Hardest part about hunting to me is finding the same like minded hunters. I have spent alot of time and wasted alot of time on hunters that said they only wanted to kill mature deer. Different personalities kill most hunting clubs, its human nature though. It is truly something special to find about 5 hunting partners to go in a lease a good property. Hard to find those partners. It becomes frustrating.

It's a fact that you are only as good as the people you surround yourself with. It matters not the activity. If you hang out with meat hunters then you are most likely a meat hunter. If you hunt mature deer and share your management practices and campfire with other who only harvest mature animals then that's what you do. I only shoot mature deer. I do not vary from this. If I can't positively ID the deer as a hit list deer or a 4 yr old plus animal then he walks.

The guys and I that share deer info on a daily basis hold each other accountable and help the one another on our individually leased farms. We share pics and opinions on age structure and how to kill the deer on a particular farm.

We see the potential in our herd apparently most could not care less. That's fine. I got bashed right out of the gate a few days ago on a similar topic. If those who want to simply meat hunt or hunt once ore twice a year would let people who put more into the management of the herd made ligitatimate suggestions that would grow the herd for EVERYONE. I don't feel that someone who hunts a couple times a year and claims to not really care because it's all in fun should be making suggestions to any group that has more experience in the field. Be it a CAB meeting or a talk forum.

Yep

Experience???LMAO!!

and your the guy posting about why you can't see good deer on 500 acres that you control

I never said anything like that!

I'm PERFECTLY happy with what I have..Sorry you have to get on here and cry about your poor hunting..Keep going and maybe it will get better..Good Luck!

Oh yeah,forgot to tell you,I am still walking,carrying a climber and a bow,on public land and having a blast!Killer!!!LMAO...again!!

Just because a guy can't understand someone wanting to kill a small buck after they killed bigger is just expressing his opinion. Some of you attack dogs bitch, because its not your opinion too. You are doing exactly what you accuse the OP of doing. I've never heard anyone bitch because they killed a buck with too big a rack.

Out of curiosity, if "The guys and I that share deer info on a daily basis hold each other accountable and help the one another on our individually leased farms. We share pics and opinions on age structure and how to kill the deer on a particular farm." have it figured out and have such outstanding hunting why are you worried about how, what, when where other hunt?
Interesting perspective you have going there, the self anointed great hunter(s) knows whats best for all! What was the saying I saw on this site just the other day "don't horn the fun out of hunting". Which by the way, is a hobby for most that just want to get out in the woods and not be stressed over if a deer is old enough, big enough, better than, if I shoot this one will the herd disappear, ad nauseum.

By the way if you don't like the way your neighbors manage their property feel free to high fence your place and they will not have an effect on "your" herd!

100% agree. The buck debate is one thing, but the doe debate is totally different.

People wonder why others are so concerned about what they do on "their" land, but there's a good reason to be concerned.

For people who control large tracts, neighbors impacts are obviously diminished. But, for the people who control small tracts of land, say 500 acres or less, thier whole deer population is based on predation and hunter harvest by yourself and your neighbors.

If you have 250 acres, and you have 4 neighbors that all have 250 acres, none of you have a single deer that lives on your property full time. So lets say 3 of the neighbors are "killers" or "meat" hunters who kill every doe they see. This will effectively drop the deer population on all 5 tracts of property.

So it makes sense that the other 2 guys, who are trying to somewhat manage their property, are concerned and even irritated that the other 3 are killing all of these deer.

I was kinda thinking the same thing. I don't ever remember a time when anybody called out somebody on this forum for shooting a small buck. Not saying it's never happened, but it's not a common thing.
Most anytime anybody mentions something about trying to do some things to grow bigger bucks in Alabama though it seems like at least one of the meat hunters will jump on them with both feet.
I'm not gonna lose sleep over it either way and I'm gonna have fun hunting no matter what; but it is a little disheartening when you have pics of a young 10 point or something like that with potential to be the deer of somebody's lifetime in a couple years and one of your neighbors pops him and just cuts the horns off and throws them in a bucket in his garage. I don't think it makes you a bad guy for thinking that way. it's just human nature.
Like JohnAl said earlier it seems to me that the 3 buck limit is making a lot of people more selective and letting some bucks get older. I doubt I'll ever shoot 3 bucks in a season (I hope I get to someday) but it seems to me like its a good compromise for everybody.

I think I'll shoot a spike for yelkca this year.

Oh one more thing. posting mature deer pics on here caused my lease to go from $300 a year to $1500 a year because guys that knew where i was hunting started trying to out bid me. They finally won.

The guys on this forum that I know kill big deer, just go do their thing and consistently kill big deer. They aren't on here whining about what their neighbors do and making stupid statements that they should be making decisions for all hunters because they kill bigger deer than others. They just go out and get it done while others complain that they could get it done if their neighbors would just hunt like them.

I'd rather hunt with a good guy who follows state law and just enjoys hunting than I had with some pompous "trophy" hunter that complains that other hunters are the reason he can't get it done.

Bud I've just gotta say this. My dad is a bad magazine hoarder, and I have dozens of alabama game/fish magazines from late 90s and early 2000s. And there slammed packed with fine bama buck deers also just saying...

These guys get it

I have been largely staying away from this thread intentionally.

Things that annoy me:

((((PEOPLE THAT ARE DEER SHOOTERS WITH ZERO HUNTCRAFT))) This is my #1 pet peev. It's largely why I spend so much time teaching the young mostly minority kids in the neighborhoods with no fathers how to hunt.

Fawn Killers (Immature Deer that aint bred yet)

Crossguns

Guns

My Neighbors blasting up the woods right on the lines.

Letting spikes walk and then having the neighbors shoot them the minute they go over the property line.

The neighbors

Most of my closest friends are gun hunters, crossgun hunters,immature deer killers etc...you get the picture. LOL

I typically kill 3 or 4 does every year for the freezer and i guarandamntee that ruffles some feathers too. So I am for sure on someone's list for that. If you add the, "Smug Bowhunter that thinks he's something" to the mix I have just added myself to a bunch more lists ((Maybe the majority of lists)).

I sometimes get in trouble here or other forums because I can get a little vocal during unguarded moments. I will make a provocative post poking sticks at crossgun guys or gun guys with my tongue pressed firmly in my cheek, go make some popcorn, turn on a movie and watch the show. It sometimes ruffles feathers but It's always with a lopsided smile that i do it (((The smile you can't see through the internet))).

But Ultimately the bucks and fawns that get killed by folks are RENEWABLE. I aint got the money to manage deer like I would like. I do my best with what I have and try not to worry about everyone else.

I will drink whiskey and swap lies with any of the above (except the neighbors I mentioned) and be glad for the friendship.

Just a Thought for the day.....

Aren't we headed straight for the ol' Participation Trophy that seems to be so prevalant today?
I mean, people keep saying they want more trophy deer and how people will be so happy if they kill one. But, if the AVERAGE somehow miraculously jumped to 150"......a 150" deer would no longer be a trophy, would he?

I have a great friend in TX. He is in a couple of really nice leases. One of them is a trophy managed lease where you cannot kill a deer unless he is captured on camera and specifically identified by a biologist for harvest. Y'all would probably be surprised at how 'small' the racks are on some of these deer! But, they are mature.
In the words of his biologist, "A true Trophy is a Gift from God. And, they can show up anywhere." In other words, you may move your average up some. But, the deer that truly have racks that are significantly larger than all the rest (a trophy) is a freak and a rare occurrence.

So, no need in obsessing over it.

^^^^^. I agree with this. If I can add that I believe a hunter has to have a realistic expectation of the quality of bucks a property will grow. I know down here in the marsh that if you pass a 4 yr old 100-110" buck waiting on something bigger, you gonna have a long hungry season. I also know our place in Monroe co. doesnt have a history oh growing big deer. We kill some nice deer and have noticed they are getting a little big better every year. I still consider a shooter buck for me is one that makes me take a deep breath and makes me get nervous when I see them. I may not shoot everyone that does that to me but that is the #1 requirement for me. The day that a 3.5 yr or older buck doesn't get my old heart pumping, I guess I will take up golf.

This guy got his chit together!!!