A button buck (5 month old) walks into range and this would be your first Trad deer...Do you let him walk by hoping that another deer (a older one) will present you with a shot another day, or do you take a shot.
I had to think back 40 years on that question. I was young, not much of a hunter and seldom killed a deer even with a rifle. I would drop the string on any legal deer, and killed my first whitetail with a recurve about that time. Found this old picture from the mid 70s of my first with a bow. Compound devices hadn't been invented yet.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v181/ekrewson/Firstbowkill.jpg)
Today I would let him walk but not 40 years ago.
This very thing happened to me last Tues. afternoon. Got to my stand and settled in as it started to drizzle rain. No more than 5 minutes later, a deer came into my bait pile. Noticeing right away it was a smaller deer. Deer was oblivious to my presence. Noticed it was a button head and just could make out spots on bottom half of its hams. I practiced picking my spot as to where I would aim if it were a shooter. It hung around about 15 minutes and the walked off in the direction it came.
The way I see it, I will have another chance (God willing) to take my 1st trad deer. It wasnt worth taking the young deer just to give myself the satifaction of saying I took my 1st trad deer. Taking my 1st traditional deer, in itself doestn really mean much to anyone else except for me. For me it is a personal challenge.
Just my .02 cents.
This will be my first year to hunt with a stick bow so i will shoot the first legal deer i have a chance to harvest. The place i hunt has a lot of deer and last year i did pass on some does with my compound. I dont think i will be passing on any this year because theres nothing that will help your confidence better than taking game.
I have yet to take my first animal with trad gear. I think I would probably pass him up even so. Just the fact he's in range is something, even though he's a youngin.
I agree with Kodiak. I've never taken one with traditional gear and this year it's all that I'll be using. Even so, it wouldn't be very satisfying to me, in fact, I think I'd feel terrible afterwards. I'd be even a bit more concerned that it was a button buck than simply the fact that it was a yearling.
Now, on the other hand, I think that there's nothing wrong with someone taking that deer assuming that it was a legal target and was harvested in an ethical and humane way. For me it's a matter of personal choice and I'd refrain from shooting.
Keep em coming fellas... Great stuff
It would all depend on how late in the season.... if it was early and i had plenty of hunting time..i'd pass...if it was late and had no venison..i'd shoot.
I have passed three yearling already this year, but i have taken a bunch of deer. But if you have not taken a deer yet with trad gear you should drop the string on any legal deer. Most places deer numbers are pretty high, so taking your first deer no matter what it is wont hurt anything.
I killed a little button the 1st day here this year because I thought it was a doe. If I can see the buttons then I'll pass, but if I know it's a doe and it still has a few spots on it then it's fair game if I don't have meat in the freezer, if the freezer is well stocked then I hold out for mature does or bucks. My first priority no matter what I'm hunting with is meat but I don't like killing young bucks though.
If YOU choose to shoot it....I'll help you drag it....take your photos and congratulate you on your trophy.
But.....I've killed enough whitetails that a BB doesn't trip my excite-o-meter.
Follow YOUR heart. I voted he walks.
I met my goal of taking a deer with trad gear in 2005 - an old doe with my Great Plains recurve. My new goal is to take one with a bow I built myself. I started making my own longbows from Bingham kits about three years ago. Since that time, I simply haven't had a good shot opportunity at a deer. So I would not hesitate to shoot a button buck if a good shot presented itself. It all boils down to your personal goals and what you want to get out of your hunting season. If I drop one with my longbow this year, maybe next year I'll set my goals a little higher.
My first bow kill was a button buck 8 years ago with a compound. I just got serious about hunting with traditional equipment last year. I have killed 5 with it now. I have shot close to 50 deer with the bow over the past 8 years. I still get just as excited when a button buck comes in as when an 8 pointer comes in. If he's close enough, I'm shooting and if I kill him he is a trophy to me. If it's brown I'm trying to take it down. The meat is also so good and tender. I'm a hardcore trophy hunter and any deer is trophy to me, if they have spots, pick one.
First one? I'd kill it. They taste great.
After that? No. If I were to kill a yearling it'd be a doe.
I too let "this years" deer walk already this season... But have killed more than my share of deer. If it is your first go ahead and shoot it and be happy.
JDSIII
I think of it as an animal should chose the hunter, not the other way around. I'll take whatever animal offers me a chance to take it, i don't see it as my place to be judging the worthiness of the animal in question.
Timeless distinction between hunters w/enough kills & newbes. The temptation to kill your first is too great for most (myself included). After these many years no contest, he walks.
Over thirty years ago, I let the first deer walk, while hunting with a bow. :bigsmyl:
It was EIGHT YEARS before I got another shot at a buck! :thumbsup:
This is a great topic and its good to see how other hunters support each others decision. I think its pretty cool that the guys who have made the switch to trad archery consider any deer a trophy.
What is it about these stick bows that makes a ordinary hunt turn in to a hunt that moves the soul in ways that nothing else can compare.
I'll take em because it will be my first deer with Trad equipment also I don't get that many opportubities to hunt I also hunt public land and don't get that many opportunities at shots so that being said I'll put meat in the freezer given the OPP.
Completely depends on where I'm hunting. The property I hunted yesterday for opening day is a tree farm in the urban zone. The landowner called me a week ago very upset over the damage to her trees and complaining about the deer being everywhere. There are some great bucks on this property but I usually just hunt does (antlerless) here because it keeps the landowner happy which keeps me hunting this great place year after year. On this property, if the deer doesn't have horns or spots and I've got an antlerless tag, I shoot it.
To open up the season, I shot the smallest little guy I've ever shot. No horns, no spots, so he got shot. My top limb hit a tree branch on the shot and threw my arrow off. The Griz 190 hit him way back and cut the artery under the spine. He went about 30 yards and fell over. Just perfect for the crockpot or barbecue and by far some of the best tasting venison you can get.
(http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w49/molson410/Littleguy.jpg)
I could dang near carry this guy out in my Arrow Master quiver!
I say make up your own mind for your own reasons on what deer you shoot. Doesn't matter whether it's the first deer you ever shoot, or your last.
Molson
Had my share of youngins as well, they are tastey!
Each of us has such a different set of circumstances. Places to hunt, time to hunt, quantity and quality of deer, etc. Any legal deer taken ethically, even a young one, needs no apologizing over.
While I'd not knowingly shoot a yearling (because I hunt a lot, and in pretty good areas), I think there's nothing wrong with it and have congratulated and pounded the back of numerous students at school who showed me the picture of their first and it was obviously a young one.
No thanks, I'll let'em walk.
Eric
This very thing happened to me last Tues. afternoon. Got to my stand and settled in as it started to drizzle rain. No more than 5 minutes later, a deer came into my bait pile. Noticeing right away it was a smaller deer. Deer was oblivious to my presence. Noticed it was a button head and just could make out spots on bottom half of its hams. I practiced picking my spot as to where I would aim if it were a shooter. It hung around about 15 minutes and the walked off in the direction it came.
The way I see it, I will have another chance (God willing) to take my 1st trad deer. It wasnt worth taking the young deer just to give myself the satifaction of saying I took my 1st trad deer. Taking my 1st traditional deer, in itself doestn really mean much to anyone else except for me. For me it is a personal challenge.
Just my .02 cents.
I am shooting a homemade self bow so it would be great to shoot a deer with it, any deer.
I was shooting the first deer that came by, missed a couple Does and then killed a 1.5 year old buck last year for my first, I would of been just as happy if it was ANY deer as I worked hard for it!
I have yet to kill my first deer with archery equipment compound or Trad I've let a few young ones walk, but this year if I'm blessed with a chance I'm going to take it, then I'll be more selective. At this time in my traditional career I feel the need to get my first one. It's not that I have to kill something I've killed plenty I want to prove to my self that I can. I hunt with my Inlaws and they think I'm crazy when regular season starts and I continue to hunt with my bow.
I voted 'pass' which is *probably* what I'd do assuming I noticed the head gear. I'm not promising anything tho. :-p
I voted shoot. Last year when I stepped into the woods for the first time with trad gear I felt like a kid again trying to kill my first squirrel. The desire I had to take something with that old recurve was very profound. That was a great feeling to me and an even better feeling once I shot my first trad deer.
When I hunted traditional about 15 years ago I passed up several deer including button bucks then the few times I did get a chance at a nice buck I miffed because I wasn't experienced. An injury took me out of the game and I switched to a wheel bow. My first deer with it was a yearling doe.
I've killed a bunch of does and button bucks with a compound since then. Now that I've taken up traditional again I would be proud to see my broadhead heading for the sweat spot of a button buck. In fact I wished I had my recurve with me tonight when two bb and 3 yearling does played under my stand for 45 minutes. If I am lucky enough to get one with my recurve it's hide will hang on the wall right next to my booner.
The only way to gain experience is to get experience.
Personally I hate trophy hunting. Thats about the best venison you can get. I would rather shoot 2 of those than a tough old buck just to hang up his head and complain about the tough meat. Nothing wrong with shooting a nice deer like that. Any wild predator would choose the yearling over a big buck as well. Nice one
Drop The String, You will allways remember the first one, if you dont want to then wait, it really depends on how and where you hunt. I see deer all day long sometimes, if its been that kinda year i would tell you (if you were with me) that it was up to you, but more deer will probably come and there is allways tomorrow.
However, if it was my first trad deer all over agin, id still drop the string on him. :)
Since everyone is different all I'll say is.... Do what feels right to you, sometimes getting the monkey off your back ASAP is a good thing. For me it dropped the pressure and made me more relaxed on all my other hunts.
Not let anyone tell it's bad to shot young'ns... Sometimes, but more then others, Mother Nature takes out the Young & Old..
Take You first deer, Everything after that is only going to get better. I'm a meat hunter so it's all good to me.
I killed a button buck last Friday on my property. I think if it had been a doe I would have passed on it simply because during the rut the more does around the better the buck hunting. In any event, I still have 2 deer tags and a moose tag. The moose hunt will take a 10 day bite out of my deer hunting and we had no venison in the freezer. Here in NH the herd is very healthy and not very dense so any legal deer is probably going to be shot at if it gives me an opportunity. In any event, my Special Archery tag allows me, actually requires me, to shoot an antlered buck. I can take another anterless deer during the firearms doe season and I also have the option of buying a WMU M anterless tag so that really boils down to 3 tags left if I buy the M tag. Can't have too many deer in the freezer even if they are not trophy caliber.