as the season is over pretty much everywhere except for a few last minute MLD holdouts, all the pics of successful hunts have started to trickle in.


I'm a member of several hunting groups on Social Media and some very nice bucks were taken this year all over the country. One thing I noticed, almost without fail, is when someone posts a truly giant (giant as in once in a lifetime type deer) people chime in with the " well, guess you can quit hunting now" or "you'll never be able to top that one" comments. It's even worse if it's a young kid or teen, then it turns to " well, they are ruined for life" and "why would you let them shoot that, there is nowhere left to go"?


What's with the idea that if you kill a deer of exceptional size, then you have to quit or will cease desire to continue to deer hunt?


I killed a truly giant deer in 21'. One I'll never top and will never even try to. The next deer I shot was a Hill Country 9 point that I don't think will break 130". I was just as jacked up about shooting that 9 point that I was about shooting the giant deer, and it was just as good a hunt.

Now on the whole, I don't get as juiced about deer hunting as I did when I was younger, but I'm not gonna stop deer hunting because I killed a deer that I'll never be able to top. Is that really a thing for people?

If hunting was about solely antlers I would have quit along time ago, especially with Elk and Whitetails.

I believe some of usins are on the same page.

Ive heard the same thing and dont really get it. However, the part about a young kid killing a huge deer I do think could slow down their excitement over lesser deer.
For me, and I think others, the challenge of hunting a large buck is a big part of what drives us to succeed. Once you have achieved that, there needs to be a new challenge or hunt for reasons other than the challenge. For me, I have killed big deer, but not so big that its unrealistic for me to top it. It is unlikely though, so I create other challenges to help motivate me while I pursue another big one.

They're just cliches, TX. They're the same you used to hear in person when you dropped him off at the processor or stopped by the coffee shop to show him off. Nobody really means you'll never hunt again, they're just tossing out a quip.

'Quit hunting now' is actually more applicable these days if you're in a 1-buck county, as in 'done for the season'. Most people just want to get a buck and be done.

Eh, when I was 9 I killed an absolute monster for our part of the state - over 150" deer. It would take me 30 years to kill another one that big. I was a passionate hunter almost that entire time. If you love to hunt and it's in your blood, killing a huge deer young just helps get you hooked. If a kid kills one good deer and doesn't care anymore, he's just not that into hunting.

I had that mind set for a while, but my daughter wants to hunt everything and any thing. She literally wants to hunt everything. She will most likely hunt bears this year in addition to whitetails if she doesn’t draw elk, Mule deer, sheep, or oryx tag. She has be driving me insane about hunting bears.

Got lucky and killed a 212" gross typical mule deer about 20 years ago. I spend more time hunting them now than I did back then, but nowadays it's more about old, mature bucks than rack size. My son killed a 87" B&C antelope when he was 14 and I say more power to 'em.

Some years ago, a buddy of mine had some access to the Chittum and took a father & son out there on a management, hunt. They came across an eight point that needed to go and my buddy offered it to the teenager. His reply was something along the lines of, I have shot bigger than that before. Without hesitation, my buddy lifted the his gun, took the deer and that was that. He probanbly let them take a picture of the ranch gate as they weren't going to get back there again.

So, shes kind of a big deal, too. For every one like her theres.....................

I shot my lifetime best in 2023, an 8 year old 166-2/8" 14 pt with a lot of trash. This past season I hunted harder than I have in a long time once I found a buck that I wanted to go after. I did the work, laid awake at night trying to think of everything I could do to give me an edge, sat out in the open for hours............The time that started when I saw him with a shot opportunity and how I felt afterwards was like it was when I was a teenager. He was very big, really old, maybe 4th all time best for me. It had to be #1 on my effort and satisfaction scale.

lol,

my theory of kids hunting is like education, the more active you are with them along side them, the more they appreciate it. I’ve been dragging her along almost since she was an infant. When she was ready to pop smoke, we popped smoke. I made her decide what her comfort level was. As she gets older more she pushes the need for comfort down, and need to explore and endure up.

Although she has a heavy trigger finger, I think she relishes the time with me and her friends a field more then the trigger.

This is one area of life where we don't need to be monogamous, we can have many "best" deer and like each one for different reasons.

deer on the wall don't get jealous if you look at the other one on the wall and smile just as big

Spoken just in time for valentines day.....in case any of you have forgotten what today is

I got lucky some years ago to take a 201 inch LF buck that qualified for B&C. I kept hunting after that as hard as I always had. However as I have gotten older I have enjoyed letting my son, SIL, and grandkids take the bucks and I get as much or even more satisfaction out of watching them get excited.

I will add this - over the years I started my son and then my grandkids off with shooting some does, then cull bucks, and then once they got older let them take trophy bucks.

My biggest isn't my favorite - by any stretch.

I shot a really nice one this year, he is going on the wall and I am very proud and humbled to have him. I had not shot a buck for probably 4 years, many does but no bucks as I am primarily a meat hunter. I will be back after the does as soon as the season opens, I can not wait! Quit hunting white tails because I got a nice deer and may never get one bigger??? No way, it is part of who I am...

I shot a LF buck of a lifetime years ago that I posted on here. Did it ruin me, I would honestly have to say I am not sure. I don’t think it has. It’s the last WT buck I have killed up to this point. I hunted WT’s hard for 5 yrs after that but never connected on any. I had target bucks on my list but they always showed up when my kids were with me. Without hesitation, I passed and gave them the opportunity. Had they not been there I absolutely would have shot them. I love the fact my kids have shot some nice bucks. If anything it has taught them to age and judge deer. If we were meat hunters it would be less important, but we aren’t. We like horns. We eat what we kill but we didn’t shoot something just to shoot it. Elk….a different story. We are elk meat hunters for sure. I did book a Kansas WT hunt for 2027. The opportunity to take something bigger than what I have is definitely there which is part of the attraction but I grew up WT hunting and do enjoy it. Hunting a Kansas WT is the ultimate dream WT hunt for me. If anything, my focus has waned fromTexas WT hunting and moved to more Western big game hunting. I still WT hunt, but I would admit it’s a little different now. Is it because I shot a big buck or is it because I am hunting animals that used to be inaccessible to me because of logistics or finances, or that are a bigger adventure, not sure. Regardless, I love the outdoors and I love to hunt.

Good question For me, it’s the second one….Scarcity breeds desire. I’m more focused on hunting animals that are not as common as a Texas whitetail.

I would love to do another Midwest deer hunt however and have something working on a Wisconsin farm my neighbor owns. Would be a blast to hunt some different country.

Different motivations and what makes their clocks tick; that said my sole personal satisfaction or drive has never revolved around size or inches of rack and never will.

I don't score animals for specifically this reason. I don't hunt to best some arbitrary numerical score. As I have gotten older, I am more interested in new places and new adventures and less in hunting whitetails in the same place every year, trying to get a buck that is 3" bigger than my last one. I have shot some decent animals, but I don't care about score because I don't want to compare my next one to my last. I remember the hunts, the places, the awful conditions, the company, etc. I think reducing the whole experience to a score cheapens it.

That said, as my sons are approaching hunting age, I am not going to start them with a hunt for a giant bull elk. The plan will be for them to work their way "up", but if an opportunity for a giant shows up, I am certainly not going to tell them they aren't ready.

Every deer I have killed was a new and exciting venture for me. Each one has it's bit of excitement, my most admired buck was not the biggest I have killed. It may have been one I hunted the hardest for and is a beautiful 8 pointer.

My first thought when I read thread title was "what's next is I don't post pics" for various reasons but mainly so I'm not under cut out of lease somehow by someone tracking down property landowner and I don't like ridicule even in jest. But for me, I'm like several others on here. Been WT hunting for about 55 years since about 5, love the outdoors, the anticipation and the experience but as I get older my focus is on old mature bucks (not necessarily racks). My memories are more about the preparation, hunt, sights/smells and all goes with it and not the size of the trophy. By far many more of my deer are more memorable that my largest 3. I don't score them as it does not matter to me. Each is a trophy in its own right including Does. Additionally, the ability now to access other types hunts, regions, countries, species is my plan for every few years but I will not stop WT hunting as I just enjoy the outdoors too much. I've passed many big bucks over the last 10 years and take pictures instead and my buddies say can't believe you passed THAT! Oh well, I just wasn't feeling it at the momemt but sure didn't miss the scene. When I am hunting, I am all in and hunt hard....that' doesn't mean I have to let the arrow or bullet fly.

I agree, and I also agree with much of what tt85 said too.

I love my Booner I shot in 2004, and I'll never top it I'm sure, but so many other hunts and bucks have impacted my life, and even my family and friends, so much more. I even did a live Kansas bowhunt on here where I took a nice 150 and it was a glorious time spent with the boys here on THF. I may have to look up that thread.

Man I shot a 162” beauty , low fence. Total surprise . But the next day I was back at it , I’ve only killed inferior deer since then but I still enjoy it just as much

for me the beauty of hunting is this ...... each of us get to do it the way WE want to do it. If you want to score your deer then fine - if you don't then that is also fine.

If you want to hunt LF or HF so be it. If you want to hunt public or leased or guided then so be it. End of the day this is my opinion ..................

" to each his own" - how much better would all of our lives be if we all lived by that quote?? Do what you do and enjoy and let others do what THEY do and enjoy