rack or meat?

[Legionair]

Just wondering... amongst the deer/elk/moose/riegndeer/etc. hunters, do you hunt more for, a trophy rack or for meat?

Personally, I've always preferred small bucks when possible (or legal, darn them antler restrictions!!) :cursing: :youcrazy: . They seem to taste better.

Had one shot at a trophy buck when I was 19. At least a 12 point came over the ridge quartering towards my stand with his head low. I did not have a doe tag, so I was watching for a rack. At about 40 yards he stopped and picked his head up. Had a big, wide rack. I raised my rifle, but it didn't feel right. So I just watched him sniff and listen. After a few moments I called out "HYAAA!!" and he bolted back over the ridge towards the highlines.

A few days later I got a small to middlin' Forkhorn.

Call me foolish, or sentimental, or slow in the head... But it seemed that one mistake shouldn't be the end of a buck like that.

Just an opinion

Legion

 

[jbg]

Meat. Grandpa often said you could boil antlers all day, and they still make a poor soup.

 

[fyrfyter43]

I hunt for meat. I can't remember the last time we bought beef. We eat about 6 deer a year.

 

[BrownBear]

I "use" racks as a reason to pass up deer. We've got a long deer season, but it only allows one deer in the areas you can drive to. I have no desire to shoot a deer early in the season and sit out the rest, or have to climb on a boat or plane to do more hunting.

I start out the season looking for large bucks, and as the end draws near my standards start to drop. It's a perfect year when I've hunted the whole 3 1/2-month season and shot my deer on the last hour of the last day. Even on the last day, I'll "hold out" for a rack in the morning, but as the day stretches I'm eventually looking for four legs and deer hide.

I can always climb on that boat or plane to get the meat if I fail to connect, but in the meantime I usually manage at least 30 days of hunting, whether a few hours or all day. Nice for a guy who loves the hills.

 

[Bearbait2]

Mr. Legion,
Meat.
Best Wishes

 

A bit of both, but mainly meat. In fact, if the lease rules allowed, I would harvest only doe. My kids are grown and gone, so it only takes three deer a year to provide venison for the two of us. We do buy some beef, but not much; mostly to mix with venison for hamburger meat.
For the last few years, I have made European skull mounts for the bucks. Last year I had to hang one outside -- reached the limit of my wife's tolerance for deer horns in the den. :surrender:

 

[Legionair]

So meat for almost everyone...

If anyone has passed up this topic as argumentative, don't worry about posting. I don't have a problem with trophy hunting (so long as the deer is not wasted). I've seen a couple bucks in the woods with the head cut off and the rest left to rot. :cursing:

I doubt the hunters here would do this. I was just curious if you would hold out for a nice rack to go with your butterfly steaks... or "if it's brown, it's down". :grin:

Legion

 

[vern faulkner]

Meat. Can't eat the horns. They hurt my teeth, although they may come in handy to stir the stew with.

Vern

 

[rabjr]

I can get meat anytime I want. I choose to hunt bucks, they don't have to be Throphy bucks, just bucks. I do this because it's more of a challenge. But I'm not against taking a Doe either, depends on where I'm at, time of year and how I feel atm.

 

[shootemup]

I've tried to be a trophy hunter at times, but I'm just a meat hunter at heart.

Every year I tell myself I'll get one in the freezer, then I'll get picky. :shake: I never do.

A big rack on the wall really isn't important to me. But I like to eat. :grin:

:hatsoff:
Spot

 

[longcruise]

I'm like most, if i happen to take a nice buck or bull, I'm thrilled. But, mostly I hunt for whatever i have the best chances at getting tags for. About every three years I draw a ml bull elk tag. If so, it's not a trophy hunt. I take the first legal bull that presents a shot! Same with deer and ml tags.

On antelope, I have killed two very nice bucks in the past and given that in the area I like to hunt in it takes five years to draw a buck tag but only one or two for a doe, it's the doe every time nowadays! I could get pronghorn buck tags in some areas, but anymore it's a lot to do with where I hunt and just liking the country.

So, this year I have an ML cow and ml deer doe tag as well as a regular rifle cow and doe deer tag plus a doe rifle antelope tag. I am allowed to use ml guns in all of those seasons and may do just that but I might also go with some black powder 45-70 loads or 10.4 X 38mm bp loads in the regular rifle season.

My experience with eating quality between bucks-does and cows has been that often the buck or bull is as good or better than a doe or cow. Best eating antelope I ever killed was a large old buck. Worst eating elk was a yearling cow.

 

[roundball]

Definitely wouldn't call myself a "trophy hunter" but its definitely horns all the way, and at this stage of my life I give the smaller bucks a pass.
While I know in most places a regular 2-3 year old 8 or 10 point whitetail is not a trophy, it is to me here in NC and they're the kind of bucks I hold out for.

Never liked / used venison...haven't for decades...always give whatever deer I get to some family or another...in fact, when my main "drop-off" family moved out of the area a few years ago, any Does that wander along have been getting passes ever since.
(That might change this year with a new longrifle and a family I've heard about that might take all I'll bring them, we'll see)

 

[bucktales]

Freezer first.
If I have time and tags left, then horns.

 

[Idaho Ron]

Antlers are the reason I am there. The meat is taken care of, butchered and used by our family. Just because a buck is large does not mean the meat is bad. I like to cook with a dutch oven. This gives me meat to experment with. I also do my own jerky and salami.
Ron

 

[RugerDog]

Definitely meat.

Figure the rack's only worth braggin' about if you grew it... :hmm:

 

[BigDogg]

My numero uno reason to hunt, is just to get out in the woods and away from this wretched city. I'm happy if I see deer, and happy if I don't. At least I'm away for awhile. But after that reason, I would say I'm more of a meat hunter. 'Caus Lord knows, the racks on my wall don't scream "TROPHY HUNTER!!". :rotf: :shocked2: :shake:

 

[rabjr]

Antlers are the reason I am there. The meat is taken care of, butchered and used by our family. Just because a buck is large does not mean the meat is bad. I like to cook with a dutch oven. This gives me meat to experment with. I also do my own jerky and salami.
Ron

Yeah, I never particulary liked this question because it implys those of us who chose to hunt bucks give up meat to do so. Theres a lot of meat on bucks and if I put three or four bucks in the freezer they would get eaten just as much as any Doe would.

 

[Legionair]

I guess it does seem to be a loaded question, but it was not intended to be. :v

Personally, I have always wanted to to hunt bighorn sheep on a mountainside somewhere. Always thought bighorn would make a nice headmount above the woodstove. :grin: I always ate what I shot, as it seemed wrong to waste both the meat and the life just for sport.

I don't begrudge someone waiting for that monster buck... just wondered if anyone had a similar outlook as I do. :v

As for donated meat... There are less fortunate people who have trouble, and I and some friends have donated, swapped, and given venison. No problem there.

I don't believe there's any unscrupulous hunters here. Too much work with a muzzleloader. I just hated to see perfectly good deer beheaded and left to rot.

Legion

 

[flintlock75]

We have no Deer in our area just Moose, We can only hunt bulls unless you are lucky to get a drawing permit. The regs only allow small bulls or really big bulls nothing in between. ie. Spike/fork or 50" plus or with 3 brow tines on one side. It makes it hard to shoot a big bull, they dont like it when you run up with a tape measure to be sure he's legal :haha:. But i am happy to fill my freezer with a nice young bull, they eat better and since even a small bull has 500 pounds of meat on it, this will last my family all winter and up to the next season. Our season opened on the 25th of Aug so i will be out looking tonight and over the weekend, frezzer is low and must be filled.

 

[steveks]

I hunt meat. The antlers do make nice buttons or some drawer pulls.