Do you really want someone else to fill your tag?

[lakevet]

Man, I am absolutely pumped about someone else filling my tags this fall! Our group has a couple of young gals, a guy who is alive because he got a new kidney and pancreas and my 12 yr old son (the first of 3 boys) as well as a bunch of experienced hunters. I hope I spend the whole season driving deer and hearing guns going off, and tagging deer at the end of the drive that someone else dropped the muzzleloader hammer on! For all the talk about "Uncle Charlie who fills everyone's tags" I don't know personally of anyone like that in the groups that hunt in our area. If you are an "Uncle Charlie" you need be a real man and put that kid on the hot stand! You are cheating yourself of a thrill far greater than shooting them yourself. My dad's generation did it for my generation and we are doing the same for the next generation. It is party hunting with the goal of hunting together for the enjoyment of all in the group.

I personally think most party hunters are like that, so if you hunt like us and not uncle charlie style add a yes to this post.

Lakevet

[CSSF]

It's too bad there's guys that want to eliminate cross-tagging.

I love working together to do an effective deer drive. Not only does everyone almost always get a chance to shoot, we get a heck of a lot more deer and work to bring the population down better.

So yeah, I don't mind one bit if I use my tag on someone else's deer, or if they use their tag on mine. All the meat goes into the pot, split evenly, so what does it matter?

[ac777]

Ya but sometimes you can put a guy on the best stand possible, but that doesnt guarantee he is going to hit the deer or that the deer will go near him. SOmetimes uncle charly is a man that is good with a gun and knows the ways of the deer, which is why he shoots more deer. But no We try to get kids on the deer, but it doesn't always happen, they still enjoy the hunt.

[norm25]

Yes

[HNTNBUX]

No way in ****. The only reason someone should even ask to use my tag is if they shot 140" deer that was shortly followed by at least a 160" deer. I would give them some wiggle room for that but I can tell you I would sure enjoy the hunt they would be taking me on after that. My tag is for me and your tag is for you. I don't hunt one or two weekends a year and try to shoot anything that is brown to throw in the pot. I hunt for my personal satisfaction and to challenge myself. Tagging someone elses deer has nothing to do with that.

If you want to cross tag does go ahead but leave the bucks alone.

[norm25]

yes

[96trigger]

I personally know that I take advantage of hunting deer for about 3 months out of the year. And a couple of other guys in our group do that also. We know that we can eventually fill out tags, we always try to put the youth, and then anybody that hasn't shot a deer in a while in the best spots. Last year I went out with some relatives on my uncles farm and helped them set up in some premium spots. I made a few suggestions that they didn't listen too and it cost two of them nice bucks. Those suggestions are getting listened to this year. We have always put the kids first, unfortunately, we all know groups that have "uncle charlies"

[lakevet]

No way in ****. The only reason someone should even ask to use my tag is if they shot 140" deer that was shortly followed by at least a 160" deer. I would give them some wiggle room for that but I can tell you I would sure enjoy the hunt they would be taking me on after that. My tag is for me and your tag is for you. I don't hunt one or two weekends a year and try to shoot anything that is brown to throw in the pot. I hunt for my personal satisfaction and to challenge myself. Tagging someone elses deer has nothing to do with that.

If you want to cross tag does go ahead but leave the bucks alone.

HNTNBUX

I think you may be missing the point. You are sterotyping me in an inaccurate way. I choose to party hunt and let others I choose to party hunt with fill my tag. No one asks me or pressures me. Second, our group bow hunts, rifle hunts, and muzzy hunts. It is not a one or two weekend brown its down deal. We love being in the woods. Filling out is a bummer because the hunt is over, so we usually are a long ways from using all the tags and get more selective about what we shoot after we have a few does for the freezer. Third, while we meat hunt, we don't shoot everything. You can be selective about what you hunt as a party. A young doe tastes better than a rutting buck. I agree with you that "I hunt for my personal satisfaction and to challenge myself." However my satisfaction and challenge comes from party hunting with family and friends. It is like being a guide and getting paid in smiles, laughter, and memories by the ones you love.

lakevet

[BobT]

No way in ****. The only reason someone should even ask to use my tag is if they shot 140" deer that was shortly followed by at least a 160" deer. I would give them some wiggle room for that but I can tell you I would sure enjoy the hunt they would be taking me on after that. My tag is for me and your tag is for you. I don't hunt one or two weekends a year and try to shoot anything that is brown to throw in the pot. I hunt for my personal satisfaction and to challenge myself. Tagging someone elses deer has nothing to do with that.

If you want to cross tag does go ahead but leave the bucks alone.

That's what separates party hunters from solo hunters. If you party hunt you not only share the drive to and from the hunting area, you also share in the hunt. To each his own.

[Bear55]

Man, I am absolutely pumped about someone else filling my tags this fall! Our group has a couple of young gals, a guy who is alive because he got a new kidney and pancreas and my 12 yr old son (the first of 3 boys) as well as a bunch of experienced hunters. I hope I spend the whole season driving deer and hearing guns going off, and tagging deer at the end of the drive that someone else dropped the muzzleloader hammer on! For all the talk about "Uncle Charlie who fills everyone's tags" I don't know personally of anyone like that in the groups that hunt in our area. If you are an "Uncle Charlie" you need be a real man and put that kid on the hot stand! You are cheating yourself of a thrill far greater than shooting them yourself. My dad's generation did it for my generation and we are doing the same for the next generation. It is party hunting with the goal of hunting together for the enjoyment of all in the group.

I personally think most party hunters are like that, so if you hunt like us and not uncle charlie style add a yes to this post.

Lakevet

And everything you just said can happen without party hunting. Its really simple, everyone has their own tag, once they shoot a deer they work to help others shoot their own deer and everyone wins.

I do however like the new law that allows my son or daughter to use my tag at 10 or 11 before they can get their own tag.

[Mr.Seaguar]

I cant say it would bother me one bit to have someone I liked and respected fill my tag. But I wont gut it for them.

[Lunker]

When we party hunt it is usually on bonus tags or when we used to be a lottery zone. I don't mind it, though we usually wait until later in the season.

[Brownie77]

I just want to eat venison, so I could care less who shoots my deer. But if I had it my way it would be a kid or jsut soemone who has never had the chance to get a deer. I know many guys who go hunting never leave the cabin and just butcher deer and let the kids shoot them. they may go sit for a afternoon at times, and than it is 50/50 if they even take their gun, my great uncle told me his favorite thing in the world to do is sit in a stand with a beer and a sandwich and just enjoy life.

[BoxMN]

We just try to make sure everybody gets a deer, or at least a crack at one. Once someone gets one, they help and try to give best spots to those who haven't seen one. This is only a 4 day trip for most of the folks, and is always fun regardless.

[96trigger]

BoxMN, we try and do the same thing. And we mainly party hunted with bonus tags, our either sex permit was like gold and was never asked for by anyone. I like the fact that you try and give them a "crack" at one. Once they get the opportunity, they kind of drop behind everybody that hasn't gotten a deer or hasn't shot yet that year.

[Double D]

I guess we party hunt all the way too. There are 7 of us who have been together for quite a while so it's basically always been the rule.

However, we all know that if you knock down 1 opening morning and 1 on Sunday, you may want to take an afternoon off or something and you might have to take the worse stand for a day or so.

Oh, and we also party hunt our antlerless tags - but not until after noon on opening day.

That's just what we do and it works for us.

DD

[HNTNBUX]

I agree what you all do works for you and the groups that you hunt with.

Lakevet perhaps I was too critical but I did start out party hunting and I do not want any part of it again. I played dog for all of the older uncle Charleys, I shot deer that were then pounded by two other guys, I drove while others always posted, I arrived early and left the meeting spot two hours after we were supposed to leave waiting on the last guy, etc, etc. I agree being with a group before and after the hunt is great, telling stories, sharing the work and teaching the young hunters the way to do things is a big part of the enjoyment. However I am not in a race to fill my tag or anyone elses tag so I can be done by noon on opening day. I have a season long plan that works for me. If I was to shoot the first buck or first couple of deer I saw or let someone else do it most years I would not make it to October.

I can and still do hunt with other people but it is not to shoot their deer. More often than not I would benefit from party hunting now but I take satisfaction in looking for a deer that meets my qualifications and hunting that way.

The way the system is set up in MN those that party hunt can do their thing and those of us that don't want to can do our thing. I am a trophy hunter by choice to extend my season and my enjoyment while hunting. If I end the season with my MN buck tag unfilled and some small eight point buck still walks that works for me. I will have shot enough deer by then that I will be satisfied. To all, enjoy the way you hunt but realize we all have different goals.

[CSSF-Again]

we party hunt, and do it rather well. Everyone gets a fair share of the meat, whether they managed to shoot any deer or not. The younger crowd does the driving, while the older crowd stands. More often than not, a new kid will get to stand his/her first year in hopes of getting them their first deer, then their put in the middle of the hill to start in the thick stuff and work their way up or down when a spot opens up. We've been doing it this way for decades, and we harvest a LOT of deer. It makes absolutely no difference if I use my tag on my buddy's huge buck or little doe, because he would do the same for me if the need arose.

I don't understand why people are so against cross-tagging bucks. What difference does it make if I shoot two and have my buddy tag one, or if I shoot one and the guy above me on the hill shoots the other (because that's what happens)?

[klecker]

I hunt with a good number of people. We drive like no other after opening weekend. Yes I could hunt areas that are being drivin and score some nice deer.But how ever I dont eat antlers, like to wear black and red plad. Enjoy eating some good deer meat. Enjpy the fellow ship to be had at deer camp. The best of all I am a pusher. WHY? Because us pushers shoot all the nice bucks. The standers get the doe. The smart ones try and sneak back through our line. And after a year or two us old guys are in compition with the young to do the walking. We fight to push v.s stand. and yes we will tag the others deer. oh well we have fun!

[BobT]

Sounds to me like many of you are confusing party hunting with driving. I guess driving deer as a group is a form of party hunting but party hunting does not necessarily require posters and drivers. We don't drive deer but we still party hunt. In other words, we all hunt the same area at the same time. We share the excitement when someone scores, we share the work (enjoyment) of dragging the deer out, we share the work (enjoyment) of processing, and we share the meat, we share the stories, and yes we share our tags.

[Leaddog]

Two sides of the coin:

Around the farm drives are common. The part I dislike is picking up 15 or more empties where one person stood shooting. Taking that many shots there is no way every animal shot at got properly follow up and recovered. I've found shot fawns floating in the ponds. Plus they run the deer from woodlot to woodlot. They know exactly where the deer will go because they react the same as when they run their ATVs through the same route. Also, they have NO consideration for any other hunters in the area or their safety and ingore No Trespass signs all to get the quick score. Then the farm lady proudly says, the grandson shot seven deer! She obviously does not understand the what hunting is all about.

On the flip side: While primarily an archer, I do hunt the rifle season with the same group and place since old enough to go. In the party are several that won't make 2nd weekend (one comes from AZ) so we try to use those tags first, especially the AZ's tag. That way I can still hunt through December. Last year I was about to pass a 5 pt, then I remembered nine guys had zip in the tree after the first day, very rare with all the tags of late. So when the small buck gave me a clear 35 yd shot I took him. A few minutes later, my brother filled a doe tag. Both deer went home with very appreciative party members as the only deer taken that wknd, actually, the season since no deer were taken the 2nd wknd. I didn't mind since I arrowed a buck on Oct 4. After we self-process, we split the meat in equal shares for everyone. Bro and I let the others split our share since I had that buck in the freezer.

So, party hunting has its place though some see it as an easy way to an end.

[walleyeman1]

It sure would be nice to have a bunch of land and to hunt for weeks until the one walks under your stand that is considered the trophy to shoot. But we all do not have the time to hunt for weeks.If we all waited for the trophy, we would have a big problem in the population of deer. But I choose to party hunt, because we like the meat and do all of are processing ourselves. It is a cheap way of getting meat for the table and an enjoyable way to hunt with family. One year I may shoot 5 deer and then I may go a couple years without shooting anything. It does not matter to me unless I do not get any meat for the next year.

[BobT]

On the flip side: While primarily an archer, I do hunt the rifle season with the same group and place since old enough to go. In the party are several that won't make 2nd weekend (one comes from AZ) so we try to use those tags first, especially the AZ's tag. That way I can still hunt through December. Last year I was about to pass a 5 pt, then I remembered nine guys had zip in the tree after the first day, very rare with all the tags of late. So when the small buck gave me a clear 35 yd shot I took him. A few minutes later, my brother filled a doe tag. Both deer went home with very appreciative party members as the only deer taken that wknd, actually, the season since no deer were taken the 2nd wknd. I didn't mind since I arrowed a buck on Oct 4. After we self-process, we split the meat in equal shares for everyone. Bro and I let the others split our share since I had that buck in the freezer.

[Leaddog]

Did you miss the part about it being rifle season? All with firearms tags and firearms in hand. It is legal to buy archer and firearms licenses. All I'm saying is I legally harvested/tagged a buck with an archery tag. Its still legal to hunt on the firearms tag, can't fill it with a buck but another hunter legally hunting at the same time on the same property, can tag it. AND was most grateful for it.

Most years, if I happen to have a clean shot at a buck and chose to take it with a rifle (or a doe for that matter) having another tag it simply extends my archery season since you can tag only one buck. It's a rare year that I have a chance at another buck later in the archer season. May see another but not offering a quality shot. No marginal shots!

Now that the permits (a deer) have been greatly reduced from the many years of 5 tags in everyone's pocket, it seems we're back to the 80s. Few deer, plenty of feed including plots it'll soon be back to take the buck, let the does grow more.

[BobT]

No need to get defensive. Just trying to be courteous by pointing out what looked like an error on your part.

No, I did not miss the season you were referring to. In fact, it was precisely that which prompted me to call this to your attention. You said you were an archer and you hunt the rifle season. Knowing that the archery season runs right through the rifle season, I mistakenly assumed that you were using your bow while others were using firearms. I thought maybe you weren't aware of the law. It would really deflate the fun of a deer season to find out the hard way.