Boom for her first deer. You keep taking a young kid to the blind, make them be still an quiet, and they hunt numerous times and dont get to shoot they will get bored and probably lose interest in this day and time. Let her shoot anything within the lease rules for her first and maybe second deer, then start laying groundwork for management and whatnot. That being said, as others have said, your place is almost impossible to manage with all the traffic, the amount of hunters you have, unwanted guests, and if it is surrounded by small tracts.

I probably would have passed on the 8 and let your daughter shoot whatever. Easier to say that after the fact.

I manage 348 acres and do a fine job in my own opinion. I have noticed an increase in larger bucks based on the management techniques that i have instilled over the past few years. I dont shoot 2.5 year old nine points for starters. Keeping an eye on everything can be quite a hassle and worrisome at times. However, I have made an effort to meet my neighbors and express my concerns for the management of the area. Some agree and some would rather have me take a hike. Regardless, them meeting all 6' 4" 235 pounds of me is important so that in case anyone ever gets a bad idea. Im hoping the thought of tangling with my ugly mug would deter them. All in all, neighbors are key. Good or Bad, you gotta mange around em.

And children definately get a pass on first couple of deer.

Not a lease, its my own land but the neighbors shoot anything, tried to talk to them about it but that did nothing.

If I understood you correctly you are allowing your nephew to shoot your does. Would this be a buck that would be from your bag limit for the lease or an additional one? I'm all for the kids but if I were on the lease it would have to come from my bag limit for the lease not an extra one. I would give up shooting one for me so to speak.

Let her shoot the buck!

Do you give them ice cream and candy for breakfast if they ask for it?

If your lease partner thinks it should walk, I would let it walk and find your daughter an older buck.

It's just a deer. Kill it and eat it. That's what they were put there for.

Tired of this grow em up and get some age on em crap. Let that little girl shoot what she wants as long as its legal! If your partner dont like it then tuff! You will be that little girls hero and have a great hunting partner to boot! Trust me when i say u cant put a price on that.

that's my thinking exactly. thank you

Yes.

I believe the title to the thread is "Can you manage 325 acres" so to answer his question NO if he is going to shoot a 2.5 year old 9pt buck.

I personally wouldn't let her shoot. I lead by example and my kids are going to learn to hunt just like dad. If they wanna kill something and not worry about age, well a doe it is. I think our youth needs to learn the values of management but never face scrutiny about mistakes. I think most parents get caught up in the enjoyment of seeing a kid kill a animal and that's why most throw management out the window. To me they are the future and deer are bigger than ever today because of the effort us hunters make and that needs to be passed on, not its got horns, kill it.

Great point!!

While basically true, that is not really the answer to the question. The answer is a yes or no, simply put. He would only shoot the 2.5 yr 9pt if he thought he could not manage the place. Presumably, if he could manage it, he would not shoot it. The question really has little to do with the 2.5 year old 9 pt. He is wondering if it is worth letting the 9 pt pass or not.

Deer management is a personal decision, nothing more nothing less. No right or wrong answer or ideology.


My old ranch we consitantly took 150-200+" deer, and they still do.

Kids could shoot what ever they wanted to.


Values of management is our journey into growing bigger deer. Kids hunt to hunt, don't down grade/degrade their hunting experience with or self imposed ambitions

If a 2.5 year old nine pts is the only buck you have on a half section, a) your not hunting hard enough or hunting it in the wrong way or b) need a new place.

To me it's less about the bucks age/size than it is about whether he has killed his limit of bucks on the lease for the year. I know if a hunter on our lease killed an extra one and I didn't see one to kill I wouldn't be happy about it. It's not just his piece of ground to hunt and there are others on the lease that have a stake in this too.

You asked for opinions, so I will post mine. No coolaid and against the "grain"

Your intro is " CAN I MANAGE 325 ACRES", But so far you have only made a case of negatives, I submit to strengthen your case. I am surprised after all the negatives with the property, that you continue to lease it?

I also think it depends on what the new guy was led to believe about the "unspoken" lease rules, was he told you had a "management goal"? After all, new or not, like it or not, he is a paying member of the lease. I suspect by his reaction, that he is under the impression you intend to manage the place. (As am I reading your post topic)

I think it would have been easier to have said in the beginning, "We 3 members intend ,or can, bring our kids to harvest an animal" . That way no surprises to the others when you throw in the towel on the management idea.

Let her shoot it. What's the chances of y'all seeing that deer after this year? Slim to none.

Can you manage a 325 acre place LF? No.

Really the only management you can do on the acreage is select harvesting older bucks and feed the ever living mess out of them. Maybe shoot a few does when they take over feeders.

Yes you can, is it as effective as larger section, no but none the less you can still be a core area