How picky are you on public land when chasing whitetails

[TexanSam]

Hunting here in Kansas. I haven't seen a deer that I want to hang my tag on. Seen plenty of 1-2 year old bucks. One that was 3-4 ish but had a spike on one side. Another that was clearly at least 4 if not 5, but he had broken off both antlers.

It seems that each year I push myself to try for a bigger/older buck, but this year has felt like a grind. I want to know from the rest of y'all, how picky do y'all get when you don't have an empty freezer? Have any of y'all gone multiple seasons with an unfilled tag for it to finally pay off with a unicorn of a public land monster?

 

[brockel]

Haven’t shot a mule deer buck since 2009.

 

[rjthehunter]

It depends on my freezer status. Around home, I shoot a doe or 2 to add meat to the freezer, then will hunt until the end of the season with my buck tag until I come face to face with the biggest buck I'm aware of. I utilize trail cams to basically see what my biggest option is out there. I've been fortunate and can buy doe tags and fill those as a means to fill the freezer up. There's been years where I don't have a buck on camera that excites me. If that's the case, I move to a new area and try new spots.

This year in MT, I took a young mule deer buck on day 1 to cross that tag off and put some meat in the cooler. Then I could focus the rest of the trip on elk (glassing up 100s of deer, many larger than the one I shot).

In most cases, I'm looking for a buck that makes me excited. In the end, as long as you're happy, that's all that matters. I've eaten my buck tag more than a few times. Was fortunate this year and punched it on the biggest buck I'd seen on camera all year!

 

[brownbear932008]

To me it's more about enjoying the outdoors more now days. I could care less if I fill a tag. Isn't any of us starving for meat to "fill the freezer" let's be honest. I have a pile of average deer racks starting to pile up. I'm looking for something better unless the urge strikes me and it feels right at the moment.

 

[BAKPAKR]

Haven’t shot a mule deer buck since 2009.

I am pretty much in the same boat. I hunt mostly public land for bucks, and I haven’t shot one for a long, long time.

 

[SD_Prairie_Goat]

Really depends on the status of the freezer. If I'm short on meat I will accept a deer around 120". If I can't find that I'll take a doe for meat

This last weekend I had no need for meat so I passed on many bucks. Tried to put my tag on this guy but private land prevented it

 

[NoWiser]

Not too picky with whitetails in MN when I hunt them on public or private. I purposely don’t set out trail cameras much before season. I don’t want to know what’s out there. I want to shoot a buck I’m happy with while I’m hunting and not second guess myself. Some years I find myself passing smaller bucks. Some years I don’t.

 

[F250]

Tape measures and the number of birthdays a buck has had do not figure in on my decision to pull the trigger. For me :
There’s a legal buck
I am certain I can make that shot
I am certain I can retrieve him
He looks tasty

Our freezer is always empty come October. Additionally, several friends and relatives who can’t hunt anymore are looking for my wife and I to bring home some venison. We just enjoy the entire hunting experience without any self imposed numerical goals.

 

[Dougfirtree]

These days, I tend to pass on 1.5 year old bucks and sometimes on 2.5 year olds, as well (estimated by antler size). Mature bucks are pretty much all in danger (if they're unlucky enough for me to stumble into them).

 

[np307]

If it's brown it's down. Mostly dictated by the fact we get 6 tags (2 buck, 4 doe) and a healthy deer herd. Punched my second buck tag on a spike yesterday with no second guessing.

 

[pabearhunter]

Really depends on the status of the freezer. If I'm short on meat I will accept a deer around 120". If I can't find that I'll take a doe for meat

This last weekend I had no need for meat so I passed on many bucks. Tried to put my tag on this guy but private land prevented it View attachment 350681

X-2

 

[Raisin Bran]

Pretty much hold my same requirements all year, start to finish. I mostly hunt Mule Deer and won’t shoot anything less than 170 or a unique non-typical. A Whitetail has to be a unique non-typical or 150+ for me to shoot it.

Needless to say I haven’t shot a deer in awhile! Watching a couple grow. Maybe in the next couple years if they survive all of the pudwacks pounding the public land where these deer live! Fun to look though

Elk is in the category of “if it’s brown it’s down” (no Spikes) Need a Monarch & Imperial to complete my card collection

 

[Beignet]

I’ve been picky about whitetails this year but am now wondering if I failed the old adage of “don’t pass up something you’d shoot on the last day.”

This past Sunday I kept coming across a young one I called Johnny 75. On three occasions I’d back off and he’d pop up someplace else, about 75 yards away. Probably should’ve shot him.

 

[Raisin Bran]

I’ve been picky about whitetails this year but am now wondering if I failed the old adage of “don’t pass up something you’d shoot on the last day.”

This past Sunday I kept coming across a young one I called Johnny 75. On three occasions I’d back off and he’d pop up someplace else, about 75 yards away. Probably should’ve shot him.

Johnny 75 wanted to come home with you! I had a young Mule Deer buck I named Lucky Strike do the same thing for me one complete season. Archery thru the rut, he was always in my way and blowing out other deer! So annoying, but now that I think about it, pretty fun memories too.

 

[WildWill]

As far as bucks go if it's 3 and I can kill him it's happening on public here in Oklahoma. I would assume Oklahoma public land is pretty similar to Kansas (maybe wrong never hunted Kansas). You could hunt for a month and would be lucky to have a chance to harvest a 4+ year old buck more then once or twice. Start passing mature deer because of broken or mediocre racks and the order grows even taller. Killed a 3 year old on public with my bow this year. His rack was unimpressive his g2s weaker then his g3s but he put on a hell of a show to punctuate a great day in the woods and offered a chip shot. It felt right. Hunting can be a grind but it's also suppose to be fun just don't let the grind overrun the fun. Also if Oklahoma only had one not two buck tags I might have a completely different answer.

 

[Duck-Slayer]

Well I’m a 2 point shooter unless I find a 150”+ deer
Matt

 

[NEWHunter]

Freezer full or not, if I’m on public land here in this part of WI, if it’s 2.5 or older it’s done. A 1.5 I’d think about it. If it had been several years, the 1.5 would get it too.

I’ve only filled about 1/4 of all my buck tags. Finally ended up with a 5.5 year old private land unicorn a couple of years ago.

 

[Jnasa]

For me it depends on how much time I have and how empty the freezer is. We can shoot buck or does for whitetail in most of Idaho. I try to hold out for a decent buck but generally don’t pass many. Mainly if it overlaps elk season and I am focusing on that instead.

 

[TrapperJ]

Well I've never hunted public but I will say I'm a picky shooter. If my freezer is empty then I'll shoot a doe but if my freezer is full then I'll let the does walk also I believe that shooting spikes is a waste of time and for 2 reasons 1 I believe the does taste alot better then the bucks and it's cheaper since a buck tag is 18$ and doe is 7$ so it makes more sense shooting does then spikes just my 2 cents but I do wanna try public one day

 

[Johnny Bravo]

Very picky….if I’m dragging something out for 2 miles it’s gunna be a big one.