"Standards"

[jay83196]

Brown down....except nothing inder 8pt I hunt intensive area and usually get 2-3 deer mostly does.

[Musky Buck]

I should add, deer hunting was so crazy good when I first started in 1983, when I was 15 I took a 12 pointer dressed 210, when I was 17 a 9 pointer that dressed 229, mix a few bucks in those other years that were nice also, so I turn 18, I always hunted the 2 day season, at 18 and itchy trigger finger, 2 day season and you wait for 363 days again, I took a fork on the last day, which would be the 2nd day, I was completely disgusted with myself that I took that deer, that was the end of that, I have burned several tags over the years I could've easily filled, I have seen 59 immature bucks since that last yearling fork, I need the challenge of the hunt which means mature buck or bust, those 59 yearlings I don't doubt some of them became the mature buck I harvested a few years later, some you get some you don't and I like that, if I were to get a big buck every year I wouldn't enjoy that either eventually. They are getting much harder to get let alone see. I like the meat to, and it never fails come about March there are plenty of people giving it away and when you have 80 head of cattle behind the house meat isn't hard to come by. I have taken 3 career does, 1983,1984, and an accident doe in 1988, herd of 17, thought I was for sure on the buck, back in those days it was huge having a doe permit so having 2 seconds to make a decision when you're 17 years old I made it and was like wow it's a doe, darn buck, crazy part of the story is they were all under my dads stand, here he got cold and walked out of the swamp, I went to his stand at 10:00AM sharp like we planned, bigtime lol on my dad who blew a bigtime chance at a big time buck or 2 or who knows, I didn't scan every head.

[muskiemanAD]

I guess to answer the question why shoot something the last day that you wouldn't shoot the first. We hunt SE MN, everyone gun hunts then muzzy hunts later on and at different places then where we shot gun hunt. Back when we could party hunt we had someone that would shoot a buck then the next day shoot another and ask for someones tag. Well then that guy cant hunt without someone with a tag now. So I guess what Im saying is you shoot your deer and tag it, so you don't want to shoot a small buck then have a stud come by. I know of others that adheire to this thinking...

[BobT]

My standards are decided and applied at the moment. I don't go into the day's hunt with a standard in mind.

[00rowe]

Any buck I shoot with any weapon must be big enough to warrant a shoulder mount. Maturity does come into play if he's looks like a nice 3 year old, I will pass with the bow. All anterless are fair game for me. I do hunt with a "party" but do not party hunt, I practice what I preach, when you shoot your buck you're DONE buck hunting. Unfortunately this year I was done buck hunting Oct 1, I haven't haven't seen a better one yet though. Good luck to all those with unfilled tags.

Mike

[Stratosman]

For me it's the challenge of hunting for mature bucks. I start in Sept and go thru December and love every second of every hunt. I would hate to end my season early by shooting a little buck. Pretty much could do that every bow opener if I wanted to. But to me it's the challenge of outwitting a mature buck, we all know the easiest deer to kill is a 1-1/2 year old buck, they're everywhere especially right now!

So my standard is a mature buck and hopefully a doe or two. I go in streaks, the last two years I arrowed mature bucks, but prior to that it was 2006.

I would NEVER look down on anyone that shoots any legal deer and I don't care either. It's all personal preference.