What kind of deer hunter are you?
by Jim Low
I never thought I cared about antlers until I shot this 10-pointer
I used to think I knew what kind of deer hunter I was. An experience on opening day of this year’s November deer season has me wondering, though.
My approach to deer hunting has always been to shoot the first legal deer that comes along. Also the second and the third, if I am that lucky. My family would rather eat venison than beef, so the best-tasting deer – does, button bucks and fork-horns – are trophy kills for me.
I always figured that if a fat doe and a monster buck came along at the same moment, I would automatically shoot the doe and see if the big boy stuck around long enough for a second shot. That has never happened, so I don’t really know what I would do in that situation. But late last Saturday afternoon I gained a little insight into how I really feel about antlers.
Shooting light was fading fast. I was sitting against a tree with a pasture in front of me and woods to my left, when I spied an antlered deer, walking directly toward me at about 50 yards. I put my scope on him.
So many points! I could see at least nine.
My heart immediately started doing a tap dance. Efforts to calm down proved useless, so I focused on finding a shot for a quick kill. Shooting a deer facing you is tricky, with lots of potential for wounding. As the deer came steadily on, I worried he would walk right up to me, only to bound away without offering a clean shot.
Instead, he paused at about 30 yards and lowered his head to sniff the ground. Because he was downhill from me, I had a clear view of his shoulders and spine. I decided that might be my only chance at a killing shot, so I slipped off the safety and jerked the trigger.
Yes, jerked the trigger.
Instead of going down at the roar of my .30-06, the big buck raised his head and looked around curiously. Then he resumed his purposeful walk, angling slightly to my left – downwind.
The job of reloading my bolt-action rifle quietly and before the deer caught my scent gave me something to do. I calmed down. The buck was within 20 yards when I squeezed off my second shot. He bucked like a bronco, stumbling when he landed. Then he staggered, walked a few feet and collapsed.
When I went to tag the deer, I found he had 10 points, and my reaction surprised me. You couldn’t call it pride. After all, I hadn’t stalked this particular buck. I wasn’t even trying to kill a buck. I was just sitting there, hoping for a fat doe, when he happened to come along. Heaven knows, my shooting had not shown great skill. I was lucky, plain and simple. Maybe the thrill of seeing that big buck with my tag on his leg was the same as you get from a winning Lotto ticket.
The other surprising thing is how interested I suddenly became in antlers. My 10-pointer is no Boone & Crocket deer, but I get a charge every time I see those antlers. I get a feeling of satisfaction when I look at doe tenderloins and back straps in the freezer, but I don’t make excuses to go down to the basement and look at them. And I don’t compare my packages of venison burger to those of my friends, as I now find myself doing with antlers.
What is it about antlers that fascinates us? That is a riddle I expect to mull over while sitting in deer stands for years to come, as I wait for the next deer to come along.
What kind of deer hunter are you? Do you have any special insights about the mystique surrounding antlers?
November 19th, 2009 at 3:53 pm
I just shot my first deer this year and have to say I would like to be a trophy hunter, but as is, I’ll take a nice legal 8 pt. if the opportunity presents itself. I don’t think I have the patience to wait for “the one” to show himself. Bird in the hand and all.
November 19th, 2009 at 3:57 pm
I used to be an avid deer hunter, both bow and rifle. I shot a lot of does, small bucks, and had chances at some monsters over the years. One warm morning, on the first Sunday of rifle season nearly 10 years ago. I picked a stand on a farm we have permission on, but no one wanted to hunt it that day. I took a sip of coffee as I left my truck, walked the 300 yards or so through the woods to the stand and settled in about 20 minutes before shooting time.
I had barely hauled my rifle up into the stand when I heard a ruckus on the ridge in front of me. The buck was thrashing some saplings and pawing the ground and working his way toward my tree. At exactly legal shooting time, there he was…20 yards from my tree and destroying the ground with his paws and antlers. I put the crosshairs of my 30-06 on his shoulder and he collapsed right where he stood.
I lowered my gear and gun out of the tree, climbed down and the first thing that struck me was the gap between his head and the ground. He was a very big 10 point for Camden county especially. I gutted him, drug him to the edge of the woods and headed to the truck. My coffee was still hot enough to drink….45 minutes total had passed.
The buck ended up scoring 151 B and C points and was by far the biggest anyone my family had ever taken. I had him mounted, and entered in Missouri Big Bucks.
The weird thing is that hunt ruined deer hunting for me. There was no skill, no plan…just some blind luck of being in the right place at the right time. I still deer hunt every couple of years, but only buy antlerless tags. The last deer hunt I was on lasted 8 minutes and I had three down. 4 hours of skinning and butchering and we were set for the year for meat though. Deer hunting has become more of a grocery store trip than a challenge. I’d rather spend my November days trying to get a flock of mallards into my decoys than chasing the goats anymore. I wonder if I’d still have that passion if that big 10 point never arrived.
November 19th, 2009 at 4:57 pm
Since I don’t have antlers of that caliber hanging on my wall, I will ask: How well do those horns eat when placed on a plate? =)
Well…at least that is the story I am sticking to until I get a trophy of my own to hang on the wall.
Congratulations! Great article!
November 19th, 2009 at 10:10 pm
Nice deer, Jim. I think any trophy of various species, whether fish, deer, turkey, etc., can give a rush to even a veteran. If we failed to get excited by this, I think the chase would have little meaning to us.
November 20th, 2009 at 3:00 pm
With the understanding that racks do not add any additional flavor to the meat, I must admit they are a wonder to view. When I was younger, I would get weak in the knees and start shaking all over when the “big one” would approach my stand. When you are a teenager, they are all “big ones,” but just the same, the awe over antlers has diminshed with age. It is now a matter of providing venison for the dinner plate, which is a real treat. If given the choice of a legal buck, or a nice doe, I will go with the doe. I have watched four bucks so far this firearms season, two legal, two protected. Both legal bucks were really nice and were left to contribute to the gene pool. The nice doe I saw this past Wednesday… well she’s out in the barn.
Don’t overlook does… they are more cautious in most situations, and it takes a hunter with skill and luck to bag a mature one. Sometimes more luck than anything….
November 21st, 2009 at 7:40 pm
Jim,
Did you make sure he had at least 4 pt’s on one side before you shot? Seriously, the 4 pt rule is good for population control and growing bigger deer but it has greatly diminished my enjoyment of deer hunting due to the fear of making an illegal mistake. A clean kill used to be my purpose; now it is incredibley confounded and therefore I have no venison this year.
November 21st, 2009 at 8:32 pm
I hunt deer not horns! Yeah they are nice but no trophy hunter here, if it is brown it is down! I hope the conservation department drops the antler restrictions totally or to something more reasonable like a 3 point rule or fork horn rule.
Don’t get me wrong nothing against people who hunt for “trophy” deer but I fell any deer a person wants to shoot is a trophy in my book.
November 23rd, 2009 at 1:29 am
Glad to read your article, bad news is that i haven’t hunt any Deer
November 23rd, 2009 at 11:56 am
My kids cut their teeth on venison. Have tagged a deer every yr since I was 18, shot my first in Arkansas being ran by dogs at 14 with my 30-30 I bought myself. Have always prided myself in long shots and running shots with my now .270 w/ Leupold scope. I have gone through all phases from quantity to now I pass most everything. For a buck it would have to hang on the wall for me to shoot it. A doe, just shot one this morning has too be 200 yards or more. Shot her running at 240 yds, she dropped. Maybe the main reason for being picky is I have a wife that hunts, and two boys and I just am tired of gutting and skinning deer. Oh and I have a freezer full of Angus Beef, I feed them out. This doe I shot this morning will be mostly jerky and summer sausage except the backstrap. I am now a trophy hunter but I am proud of my 30 year record of taking home a deer every year, now I’m 48. I just wait till the right shot presents itself before I shoot. My biggest buck ever was at 3:20 pm the last day of the season several years ago. I for one love the point rule as my boys now are seeing and shooting bigger bucks at their young age, it is truly a good thing and if hunters can have patience and let a few years get by everyone will be better for it. Racks do spur greater interest even though I agree the does eat better and they have helped me keep my streak alive. I don’t take a buck but about every three or four years, letting them grow. I have been taking my kids and hunting from the ground since they are about 3yrs old sitting in my lap. My now 13 yr old shot his first at 10 and I shot one at the same time, what a thrill for me. My 18yr old put a big 11 point on the wall last yr ( he waited over 15 minutes for the buck to give him a better clean shot, what patence)and a smaller 11 point on the wall this year, he let two does go by when he came along ( very proud of him). My 20 yr old daughter shot one at 14, what a day and now she doesn’t hunt anymore, just other interest and college. I have a surprise 3yr old that went out with me during youth season, we were squirrel hunting while 13 yr old hunted and he has a great eye, he will see squirrels and deer sometimes before me. A future hunter for sure. We live on a farm as you may be able to tell but the point rule is a very good thing, it is good for all, wish it would have started years ago. My wife was a prissy city girl but now loves to hunt and shot a 10 point buck while 8 mos preg with our 13yr old. She gets the fever every year. Sorry so long Proud poppa hunter, we also have many turkey stories, greatest state ever for Turkeys, lots of video and pictures, recommend taking a camera always.
November 23rd, 2009 at 12:33 pm
My dad used to say, “them antlers make mighty thin soup, Boy!” But after more than forty years of chasing deer, I still like to take a good buck now and again. I have enjoyed hunting deer as my passion for many a year, and I have put in as much or more time studying the animals than I have hunting them. As a result I have a lot of respect for any adult deer. Given the changes I have seen in hunting and hunters since I first began way back in 1967, the one thing I can say that has been constant about deer hunting has been the hunter’s fascination with antlers. I have taken more than one record class animal, but probably the most memorable deer I ever shot was an adult doe I stalked lying in her bed and shot with an arrow at a range of of about five yards. I regularly take a doe or two each season for food, but for the pure enjoyment of hunting, I usually hunt big bucks and usually with my bow. I’m still not sure what the fascination with antlers is, but I know it keeps me returning the wonders of Missouri’s fall woods in anticipation each year. I would like to congratulate all of those fellow hunters who enjoyed success this year.
November 23rd, 2009 at 12:55 pm
I only have one on the wall and he has been there for two years. It took five years to find him. Prior to that it was only for the meat. I now look at it as more a sport than meat for the table. It is me against the big, old, wise buck. Who is going to make the first mistake. 99% of the time it is me. However I hunt for that 1%. I will not take anything unless it is bigger than what is on the wall. It’s fun to check the cameras throughout the year to see what comes through, but to see the big one live in front of you is why the fire burns inside of me.
November 23rd, 2009 at 1:56 pm
Great post Jim. I think the majority of hunters take pride in harvesting any legal deer. However, even those that take the most pride in the tender back strap of a doe, must admit that there is something mysterious and exciting about antlers, especially big ones. I harvested a nice 11 point buck this year, but was more excited about a really nice 130 class 8 point skull I found while walking to my tree stand in Nodaway County.
November 23rd, 2009 at 2:45 pm
I used to deer hunt a long time ago with my father on property that was not ours (we had permission obviously). It wasn’t alot of fun because we never scouted and all the deer we took were just by chance. I have recently married into a family with alot of land. Since this is the case, I have started hunting once again and have grown quite addicted to it (ask my wife). I come home with alot of frustration many times, but all in all, I can’t wait to get back out there.
This year I just started bow hunting. It was a challenge that I thought would be easy. HA! It’s a challenge just getting close enough to a deer, let alone a buck! I will say though, bow hunting helped me scout the areas and prepare for rifle season. This is why I shot my first ever buck at 250 yds. with a 30-06 at 8:45 opening morning. If I had not been bow hunting that year, I would have no 10 point up on my wall!
Deer hunting gets in the blood. I have it!
November 24th, 2009 at 1:14 am
Im 42 Years old and have hunted Deer since the age of 9. I have killed mostly small bucks and does yes they eat good and are tender but to thoes guys that say “Im a meat hunter” Well they might be, let a four or five year old ten point buck walk in front of them, they become a trophy hunter. I love Deer hunting and I will not pass up a doe or buck This year I killed a really nice eight point three year old Buck and I was proud of it. Yes He tast just as good as the doe I shot the last time I killed a deer. I Call My Self A Deer Hunter!
November 24th, 2009 at 4:58 pm
I am today and have no apologies for being, a “Trophy Hunter”. With that being said, I assure you that I also enjoy the venison that comes with the “Trophy”. I understand most people regard their deer as “trophies”, regardless of what they may be. That’s fine, but for me a “Trophy” is necessarily defined by records keeping organizations such as Missouri Showme Big Bucks Club, The Boone and Crockett Club and The Pope and Young Club etc.. Minimum standards for “Trophies” have been established and they represent the various species at their mature best. I agree with most experienced hunters that an old Whitetail doe poses a tremendous challenge especially with a bow and I believe they also should be regarded as a “trophy” to anyone who is successful in taking one that way. But my goal is as always, to take a record book buck, all else walks. I spent a total of 128 hrs. in the tree for my last bow kill buck and was thoroughly entertained by everything around me as I patiently waited day after day. I haven’t as yet taken a “Trophy” this season but I am still hopeful that I will and am not at all disappointed that I haven’t as yet. But to the contrary, I am always confident that the longer I sit the nearer I am to the next “close encounter” with Muy Grande. I implore you all, enjoy yourself as you hunt your deer/trophy but above all, hunt safe and abide by the rules of “Fair Chase”. Good hunting Mizurah!
November 24th, 2009 at 9:51 pm
I have to say I am going through a slight transformation.(now leaning more toward antlers)
since my last two deer both are very large. 10 and
12 points, my friends are more impressed then I am,
I like to claim skill but I know luck played a large roll in both. but they sure have gotten in my blood and now I am after bigger.
November 25th, 2009 at 12:21 am
I have been fortunate enough to go deer hunting both last year and this year. I started going when I was in my pre-teens and continued to go all through high school. But, the owner of the property we went on sold his land and it left me with no where to hunt and it was not until last year that I met someone who had land.
Yes, there is public land, but I was always worried about “the other guy” with his high powered rifle and not knowing where he was or him knowing where I was.
I am now 28 years old. My Dad was the one that got me started when I was young, but now he does not hunt anymore for a variety of reasons.
I have only hunted a total of 7 deer seasons and have only taken one deer. But, just to see these animals up close in their environment, to get to be in the woods for a day, and to get to see other animals is great. Taking a deer is just icing on the cake. Last Sunday at day break, two owls played marco polo in trees around me and I watched them hop from tree to tree-it was really cool. And no, I did not see any deer that day. And it was still a good day.
November 25th, 2009 at 3:17 pm
I myself am i meat hunter…. I do not have a problem if someone wants to be a trophy hunter. However i do not agree with big racks makes your nerves get all excited…. Any deer should do that from a small fawn to a big buck… If you have lost the excitement of that then big buck hunt and let the meat hunters do the rest… I am a state employee and do not make alot of money…. Therefor i have to fill me freezer the best way i know how….. I am not a supporter of the point restriction since i feel that it takes food from peoples tables. I have shot some nice bucks and some even better does they all eat well…. Lets not forget why the whitetail deer was put on this earth that is to feed the people not to make people more money…. I hope i have not offended anyone just my beliefs that being the beliefs of a meat hunter….
November 26th, 2009 at 7:25 am
I always thought I was a meet shooter until the 17th of November of 2008. I had just gotten off work at 7:00am, I left work and headed straight to my stand. I arrived in the woods at my stand at about 9:00am. I had been sitting in my stand for about 2hrs when I herd some noise over to my right. I slowly turned my head when I could not belive what I was seeing. It was the biggest buck I had ever seen in the woods, he was hot on the tail of a doe. I grabbed my grunt call and grunted at him. In hopes that I could get him to stop. I was successful, the only problem was that he stopped behind a small pine tree. I could not believe that he had actually stopped. I just knew that when he was ready he would just take off running again, but that wasn’t the case. He stepped out from behind that pine tree and started to walk away from me. Mind you he could not have been more that 35yrds. So I put the cross hairs on him and took the shot.It was a direct hit, but he just continued walking off like othing had happened. So I sat in my stand for a little over three hours, not wanting to jump him up. Once I got down I followed the blood trail until I could not find it anymore. I figured att this point he was lost, so I would just walk around and see what I could jump up. When walked around a run of thick brush, when something caught my attention out the corner of my eye. I drew up my gun and got ready to shoot, but the deer did not move. It was my deer I had shot about three hours ago, I found it it was dead. I started jumping around like a school kid and took off running. I ran about a mile back to my truck and made a path of my ownto get to my deer. It ended up being a a very nice ten point, he weighed 260 pounds when I dropped him. Pretty nice, I would say a true deer hunter will get just as acited about a doe as he would about a beautiful trophy buck. Good luck to all of you who are still going strong in the woods, and never forget the feeling you had when you shot your first one you can never replacate it.
November 28th, 2009 at 4:43 pm
very interesting article….i never shot a dear in my life but i know my husband has…personally i think animal hunting is cruel and should be band..but that’s just my opinion…
November 30th, 2009 at 1:54 pm
wow!