learn a lot form just watching.

[ogo]

to be honest I shoot the first legal deer that comes along, been that way since I started hunting many many moon's ago******************ogo

[JPSaxMan]

I could not answer your poll, I do both. When I go on a big hunt, I am after a trophy, the meat is secondary. Now when I am hunting in my home State for deer, I like the doe's for the freezer. I don't waste any meat, I always have people I give meat to and I also give to the hunters for the hungry.

So in short I do both.  

Well here's a question...what type of hunting do you more? The "bigger" hunts or the hunts more closer to home? The answer to this question should then answer the poll question, right? :mrgreen:

[NONYA]

I buy a bunch of doe tags and an extra cow elk tag to fill the freezers but I hunt hard for a big buck,I wont shoot any small bucks for meat,thats what does are for.

[Jaydub in Wi]

the first one that comes along. I don't care if it's a doe, a spike or a 10 pt. I hunt to fill both my buck tag and anterless tag

[Redhawk1]

I could not answer your poll, I do both. When I go on a big hunt, I am after a trophy, the meat is secondary. Now when I am hunting in my home State for deer, I like the doe's for the freezer. I don't waste any meat, I always have people I give meat to and I also give to the hunters for the hungry.

So in short I do both.  

Well here's a question...what type of hunting do you more? The "bigger" hunts or the hunts more closer to home? The answer to this question should then answer the poll question, right? :mrgreen:

Where I hunt, putting a deer in the freezer is not a problem. I usually take the first legal deer that walks out as long as it is not a fawn, button buck or under a 6 point. Doe and mature bucks is what I am after. Doe's I eat and bucks I donate to the feed the hungry. I am the only one in my family that eats deer meat or any wild game. So filling the freezer is not a priority. I guess I still fit both.  :-D  

[tscott]

I would not hunt If I could not filet the deer on the spot of kill, taking every bit of meat, including heart and liver. This is so much easier than dragging, for any number of reasons. At home I may take days fine butchering, so that I have the best for table. Deer average between 40 - 60 lbs in a pack. I love hunting big bucks, and I've been lucky...too lucky this year, so I won't be after my favorite = 60lb doe / fawn!!!!

[Leverdude]

I hunt because I like to & love venison. We all eat it & a deer dont last long in my house so I take all I can. I do have a couple places I save for bucks & dont hunt often but the main reason for not hunting them is if I saw a doe I know I would take it. I hunt the buck spots during the rut & in January after most of my other spots are hunted out. You cant eat antlers is what I was raised by & old habits are hard to break. The only fellows around here that get no deer are those what wait for a buck. To each his own but I'd hate to have an empty freezer because I was waiting on antlers.  :-)

[Redhawk1]

I hunt because I like to & love venison. We all eat it & a deer dont last long in my house so I take all I can. I do have a couple places I save for bucks & dont hunt often but the main reason for not hunting them is if I saw a doe I know I would take it. I hunt the buck spots during the rut & in January after most of my other spots are hunted out. You cant eat antlers is what I was raised by & old habits are hard to break. The only fellows around here that get no deer are those what wait for a buck. To each his own but I'd hate to have an empty freezer because I was waiting on antlers.  :-)

Leverdude, you never had antler soup?  :-D  :-D  :wink:

[Lawdog]

I could not answer your poll, I do both. When I go on a big hunt, I am after a trophy, the meat is secondary. Now when I am hunting in my home State for deer, I like the doe's for the freezer. I don't waste any meat, I always have people I give meat to and I also give to the hunters for the hungry.

So in short I do both.  

I couldn't answer your poll either.  I too hunt both.   :wink:   Out here it's antlered deer only and forked horn or better.  Doe hunts are done on a permit basis only and you have to get lucky to draw a tag.  Usually drawing a special doe tag isn’t too hard as many go un-claimed.  This year I drew two Doe tags to go along with the regular bucks tags.  I have an application in with CDF now to thin the doe population on my property next year.  Just have to wait and see if it gets approved.  Lawdog
 

[terryfcampbell]

I hunt to put food in the freezer and would prefer a nice big doe, however if a nice buck walks by I will take it

[jpsmith1]

I'll take the first legal deer that walks by.  Here in Western PA, it's 4 points to a side for a legal buck, so a legal buck is a pretty good trophy most times.  

I'm still waiting for one, though...

[Ranger J]

It all depends on what walks by first.  Sometimes it's a bragging buck and sometimes a nice juicy doe.  Can't go wrong either way.  Some days it's only squirrels but it's still fun.
RJ

[ronbow]

Archery is the first season here in Fla. and does are legal. I will take the first legal deer I can then I want some antlers and will pass on does and spikes.