How do YOU decide what bucks to shoot?

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.

^^^This for sure^^^

I'm in a club now that has good genetics in the area. I let walk several small baskets racks and got ridiculed for doing so. I told them if the deer had been old I would have shot it, but they didn't quite understand that. Same goes for does too. The youngins are a bit more tender but the old ones are harder to kill in my opinion.

X2

I haven't killed a buck on our place in Alabama in the past two seasons. Had several opportunities to shoot 120-130 class bucks but I will continue to be patient, waiting for that 140-150 class buck. I tend to pick out one or two deer in the early fall and I will stay after them. The past two seasons, they have won and they all survived this year too. I will stick 4 or 5 doe every year, as I find they eat better than a musky buck.

Last year i hunted a particular deer, i had decided it was him or nothing. This year i watched a 6pt grow and really liked him so i decided i would shoot him if i saw him, he was an impressive 6pt, to me anyhow, but a young deer. I saw him and shot him. Later this year i saw a good 8pt on a really exciting hunt, i was jacked up and i killed him out of pure excitement, he was a nice 8pt, but a little young, i guess. Next year my goal is to get a mature(5yr old or older) buck out of a treestand in the woods. I have an idea how im going to do it.

I shoot bucks that make me happy too, but it takes a mature buck with 140+ inches of bone on his head to do it. I might kill a lesser buck if he's a good one and clearly 5+. I don't have to kill anything to enjoy the hunt.
I'm looking for a buck that will make it into my top three and my current number 3 is over 130. I checked cameras yesterday and had a big 6 that is at least 5, he'll be on next years hit list.
It's a year round process for me, I was on the tractor today, planting season is right around the corner. To each his own, I'm getting old and I thank the Lord I'm still in the game

Yep!

Spikes die got dammit!!!

Like the rest of the guys that kill big deer that supposedly don't exist in Alabama I am all about age.

I manage and shoot for 4YO and older regardless of headgear. That's if I have time to look him over and satisfy myself he's 4+. The exception is if I don't have time to age him but he has serious WOW factor on top . As I've posted before , I hunt many places that are super thick, hardwood cut over. Some where the longest shot may be only 40 yards. Unless I've seen the buck before or have pics , I better be shooting if I like him even a little. If he has serious wow factor and is only 3 when I get to him , I don't beat myself up . I'm happy , he's dead, move on. Now if I'm on a plot , which is rare, I'm can be slower with the trigger and hold out for a no doubt 4+.

BTW, I was quick on the trigger on a buck in a thick area back in January '92 . 154" main frame 5x5 with 4 stickers pushing him to 160", he only field dressed about 130lbs. Biologist aged him at 3YO. He occupies some prime real estate in my living room.

Everyone should make themselves happy and don't look back.

shoot what ever is legal, if your want to kill a deer, if you don't, watch the birds and bees, and go on home.

I have transitioned into trying to kill age (4 or older) over antler score. I was able to pass up a nice 4 year old this past season that will be an exceptional deer come fall. Were I currently hunt it is rare to kill a 130" deer and age as become the measuring stick for me. I have grown into the stage I get just as much enjoyment out of trying to grow a big one as I do killing one. I'm blessed to itch my trigger finger on my Midwest farms pretty much annually so it takes the pressure off when I start hunting around home.

First off, he has to be mature in my estimation, and then secondly, it depends on whether most of our guests have already come to hunt with us. There might be an average size 8 point that I think is 4 years old early in the season. Shooting that deer would mean nothing to me but many of our guests would love it and put it on the wall. I'll save him for them. It would have to be an exceptional deer for me to shoot him early in the season now that I no longer bow hunt. I do video these deer when they cooperate and send the videos to our guests to get them fired up about their trip.

Now towards the end of the season, any old buck becomes fair game for me. That is exactly what I have done the past two years. I've killed three bucks total in the past two years that had messed up or just decent racks but all were 4.5+ in age.

So to answer the original question, two variables come into play for me, age and time of the season. Early in the season, size matters but late in the season, I'd shoot a spike if I was pretty certain he is old.

Well never had much private land so i did the best i could. Basically hunted with a bow and shot does,ive killed a few decent deer with a bow and the rest have been scrubs. Hard to do better on public land. Now if i had some nice private land..well ive seen what letting deer get old will do...even if you did absolutely nothin for the deer...youd see above average bucks in this state if they made it past 4.5. If we had a more robust age structure youd see alot of nicer deer come from this state. My oppinion..

In Alabama it’s all about age because if you’re hunting in Mobile county and holding out for 130 inch bucks you might as well take up fishing lol. In Illinois I am trying to hold out for nothing less than 130 inches. So far I have succeeded in that, but also think I might have let some walk that I shouldn’t have because heck until Illinois I really had seen deer that big in person lol.

All of what deer you decide to take really depends on what you have to take. Don't expect a 150" to come strolling by on most public land. Just are not many there making it to 3 yrs old. With restricted access and LEO patrolling the area 24/7 your odds start rising. The tract would then have potential unless someome else is shooting the deer nearby.

We shoot what makes us happy. We strive to shoot 3 year olds or better, if an accident happens we don't treat it like the end of the world. Small club.

I have 2 private place I hunt and some WMA. On the private land we use cameras and pretty much know what is there and know what we will shoot or won't shoot. Usually the older deer, and that goes for bucks and does.

I primarily shoot mature bucks. I will be the first to say I am not good at judging age past 4. Every buck I have killed in the past 5 years has been 195# or more so I'm pretty confident that I am shooting the mature age bucks.

But I have definitely made mistakes. I don't really sweat it when I make a mistake and shoot a younger buck. I don't hold spikes in high regard. That doesn't mean that I go "hunting" for them but I have a couple places with low deer density and if I am feeling bloody while hunting there I will shoot a spike instead of a doe.

Right now I have absolutely zero standards for my son. I told him he will get picky once he has killed more, not to feel like he needs to be picky like I am. But he did pass on every spike, 3 pt, 4 pt and basket rack he saw this year.

As far as primos goes they have evolved over the years as many of us have.
That video was more than 20 years ago as big bucks 26 should come out about May
Brad told my nephew at the convention the other day that it will be the last dvd as it will all just be on YouTube from now on

If im on my land...trophies only. If im on a friends land its gonna die, big or small! Im kidding im kidding...
Depends on how far i gotta drag one out really. Then the time of day affects me too. I aint shootin no doe or little buck if it aint early in the day. I process my own meat so it takes me all day to get done. So i wont shoot anything but large racks if the schedule aint jiveing....like work the next day and its after 1pm.

If it's a deer, good chance it's gonna at least get shot at.

I try to shoot what I think is an older( 4.5 and up deer) but truthfully if I pick up my gun instead of my binoculars when I first see a buck that is all she wrote.

What I shoot depends on 1st, the rules of the land/club I'm hunting. Then the time of year and meat level in the freezer. If it's late in the season, and I don't have any meat in the freezer, I'll shoot a spike if I can. I'd rather eat and process some meat vs look back at some horns. I like to eat.

Whichever ones are "mature" and provide me a shot with my bow that I feel comfortable taking.

Here’s a new view. I don’t shoot does, and haven’t for 6 years . I will shoot a 2 year old 8 point if I need meat in a heartbeat. My neighbors shoot forked horn or better, but they don’t shoot does. We don’t have the biggest bucks but we don’t do without deer meat. Once I kill something I’m happy depending on the meat situation I shoot for 4 1/2-5 1/2. He may be a funky 5 pt or a really nice 8 pint like my wife killed this year. If the does are there there will always be bucks.

I shoot what ever the landowners want me too. And at my place I shoot the one thats going to be the easiest for me to get out. I love a big rack buck as much as anything else but to wait for a 5+ yr old buck with a 100++ b.c. points is like waiting on a liberal to admit that he is wrong. Other places I pass on anything that I think is under 4. Sometimes I have made a mistake I shot a beautiful 3-1/2 yr old 10 point in ky and really felt like $#!+ for about 6 months. And I haven't pulled the trigger on a buck up there again because I always question myself and they clear out before I make my mind up.
It really is a lot harder for us Deer south boys to judge a 4 + buck say in Ky vs Mobile county. Huge difference a 2 1/2 yr old is bigger than any buck Ive ever seen here. Location is the decision maker.

At the hunting club I’m in, I try to shoot bucks that are 4 1/2 and older. There are two 8 pts, a 9 pt, and two 10 pts that got a pass because of that, this past season. I see many bucks that I think are 3 1/2 or younger, but once they turn 4 1/2, they become scarce. We do kill a few really old deer from time to time, so they are there, but they are really good at hiding

Whichever one is closest to the truck.

I try to go by age if I’m shooting a buck. Does on the other I’ll shoot anyone that gives me a chance.

I try to shoot 4+ regardless of where I am. Most of the time I do. Mistakes will happen, and at the end of the day it is just a deer after all, and hardly worth getting bent out of shape over. Have fun.

Best answer I have seen so far!

I am the same way.
I love to pattern and hunt mature deer.

But, if I am hunting and things get exciting and start happening fast and I make a 'mistake'....so be it.

When I stop getting excited, I will probably just quit.

Still hunting on the club, I go by club rules. I hunt in Baldwin County and we shoot 4 on one side and 13”+ inside spread. (Usually equates to a 3.5+ y/o deer here. We pull all jawbones and send them off).

Dog hunting with friends on dog clubs & WMAs, we shoot any buck because it’s more about good races, fresh backstraps on the grill, cold beer, and having fun.

I generally wont shoot it if i aint gonna mount it but if i need some meat late in the season its club rules 6 point or better. I hunt to eat a trophy is just a bonus.

Clem said it best! "I shoot what makes me happy at that moment".

Make yourself happy.

Rarely count points, spread etc. If I say "oh sh*t!" when I see him and don't have to question it, then he's dead. Simple as that.

This is pretty much how I hunt. And rarely will I kill a doe late in the evening due to not having a rack to pull her fat ass out with.

I let the deer decide.....

That is what I tell all our guests. If he walks out and you have to debate on whether to shoot him or not, he's not a shooter. if he walks out and the first thing you think is "Oh shucks" he's probably a shooter.

Growing up running dogs any buck was fair game,no doe because there was no season. Now a lot more selective, but like said accidents happen. When they happen there's no need to call The Alabama Hammer just move on.

I feel the same havnt ever killed a giant but several decent deer up to 130 but if i havnt killed one in a year and i c one that makes my heart jump its gone..this past year it happened to be a 2 year old 8 prob score 100 but hes gonna be in my kids room soon on a plaque

Depends on where I’m hunting. Very picky years ago when I had good land to hunt. Now I’m doing good to be able to get in 3-4 hunting days a year and I like to have meat in the freezer. So if it’s legal and land owner allows it I’m pulling the trigger

this right here.

When I see a buck, if there is a question in my mind as to whether or not to shoot him, I don’t. It’s the ones that I don’t even have to think about it that I shoot. That’s what makes me happy.

Brown it’s down, simple.

Management system, if I manage to get my scope on him and want to shoot him I do.

I shoot what makes me happy and MATURE bucks makes me happy. Shooting an immature buck makes me not happy!!! I support management and I don't have to kill a buck to have a great hunt!!

Easy. If I see one I want to shoot, I shoot it. I'm not a trophy or antler hunter, so age/rack doesn't matter to me. That said, way more often than not, I don't shoot them at all. Last buck I killed was a young(ish) 7 point in January 2010, first of only 2 times I even got to go that season. When I first saw him, he was coming straight towards me and I'd decided not to shoot him. After trying to wave him off twice and even hollering at him to try to get him off the scent trail he was tracking, he still came straight to me, so I changed my mind and shot him. Usually prefer to just watch them, and when I do shoot a deer, usually prefer does.