By the venison in the freezer, of course
I am constantly amazed when I view Facebook and see all of the pictures of buck deer and people asking, “How much will he score?” and “What is your guess of what he will score?” or “Would you shoot or pass?”
It can be quite intimidating and create some disagreements between hunters, but it just comes down to what you, as the hunter, expect! Do you want a big buck deer for a wall hanger or just want a deer for the freezer?
There is absolutely nothing wrong with either question or answer, and I will never condemn you for your choice. That is what is great about living in America. We have the right to make that choice.
To some hunters, they dream about taking a monster buck that will be impressive hanging on the wall and draw envy from their friends who wish they could take such a trophy. That is their choice. I know many hunting friends who have never even seen a buck of such magnitude, and they often end up not filling a tag or having venison in the freezer. Many other people, including myself, just enjoy the opportunity to spend time in the woods, making memories by spending time with family and friends.
Deer hunting has always been an American tradition that is often handed down from one generation to another. Just being out there away from many of the stresses and monotony of everyday life is rewarding.
Don’t get me wrong. I love seeing beautiful bucks, and I have several impressive bucks hanging on the wall of my den. I have several hundred trail camera pictures of very nice bucks walking through the woods that I hunt, but I do not, even after deer hunting for 61 years, consider myself a trophy deer hunter.
If a nice buck happens to come within what I consider my effective shooting range, I will definitely take the shot opportunity, but I am still content with taking a nice, fat mature doe home for the freezer.
I consider an adult, mature doe just as smart and as difficult to harvest as any buck, and it should be considered a trophy if it was taken observing the rules of fair chase. I also believe the venison of a doe is just as good, and many times even better, than a buck. They just don’t have the impressive antlers possessed by the majestic buck.
If the truth be known, there are far more does in the hunting area than there are bucks, and if the hunter decides to stick it out and wait for a buck, chances are it won’t be the massive antlered “King of the Woods” he wants.
I know. I did that many times throughout my hunting career, and I either blanked or finally decided to settle for a mature doe. The later in the season it gets, even these mature does are hard to find due to the hunting pressure they get from Opening Day until the decision is made to lower expectations.
I hear several hunting associates say they refuse to shoot a deer unless it is a buck that has have antlers that will score a minimum of 140 inches. If that is their decision, I respect it and their commitment, but it is extremely difficult to “eyeball” score a deer, especially in the woods and at a distance.
I have seen hunters swear the buck they saw was a 180-inch buck. Most likely, it would be closer to 120 inches. I shot a huge buck one year that I just knew would score the minimum of 140 inches to qualify for the Indiana record book. I had it mounted and eventually had it measured. It was measured three times and ended up scoring 132 inches.
I did however, several years later, taker two nice bucks that just barely went over the 140-inch minimum. One was taken with a bow, and the other was taken with a muzzleloader.
I admit that I am in the 10th frame of my hunting career. I will be 81 years old this coming Christmas Eve, and while I still admire those big monster bucks, I have settled many times for a nice, fat, mature doe to put in the freezer to feed my family and donate to several different projects.
I still get excited when I see a buck deer, whether it is a spike buck, four-pointer, six-pointer, or larger, but I get just as excited when I see a button buck, small doe, or even a fawn. Just knowing that I have managed to get within shooting range of such a majestic animal without them realizing I am there makes my old heart race, and the buck fever takes over my body.
Yes, I still get just as excited as I did back in 1964 for my very first deer hunting trip. As far as I am concerned, the picture of the seven white plastic bags in the back of my wife’s Jeep, filled with freshly harvested venison, is how I score a deer. Once they are in the freezer, they all look good! You can score a deer however you like, but I was never able to eat antlers.