Killing is the possible end result of hunting and the possibility is always there. Killing does not always have to occur for my hunt to be successful. My perfect deer season is to see a big buck on camera or in person at the beginning of the season. During the season I see him enough to know that he is still there. Perfect ending is that I kill him the last day of the season. I hunted the entire season and was successful at the end. If I do not kill a deer, there is enough for me just being involved in the hunt to keep coming back. Some people need the kill part more. I am just not one of those people. To each their own. Just my opinion.

If you see the deer hour after often during the season, why didn't you kill it? I don't see the point in waiting if the one I want is there. You hunt to kill. You may be after just one deer but in the end, your goal is to kill. No reason to sugar coat it. This is not the Texas watching forum.

Killing is the easiest part of the equation. Tying a deer to a stump is the hardest.

I would try, but not all encounters I have with deer end up with a shot opportunity and it is awful hard to kill a picture. Sometimes I get fleeting glimpses of deer without a shot opportunity. Not all of us are as good at killing or hunting as you are. Killing might represent the end result of a successful hunt to you, but I do not have to kill anything to have a successful hunt. WHen I was young, numbers of kills meant something. Now quality of experience is what means something to me. If you have to argue about it, then you don't get it, so don't even try. As I said, "To each their own."

I prefer freestyle. I have always been up for a challenge.

I see you've never shot one that's been tied to a stump.

Sorry the easy part wasn't you. I got you and rifleman mixed up. I think I miss read your post earlier. I think the difference is you're happy not getting your deer. I'm not happy about it and the next year I will hunt harder or smarter. Dont get me wrong i still enjoy it.A year without deer jerky is a long year.

Back to topic I believe you can manage 300 acres. I only have 140 but it still holds some deer. Most are passing through but will pass through the next year too. My place has two main racks. One set has brow tines and is narrower. The other is wide and no brow tines.

I gained access to a 288 tract in 2010 and ran camera surveys on it that fall. The place was mostly surrounded by national forest which can be worse than a day hunt place. 4-5bucks (only 1 not a yearling) on camera total & a few does was all I could find. There had been 5 families of ppl on the place filling tags that got the boot so I figured the place was over pressured & shot up. As of now, the place has yet to be hunted but there are a few bucks that will get you're attention that have been allowed to get some age on them. What happens next is important, I can choose to shoot the place up and head back toward step one, or I can try to single out those special older deer and only try to kill them. It's not going to result in me filling a tag every yr, but it can allow me to bring in a kid during the late youth and let them shoot something that I don't like being there.

WHen I get a chance to go deer hunting I am happy. The only real time I am unhappy is right after deer season has ended.

Management is another thing that is in the eyes of the manager. If a person owns 20,000 acres but does not take care of the deer, he is not making it the best it can be and the place is not managed. On the other hand, if another person plants food plots, takes out excessive does, passes on some of the younger bucks and makes plans for the future and carries through with most of them, the place is being managed to the best of his ability, even if it is only 140 acres.

140 acres, you are not managing the deer herd, you are only shooting what you want. Feeding them all, and taking what fits your "requirements" of a good deer is not game management. Basically you are shooting the "visitors" that you want.

Ya'll figure it out. I am going deer hunting.

Good luck. We went early this morning out south of Merkel. We saw a couple of does, and a spike, then headed in for coffee.

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age classes are doing what they need to be doing.

Yes you can-especially if you have good bedding/core areas. My strategy is just like RM's and we have similar results.

As for kids, the first deer is whatever makes them excited. I don't care what it is. No management plan is worth disappointing a kid and "teaching" them your expectations is...well...unrealistic IMO. (I'm holding back here.)

We can learn a little and shape expectations little by little as they get older/hunt more.

Disappointing a kid? How many times was that kid 'disappointed' when he was too young to be the shooter and had to watch you slay a deer he would have been thrilled with? Don't give me that BS. It's harder on the kid to tell him no for the first time on his second deer than it is to train him correctly from the get-go.

Disappointing a kid? How many times was that kid 'disappointed' when he was too young to be the shooter and had to watch you slay a deer he would have been thrilled with? Don't give me that BS. It's harder on the kid to tell him no for the first time on his second deer than it is to train him correctly from the get-go.