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GREAT BOW BUCK??? #5973581 10/12/15 06:41 PM
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fouzman Offline OP
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I'm not a bowhunter, but I hear folks on here say "great bow buck". I hear it even more from TV hunters, typically when they kill a deer with ground shrinkage. I also hear them say "nice, mature three year old". roflmao

Do bowhunters feel like a buck you wouldn't shoot with a rifle is acceptable to shoot with your bow?

Re: GREAT BOW BUCK??? [Re: fouzman] #5973631 10/12/15 07:01 PM
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I would say so.. I even get excited to shoot a doe..

really though I just shoot the first 4yr+ old that give me tha chance..

Re: GREAT BOW BUCK??? [Re: fouzman] #5973676 10/12/15 07:13 PM
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My rule is I wouldnt shoot anything with a bow that I wouldn't shoot with a rifle. Nothing against rifle hunting, but haven't felt the need to pick one up in a few years. With that said I think everyone should enjoy any legal means of hunting.

Re: GREAT BOW BUCK??? [Re: fouzman] #5973757 10/12/15 07:45 PM
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It's ALOT harder to kill a mature buck with a bow under 40 yards than kill one with a rifle 200 yards away. So many things have to come together to get a mature buck down with a bow. I say a lot of folks would shoot a buck with a bow that they'd probably pass on with a rifle.


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Re: GREAT BOW BUCK??? [Re: Navasot] #5973791 10/12/15 08:12 PM
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Originally Posted By: Navasot
I would say so.. I even get excited to shoot a doe..

really though I just shoot the first 4yr+ old that give me tha chance..


Does always get my blood pumping and those old does are really tough to bow hunt.



Re: GREAT BOW BUCK??? [Re: fouzman] #5973797 10/12/15 08:13 PM
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I feel guilty shooting g a deer with a rifle any more so it doesn't apply to me. However it used to be like that for me and as stated above, getting up close and killing one is not as easy as sniping one at 100 plus.


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Re: GREAT BOW BUCK??? [Re: passthru] #5973955 10/12/15 09:43 PM
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I consider a doe with a bow a trophy. Its not as easy as climbing in your heated blind with a rifle rest sniping deer 300yrds away with an expensive rifle. Getting within 20 yrds of a buck without being scented and coming to full draw and waiting for him to give you a perfect shot takes a lot more skill. So sure, if a bow hunter takes any buck they should be proud.

Re: GREAT BOW BUCK??? [Re: fouzman] #5974053 10/12/15 10:26 PM
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Where I hunt in northeast Texas any legal buck is going to get killed due to how thick the stuff people hunt in up here is and the limited number of deer people see in general be it with a bow or rifle so I can't say I would shoot one with my bow that I wouldn't shoot with my rifle.


Your worst day of hunting is always better than your best day at work
Re: GREAT BOW BUCK??? [Re: fouzman] #5974238 10/13/15 12:22 AM
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Start hunting with traditional gear.. that'll give you a whole new perspective.


The secret to a long life is to try not to shorten it.
Re: GREAT BOW BUCK??? [Re: fouzman] #5974283 10/13/15 12:39 AM
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I'm not that good.


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Re: GREAT BOW BUCK??? [Re: titan2232] #5974469 10/13/15 02:12 AM
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Originally Posted By: titan2232
Originally Posted By: Navasot
I would say so.. I even get excited to shoot a doe..

really though I just shoot the first 4yr+ old that give me tha chance..


Does always get my blood pumping and those old does are really tough to bow hunt.

^^^ This! IMO the toughest hunting is when you have 2 or more mature does inside 30 yards. The'll see you blink!

Re: GREAT BOW BUCK??? [Re: fouzman] #5974513 10/13/15 02:26 AM
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Originally Posted By: fouzman
I'm not a bowhunter, but I hear folks on here say "great bow buck". I hear it even more from TV hunters, typically when they kill a deer with ground shrinkage. I also hear them say "nice, mature three year old". roflmao

Do bowhunters feel like a buck you wouldn't shoot with a rifle is acceptable to shoot with your bow?



Simple answer, yes. I will shoot a buck with my bow that I would pass with the rifle.

Quote:
I also hear them say "nice, mature three year old".


How old was the Hanson Buck popcorn


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Re: GREAT BOW BUCK??? [Re: DuckCoach1985] #5974885 10/13/15 01:08 PM
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Originally Posted By: DuckCoach1985
Originally Posted By: titan2232
Originally Posted By: Navasot
I would say so.. I even get excited to shoot a doe..

really though I just shoot the first 4yr+ old that give me tha chance..


Does always get my blood pumping and those old does are really tough to bow hunt.

^^^ This! IMO the toughest hunting is when you have 2 or more mature does inside 30 yards. The'll see you blink!


The feeling you get when one of those deer are looking right at you. Sometimes I think they hear and see me breathing eek2



Re: GREAT BOW BUCK??? [Re: fouzman] #5974962 10/13/15 01:55 PM
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Thanks for the honest answers. Milo Hansen's buck was 3 1/2 years old, txshntr.

Re: GREAT BOW BUCK??? [Re: fouzman] #5974975 10/13/15 02:01 PM
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Originally Posted By: fouzman
Thanks for the honest answers. Milo Hansen's buck was 3 1/2 years old, txshntr.


I knew you knew...just giving you a hard time cheers


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Re: GREAT BOW BUCK??? [Re: fouzman] #5975004 10/13/15 02:12 PM
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I've heard that northern deer mature, and also die, faster than deer in warmer climates, so a 3.5 in Iowa might be considered mature. Now, if those guys were standing over a Kerr county deer and said that, I'd be laughing.

As to the size, my dad said 30 years ago 'Any deer you get with a bow is a trophy'. I was crossbow hunting on the opener and had 2 2.5 yr old 8s and a 3.5 yr old 8 at 15-30 yards. I thought long and hard about shooting the 3.5 but he was right at 13" and I knew I would never shoot him with a rifle. If he'd been 15" I may have shot him. He started eyeing me the moment they came out around 50 yards. Every time I made eye contact with him he would retreat about 10 yards-this happened three times. Because the other two bucks were not alarmed he eventually came to 22 yards but I had to watch him entirely with peripheral vision. I had thrown some corn by hand and he actually ate some, but was in a spring-loaded crouch the entire time. I couldn't move a muscle for about 20 minutes. It was a great encounter!


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Re: GREAT BOW BUCK??? [Re: Duke4456] #5975017 10/13/15 02:18 PM
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Exactly. If its legal, Im gonna try and take it especially in the thick bottoms I hunt in NE Texas. I don't gun hunt deer anymore. Pretty much limit myself to traditional gear now days.

Ive killed a coyote with my recurve Im pretty proud of.


It ain't easy being me.

Re: GREAT BOW BUCK??? [Re: DuckCoach1985] #5975078 10/13/15 02:44 PM
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Originally Posted By: DuckCoach1985
Originally Posted By: titan2232
Originally Posted By: Navasot
I would say so.. I even get excited to shoot a doe..

really though I just shoot the first 4yr+ old that give me tha chance..


Does always get my blood pumping and those old does are really tough to bow hunt.

^^^ This! IMO the toughest hunting is when you have 2 or more mature does inside 30 yards. The'll see you blink!


This is a good thread. I do not rifle hunt but my standard for shooting a buck has not changed in that I only shoot bucks that are at a minimum of 4-5 years old.

Now the doe thing...oh man! The old beeach doe that comes in stomping, knows exactly where you are, is continuously moving and even blowing is in MHO a trophy for sure. I took one out this past weekend. She came in acting a fool and was making all the other deer in the area nervous. You take care of managing the herd, get some tasty backstraps, and for me get the same adrenaline rush of shooting a big buck....well almost grin


"Call 'em up close and shoot 'em in the face"
Re: GREAT BOW BUCK??? [Re: fouzman] #5975199 10/13/15 04:00 PM
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I shoot an average of 40 does per year with a rifle. I get just as excited after the shot as I do when killing a trophy deer or a cull buck. If I ever quit being excited by a successful hunt, I'll start hunting them with a camera.

Re: GREAT BOW BUCK??? [Re: QuitShootinYoungBucks] #5975221 10/13/15 04:16 PM
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Originally Posted By: QuitShootinYoungBucks
I've heard that northern deer mature, and also die, faster than deer in warmer climates, so a 3.5 in Iowa might be considered mature. Now, if those guys were standing over a Kerr county deer and said that, I'd be laughing.

As to the size, my dad said 30 years ago 'Any deer you get with a bow is a trophy'. I was crossbow hunting on the opener and had 2 2.5 yr old 8s and a 3.5 yr old 8 at 15-30 yards. I thought long and hard about shooting the 3.5 but he was right at 13" and I knew I would never shoot him with a rifle. If he'd been 15" I may have shot him. He started eyeing me the moment they came out around 50 yards. Every time I made eye contact with him he would retreat about 10 yards-this happened three times. Because the other two bucks were not alarmed he eventually came to 22 yards but I had to watch him entirely with peripheral vision. I had thrown some corn by hand and he actually ate some, but was in a spring-loaded crouch the entire time. I couldn't move a muscle for about 20 minutes. It was a great encounter!


All white-tailed deer are bodily mature at 4.5 years of age. This means their skeleton and muscles are fully formed. That's why we often see big jumps in antlers from 4-6 years of age. More of their nutrition can go to rebuilding muscle after the rut and to antler development, as the animal's nutritional needs for skeletal development and maintenance are lower. Northern deer, due to climate and their large body size, don't live as long as their southern cousins. They suffer much more harsh weather conditions and food shortages. And when they fight, they can really do a lot of damage. I used to hunt in Iowa and any buck 4.5 or older was fair game on that ranch. Very few made it to 6 1/2.

Re: GREAT BOW BUCK??? [Re: fouzman] #5975449 10/13/15 06:23 PM
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As everyone else has already stated, it's a challenge getting in shooting range with a bow. I have seen many deer this year I could have easily shot with a rifle but never came in range of my bow.
I don't hunt a feeder, I search for where the deer have been traveling and find a spot that I can hide and wait. I then have to make sure the deer doesn't smell me,see me or hear me. I think bow hunting is much more difficult than rifle and am more likely to take a doe with my bow than I would a rifle. It's amazing at how aware the deer are of their surroundings.
I'm afraid to swat mosquitos while bow hunting but have talked on my mobile phone while rifle hunting

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Re: GREAT BOW BUCK??? [Re: PiePuncher] #5975527 10/13/15 07:16 PM
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Fouz, if I ever saw a buck the size of the ones you shoot, I would probably have a heart attack or not be able to draw my bow. I hunted for a few years with a bow before I got my first. It was a spike and I watched it drop about twenty yards away. Since then I have rifle hunted only a handful of times and just didn't get the rush of trying to move or draw with a deer right in front of me. I'm bow only now and have taken enough deer that I am to the point that I'm not shooting a buck unless it's my biggest or an old cull that needs to go. But if it's a slick head, it had better watch out.

Re: GREAT BOW BUCK??? [Re: fouzman] #5975588 10/13/15 07:39 PM
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wink up

Re: GREAT BOW BUCK??? [Re: fouzman] #5976802 10/14/15 01:23 PM
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For me, I dont change my goals because I have a bow in hand. I have been bow hunting since I was 15(loooong time ago) so no big deal if I see a deer out of range or a younger deer I would pass with a rifle. Like others, my heart gets to pumping as much when I shoot a doe as when I shoot a monster.


Let'em grow old
Re: GREAT BOW BUCK??? [Re: fouzman] #5976989 10/14/15 02:57 PM
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Im at the point in my life to where it will take a very large deer for me to shoot with a rifle. I mainly bow hunt. In fact, I shot a doe last year with a rifle and that was the 1st deer I have shot with a rifle in 6-7 years.

So, I will pass deer with a rifle that I would shoot with my bow.


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