What happened to Responsible Hunting?

All around the United States people hunt for deer. It is as American as Credit Cards. Through remarkable management efforts the opportunity to harvest a deer has never been better. The problem is the quality of deer has dropped to next to nothing in many areas.

There are places where a six point with a 13″ spread is a nice deer. What about a six point 13″ deer is nice. I understand that getting a deer in some areas is difficult enough and is still an accomplishment, but you may as well shoot a doe. The average buck with a 14″ or less spread is a year and a half old. It’s a kid in deer years, not a baby, but about a 7 year old.

” But there aren’t any big bucks where I hunt!” You know how many times I’ve heard that? Well, just maybe, if you let them live another year, that’s right, just one, they’d be much bigger. You see a two and a half year old deer is going to be 15″-18″ wide typically and have seven or more points. Not a giant, but much bigger. A teen if you will.

If you can be patient for two years, that buck, at three and a half years, will be 17″ or better and sport seven or more much larger points. These are general numbers and can vary but no matter how you add them up, the deer are much bigger.

Can we not hold off for two years and eat a doe? Is it that hard. Seriously, if I told you that you could have a doe this year and next and a wall hanger buck the year after if you didn’t shoot a buck the next two years would you take it? I know that you may not get those deer but letting them live certainly increases the odds.

Most hunters sacrifice time hanging stands, putting in food plots, and sitting in the cold for countless hours yet we can’t pass up shooting a small buck? Come on everyone. Let them live, create something special for yourself and your future generations. Practice responsible harvest.

Let them go another year.