[#1DEER 1-I]

What do you hunt for meat or bone on the head, or both? Typically I have no problem with hunting for both in my opinion shooting a buck that has bigger horns is better because it shows you took a mature animal. However I don't belive in hunting for just the bone on there head, people who waste wildlife and leave the body or don't eat it themselves or have someone else eat it are a little bit of a disgrace, I understand for both but not for just bone. What is you opinion on this?

 

[Riverrat77]

I agree, you can't eat the rack but it sure looks nice hanging on the wall when you get a good one. 8) Me?? Well, I'll be shooting what I can get next season.... this year was supposed to be a learning year, just figuring out what the archery game is all about. Next year I'll actually expect to harvest an animal since I was close enough this year to seal the deal.... I just made a crappy shot.

 

[Camrat85]

I'm a meat hunter, if I get a nice rack to boot then that's great. I can't afford to have one mounted so that's a secondary consideration for me. Last year I had three 3X3's come in together so I picked the one that looked the biggest bodied to me. Sure I still have the rack, but its just the antlers and part of the skull cap, i haven't done anything with it. If I was creative I might try to make something out of them. Maybe someone can post ideas that us less creative people can make on our own. I didn't even bother keeping my spike elk horns, maybe next time.

 

[itchytriggerfinger]

I'd have to say that i am both as well. (I'm eating left over elk roast right now) um good. anyway. I shot a spike elk last year in an anybull unit and if given the chance i'd do it again this year. It would be more for the meat than anything else. But i'd let my wife shoot it and then i would hold out for something a little bigger. if we shot two spikes then we would have enough meat for two families. So if she got one then i think that i would hold out for some bones. (Did i mention this elk roast is awesome) *()* *()*

 

[JAT83]

If I ever started hunting, which I hope I do, I would go for meat first and if I could get a nice rack, that would be a bonus!

 

[proutdoors]

I am strictly a meat hunter! :shock:

PRO

 

[silvertip]

Sure Pro Sure...... As long as the meats attatched to a trophy class animal! :rotfl: *OOO* *()*

 

[silvertip]

I'm a meat hunter, if I get a nice rack to boot then that's great. I can't afford to have one mounted so that's a secondary consideration for me. Last year I had three 3X3's come in together so I picked the one that looked the biggest bodied to me. Sure I still have the rack, but its just the antlers and part of the skull cap, i haven't done anything with it. If I was creative I might try to make something out of them. Maybe someone can post ideas that us less creative people can make on our own. I didn't even bother keeping my spike elk horns, maybe next time.

Ive mounted a spike elk in european style myself and it actually looks pretty cool.
I actually do this with all the deer I shoot as well.
If you dont mind getting a little messy! :lol:

 

[proutdoors]

Sure Pro Sure...... As long as the meats attatched to a trophy class animal! :rotfl: *OOO* *()*

I mean I only eat meat! Green things are not food, they are what food eats!

You are correct, I have yet to find a trophy set of antlers walking around that wasn't attached to 'meat'. In truth, I can't remember ever killing 'just' for the meat, that would be like shooting an Angus steer in the field, to me. I do however, enjoy the meat of the trophy animals I kill. I had some backstraps last night from a trophy bull killed 10 days ago, very yummy! Nothing better than 'processed' veggies.

PRO

 

[JAT83]

Sure Pro Sure...... As long as the meats attatched to a trophy class animal! :rotfl: *OOO* *()*

I mean I only eat meat! Green things are not food, they are what food eats!

You are correct, I have yet to find a trophy set of antlers walking around that wasn't attached to 'meat'. In truth, I can't remember ever killing 'just' for the meat, that would be like shooting an Angus steer in the field, to me. I do however, enjoy the meat of the trophy animals I kill. I had some backstraps last night from a trophy bull killed 10 days ago, very yummy! Nothing better than 'processed' veggies.

PRO

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: Nothin' like a good steak... even though I have never had deer/elk meat, I have heard it is really good....wait, I think I did have deer in a stew before, but that was it...from what I remember it was pretty good!

 

[4x4 Bronco]

I like to fill my tag. If given the opportunity I take the biggest animal I can. The meat is better on the younger ones, but I go for the big animals so to be honest I am more of a trophy hunter (though I am still lacking in sucess on the trophy animals :| ).

 

[dunn_gary]

I'm with the meat first and the size of bone :wink: second. I will shoot the bigger if given the oportunity. But in most of my years of hunting, I have rarely seen more than the one buck I shoot. I enjoy the meat, but keep dreaming of the nice wall mount I'm one day going to get. At 57, not too many years left for that to happen. I must admit, though, I have missed one or two that would have fit the bill. -)O(-

 

[campfire]

I would say, neither. I hunt for the experience. Elk camp is loaded in the back of my truck and on my ATV trailer sitting in my garage waiting to travel. And I elk am having a elk hard time elk concentrating elk on elk , I mean work. The day after tomorrow I will head up the mountain (in the snow) to set up elk camp. The odds of shooting ANY ELK are less than 20% but I am excited to go and would be just as excited to go if I knew I would not kill an elk. It cost more to hunt than to buy meat in the store so hunting for the meat seems a poor investment. I will be hunting in a spike only area so hunting for "bone" would also be a waste of effort. If I shoot a spike I will butcher it myself and enjoy the meat and I will be pleased with shooting a spike. But if I shoot nothing which is quite likely I will enjoy the hunt emensly and will not be dissapointed. In fact, at my age I just might enjoy it more if I don't shoot anything.

 

[threshershark]

Full Monty

+1 for the experience. There has always been a lot of discussion about meat vs. "trophy" hunting and there are people who specifically do both. I think there is another aspect to it that many hunters understand but have a hard time putting into words.

Specifically, sportsmen deeply respect the game animals they pursue. There is a bond that non-hunters have a difficult time understanding between the two. I eat the game that I harvest, and enjoy it a great deal. When I started hunting, and for many years thereafter, I took young animals when the opportunities presented themselves. Over time, my understanding of the concept of fair chase evolved. I began to realize that meeting an animal on its terms, and allowing it to use all of its natural defenses and intelligence were an important part of the experience. In my mind, an adult animal best meets my personal objectives these days because in addition to instinct and senses (which all ages possess) they also have enough life experience to contextualize threats. I am not a trophy hunter in terms of requiring a certain antler score or size, but I limit myself to adult game animals that have both the natural defenses and the wisdom to apply them.

To each his/her own. In my case, after close to 20 years of big game hunting, my quarry deserves the edge that can only come from having lived long enough to make mistakes and learn from them.