First deer for someone to shoot. Buck, doe, spike?

I grew up where you had to earn the right to take a large "trophy" buck. You had to help feed, plant food plots etc. Before you could shoot a large buck you had to shoot a doe or spike and clean it yourself (with help). I guess my dad and grand dad wanted me to understand what it is like to take the life of an animal and how to work for something I wanted. My wife wants to shoot one this year. She is expecting a big buck, however she'll be taking a cull or doe for her first. I think you should have to work for that first trophy to truly understand what is worth. Just wondering what everyone thought a first deer should be.

If I made my wife pass on a trophy to shoot a doe or spike bc it was her first hunt I would probably be sleeping on the couch and cooking my own dinner. Let the woman shoot a good one if the opportunity is there. Just my opinion.........

If my wife ever talked me into letting her sit in a deer stand with me I'd let her shoot the first animal that walked up. That way it would shorten the time I had to listen to her talk.

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I understand where you are coming from, I started by shooting a doe as a kid , so have all the kids in my family, as well as my daughter will. As far as first buck, it was the one that presented itself first or the first one I wanted to take. This past weekend, I put my nephew on his first buck, he has killed does for two years. I let him kill a nice ten point. Now you can look at it as it was too nice of a deer for his first, or I just made him a trophy hunter at an early age. He will hopefully be picky in his harvest from now on.

My wife had never hunted when we met. In fact her first time to eat fried deer steak was our second date. I really wanted her to experience hunting and wanted to share experiences in the outdoors together. It is our job of hunters to try and recruit people to the sport right?? Anyways she has been hunting for fpr 2 years now and hasnt really taken a deer yet. I tell her this...if u see one u want yo shoot shoot it. I want her to love it as much as i do. I think u can run people off if u dont let them enjoy it to the fullest. That being said she understands that if we are in the blind together and ol boone and crockett shows up i have first shot lol...

I tend to agree with the op. I don't think kids should start out with a trophy as in B&C trophy for their first deer. Some do it that way so to each their own.

My wife started hunting with me and expressed an interest. She has shot a handful of does. Her first buck will be a cull of some kind be it a spike or no brow 6 etc. We cant have her shooting at too old a deer because it takes her SO LONG to shoot if its over 4.5 YO it will be dead of old age by time she gets around to pulling the trigger. She shoots good at the range, just takes FOREVER in the field. I don't rush her, just let her take her time if she shoots she shoots and if it wonders of it wonders off. I have started only giving her a count of 30 to shoot each shot at the range though... hasn't really changed anything.

I started out killing my deer which was any buck I wanted. I was hunting alone at the time in a blind. I had to help clean the deer, quarter it and then help process it. Almost everyone of the first time hunters I have hunted with where the same, the first buck to come out go this response-"can I shoot that one" no matter what the size was. Let her make the choice on the first legal buck that steps out. If you are into management and shooting certain bucks then what you are shooting or aren't needs to be expressed.

Beautiful.

I will not let my kids kill trophy their first hunt. They start with doe and then management bucks. Neither has killed a true Big deer. Son has killed 7 total with biggest being 142. Daughter just started last year, she has one doe. My wife don't deer hunt but if she did and a 160+ steps out, I'm shooting it, not her. I'd probably agree on anything she wanted, but no I don't think anyone should just show up and kill a true giant first shot.

After 24-25 years of being married, my wife decided she would take one deer last year, but no more. I was lucky and had an old 8 show up on the place. 2 days latter she took him. She was elated and still proud, but will likely never get behind a rifle again. So our instance may be different than yours, but I would let her make 55% of the decision with-in your management ideals.

My 1st deer was a doe, back then as most older fellas here can attest too in the late 60's-late 70's, deer management wasn't even a word, a fella just went hunt'n and hoped for the best.

Really? Your saying it's youth weekend on low fence and a 150 walks out and you won't let them shoot? If my dad had told me that, there would've been two shots fired. Not that we ever had that problem. My dad would've have been tickled to death if that happened for me. If something extraordinary like that happens, just explain to them how fortunate they are and that lots of grown men hunt their whole lives and don't get one like that. Do y'all cut their lines on 10 lb. bass too?

When I started deer hunting in the hill country does were by permit only. The landowner of the lease we hunted 500 acres was issued 2. My stepdad would save those for the end of the season in the event he would take a guest to the lease so I was allowed to shoot anything with horns. My first was a spike. I let my kids take any deer they wanted for their first as long as it was legal. My oldest daughter took a doe. Her little sister took an 8 pt and my son is not old enough yet but I will do the same. If he wants it and it's legal he gets the green light. In my opinion someones first gets a pass no matter what management plan the lease has. When a kid and/or spouse brings their first buck back to camp with a smile a mile wide it's priceless and worth the management hiccup.

I hear and understand what you are saying but your wife is your partner in life and I hope she's your best friend, mine is. So as a partner if she chooses to shoot the first, the last, the biggest, baddest buck she sees then so be it and I would be incredibly happy for her! Saying all of that, my recommendation would be to first shoot a doe or small/cull buck and only because no matter how much practice you put in when it's time to "kill" an animal it's serious business and I believe a large buck would only increase the nervousness etc which if that caused a bad shot and wounded the animal my wife would be miserable! But if she has put in the time on the practice range and is ready from that aspect and she wants to shoot a big buck I definitely wouldn't try to stop her!

As for children I think that is different...I do believe in teaching them the value of hard work, of earning what you get. I also believe most children will struggle when they pull the trigger on their first deer so I agree it should be a doe or spike. But once they have achieved this as long as they carry their weight, age appropriate of course, then I'd let them shoot the biggest buck that walked out!

I understand the idea of earning a deer. I have yet to shoot my first deer and I have deer hunted for 2 years.

I have seen them gutted and skinned out but unfortunately it has never been me doing it. This year I have already passed on several doe and a spike, there is an 8 point shooter where I hunt that I really want to take. I want my first deer to be a buck but I am fine shooting anything at this point.

We have been together for over 42 years, my wife cans shoot whatever she wants, I am not her boss, nor her my boss, we are in this together. Even if she had never hunted before, I wouldn't be telling her what she can shoot, she can chose her targeted animal however she wants.

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DC, I am quite sure your bride has earned that privilege, I have been married half that long and figure my wife has too 50/50 works well most of the time.

It was her parents job to teach her how to earn something.

I'll let her shoot whatever she wants to. She has already earned that right the day she started putting up with me. Not to mention raising our 3 girls. It's not my job to teach her how to earn something.

They ain't mistreated. I put in all the leg work, money, and time for them. I drag them along everywhere and let them enjoy themselves.

If a mature 150 came out for my son, I'd let him take it but my daughter hasn't put in as much time and work as he has, so no she'd be watching a 150 a while hoping for another doe or management buck. My 9 yr old daughter hasn't earned a trophy yet and she understands why. She'll get there.
He look mistreated?



What about her?



As far as the 10lb bass, you betcha I'm cutting the line, no scaly trash fish aloud on my boat!!!

For us to debate whether or not a first year hunter has "earned" a large racked deer, then by default we are comparing a large racked deer to a reward that has been "earned".

Looking at it that way, I think its best if I describe my thoughts in the following manner:

My kid goes to school when I go to work in the morning and doesn't get home until I do, sometimes later if he has chess club. He gets 5-10 minutes to chill out at home before getting ready to go practice football, baseball, basketball, wrestling, or whatever it is that he is participating in at the time. After practice, he gets home around 7, eats dinner, then does his homework until bedtime around 8:30. That's 10-12 hours of "work" he puts in every day, and its not just my kid that does it, its any kid who plays sports, is part of a school club, etc. He puts in the effort to make good grades, puts in the effort to be the best that he can be at whatever sport he is playing, and does it for no other reason than he knows that he is supposed to. While I'm at the lease "working" on getting things squared away and ready for deer season, he is at school studying/working, at home working on homework, studying for a spelling bee competition, busting butt at his football games, or some other function where he is competing or working hard in preparation of competing. He works harder than a lot of adults I know and he gets far less in return than they do. Because of that, I have no problem with him taking a really nice large deer since 90% of the time he gets nothing else in return for his hard work other than a pat on the back and me saying "great job son". To say that a large deer can only be eared as a reward for hard work at the lease, or by "putting their time in" seems ludicrous to me.

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I like your family tradition I get sick of moochers expecting to kill my big bucks for nothing but my wife is a different story she enables me to hunt and work on hunting and puts up with a lot especially during the season when I'm out until dark every day hunting after work during the week and hunting mornings and evenings on the weekends and she puts up with me when it makes me go nuts if I miss a day of hunting. Plus my wife is a hot redhead I doubt I could get another as hot as her and she's got that certain power that I can't go without and the last thing I want to do is hack her off be cut off.

They will take care of their school and chores period or deer lease is completely out of the question in the first place. My boy is huge into football and the same rules apply, he passes, and I mean A/B's no C's, or he don't play. Not the coaches rules they're mine. He stays as busy as me, I'll admit that but that's life, to be a productive person you have to be busy. He gets no hand outs for it. When I say working at the deer lease I mean I probably break child labor laws, that lil cuss will out work guys I know and the daughter is getting there.

Never said its the perfect way to do it. OP asked how I do it and I told him. I do think huge, mature, heavy racked bucks are trophies. My kids will get a monster some day because they "earned" it.

When I took my two kids hunting for the first time two years ago, the plan was they had to shoot a doe first. I didn't want them thinking that we just go sit in the stand and 5 minutes later a huge buck walks out and you shoot it.

Well, after the three of us sat in the stand morning and afternoon without seeing anything for maybe 15 days the first season, my son finally saw a deer during extended youth season and dropped it. It just happened to be a doe, but by that time, I would have let him shoot anything. By then I felt he had put in the time and understood it wasn't appointment shooting. The next morning, he dropped the biggest 9 pointer that was taken on the lease all season.

When she was in the shooting seat, my daughter didn't see a deer she could shoot the entire first season. Her first day out in season two, we had two doe and two bucks walk out. I felt she had put in the time and I told her to drop the largest buck. Nice 9 point that would have scored as high as her brothers if it hadn't have broken off two of it's antlers.

This is the most ridiculous thread I've seen in a long while... How did kids "earn" them before food plots and feeders and "deer lease" work?

When I was young and started hunting it was by myself. That was over 50 years ago. There were not as many deer around as there are now. Back then you shot any buck you saw. Hunting was hunting back then. It was not sitting in an elevated blind next to a feeder filled with corn that went off at a certain time. I was around 14 years old before I got my first buck. And I hunted it and it was not shot from a stand.

Or "earn them" so then they never want to go back