I'm watching Primos The Truth IV - Face to Face on Youtube and I've noticed that Will, Ronnie Jolly and the other guy really aren't that selective about what buck they shoot. The guys are hunting top notch hunting land with good food and good genetics. So, why were they not just waiting on the 130" bucks instead of shooting 90" bucks. I know that we know that the other factor is "time" to let bucks reach maturity, but they didn't seem to worry about that. I'm sure they had plenty of mature bucks roaming the woods there, yet they chose to shoot any racked buck. Did enjoyment of the hunt over ride the need to consistently kill 150" bucks so that more products would sell? I had forgotten that at one time Will and the Primos guys were just as tickled over a 2 1/2 yr old 7pt as they were a 5 1/2 yr old 10pt. I'm not knocking the Primos crew, in fact I really enjoy all of there hunts and they seem to REALLY know how to hunt. Sure, they're hunting prime land. But, they still seem to put in they're time on the tractor and time putting up their own stands to kill good deer. So, my question is this--If you hunt several different public and private properties do you keep the same age and antler restrictions for each one? Will you shoot a spike on that small 10 acre spot your aunt lets you hunt but then hold out for a 3 1/2 year old buck on that 500 acres you lease? Just curious. Fun is defined differently by each person. To me, fun is hunting with close friends and family and somebody shoots a deer THEY are tickled to kill. I do put restrictions on bucks taken on my property for experienced hunters, but we still enjoy shooting does or going to public land and killing whatever buck is legal. What's your thoughts?

What I choose to shoot is pretty consistant no matter where I hunt...five year old or older, gun/bow/high fence/low fence/in the fence /it don't matter. Rarely will it go up, and usually only a mistake will bring it down.

BTW, sorry for the misuse of their, they’re and there. Autocorrect has no pity nor does it care to make friends.

We shoot AGE. Antlers dont matter that much, we just shoot old deer and we just know what works for us.

Everyone will probably come on here and act like they don’t shoot anything below 5 year old deer. I’m sure that’s true for some. Well I’ll be the first to say a pretty 3 year old won’t make it far on my place, and probably 90%+ of deer camps in the state.

I won’t shoot a basket rack, but a deer I’d mount, gets a ride home.

I shoot what makes me happy at that moment.

Make yourself happy.

not aimed at yer comment Clem, shooting a three year old by mistake makes me very unhappy. Only happened once to me and I was pissed because it was a very nice up and coming buck. Holding out for older bucks does NOT stress me or make me not enjoy hunting, I just get no satisfaction in killing a younger buck. Most true trophy hunters are just as satisfied with HUNTING as any brown-its-down hunter, I'd say more satisfied. I have no problem eating all three buck tags at the end of season and NOT killing a 3-4 year old buck.

I'd guess 98% of deer hunters in Alabama do not hold out for five plus...

I agree about almost all not holding out for 5+ — which is why we rarely have 5+ bucks here.

I like big bucks. I like to see bucks grow. But if I see a spike that makes me happy or I'm in the mood for meat and don't see (or decide not to shoot) does, then I probably won't hold off.

I have a spike on the land I'm tinkering with now that probably is 3 years old. Thick tines, like daggers. He's been in the same area so I think he's a homebody. If I see him thru summer, and especially if he's still a spike, he's a goner.

And then I'm going to turn my attention on a bigger buck that I probably will target all season. I think he's at least 3; still not blocky and big-shouldered yet but IMO is dominant in the 'hood. He looked really nice this winter, will fill out more this summer (hopefully) in body and antlers, and I hope to have fun tangling with him. If he skirts me, so be it.

In those early years of hunting Videos (Truth 4 is VERY EARLY..around 1995?) there werent all these shows actually even showing deer hunting. Just the Realtree series, Primos and Drury and a few others.

It was at the beginning of filming hunts and you were just trying to KILL any good looking buck on TV.

Now 23 years later it has evolved into shooting HUGE bucks on film.

Ronny Jolly was always really funny and quick to shoot in those old days. I remember he shot one the at Tara? Willow point I believe. I remember it was like a 90-105 inch buck or so...but man was he happy.

I remember him saying on the video.."well it aint the biggest buck on Tara...but hes big enough for TODAY!"

Man, I liked those old ones with Ron Jolly, Jeff Sherwood and those original Primos boys.

Jolly retired this week from the DCNR. Good career for him with the Primos crew and filming, and then with DCNR doing great filming work.

Great guy and a heck of a videographer (and writer)!

I shoot whatever makes me happy.

Yeah, I always liked Ron. He is a funny guy too . Glad he retired , he spent a long time in the industry with both Primos and then the Outdoor Alabama show.

Heck he was laying great tape back before we ever had GREAT cameras. One of the fore fathers of outdoor TV and video no doubt!

Yeah he is.......He's a good neighbor too!

Call his butt and tell him retirement don't mean he can sit around all Saturday! Get to work!

Oh, I bet Mrs Tess already has plenty lined up for him to do.

She'll keep him busy enough he might want to go back to working for The Man!

Generally, I'm looking for older deer, but it depends on my location and how good my season has been. I passed a really nice 4 year old 8 point in Alabama this year because I had plenty in the freezer, and I was hunting an old 6 point that had been seen in the area.

Killed an old 5 point near York, AL this year that really made me happy,

I'll pass 25-30 deer on a Texas hunt that I would shoot in a heartbeat in Alabama or Georgia.

Depends on how the season is going. I hunt mostly public ground so the first two legal deer I see and can get a shot on go down. After that I hunt for age. 3 or older makes the cut.

Private land is a different story. If I get lucky enough to hunt someone else’s private ground, I don’t shoot unless it’s big enough to make me want to shoulder mount it. The person that invited me didn’t have to so I figure it’s only proper to not shoot anything I’m not going to mount.

I've gotten to where I'll only shoot it if I'm gonna mount it. I've had to grow and learn to get to this stage. But it's the way I enjoy. I saw a 115-120" 8 point 3consecutive afternoons and passed each time. Just not the one I was targeting.

Used to shoot any legal buck I could when i was younger. Then about 10 years ago I took a small 6 point with my bow and had a lot of regret.......thoughts like what would he have been next year? Since then I have only shot bucks that made me say "wow!" when I first saw them. Did shoot a really gnarly cool mainframe 6 that had stickers all over just because he was cool and different. Shoot whatever makes you happy.