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My killing predicament

Letemgrowitllshow

Letemgrowitllshow

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 23, 2018
Messages
1,311
Location
Saint Francis MN
I live/hunt in MN. Mainly hunt area 159 (1 deer limit) and less frequently hunt area 224 (also 1 deer limit). Across the whole state, we are aloud only 1 buck. If I kill a deer in any 1 deer limit area, then I have to use my main tag, and cannot kill in another 1 deer limit area.

This is my predicament. I haven't shot a buck for 5 years now.

In those 5 years I have passed up I don't know how many bucks. Basket rack 2.5 year olds. Lot of 1.5 year old buck. I did miss a nice 10 last year, but that was kind of a blessing because immediately after the shot it snowed 6 inches so might have been tough to find...

My point is, I have been bow hunting 5 years, only have 1 buck to show for it. I keep telling myself it's not about the kill it's about the experience and the journey that leads up to the kill, but gosh darnit I'm kinda tired of watching all these deer walk on by!
I'm about to the point where I'm just gunna shoot the next buck I see just to get it out of my system, but I have this inner conflict that says what if theres a big one about to come down the trail. Killing a basket rack 8 point in September would be awesome, but then that's pretty much the end of my season....

I have to admit that I am very jealous of @Nutterbuster's quest for 20. I wish we could kill that much up here. Maybe I'll have to start calling coyotes just to quench my life-taking thirst.
 
Anything stopping you from hunting the intensive surrounding Sherburn? Public land options I am sure if you wanted to give it a shot. You can always come down to 701/605 and shoot as many deer as you want to buy tags, just leave some for me!

I hunted a spot up near 236 (but still in 701) last weekend. I’d be happy to share with you if you’re interested.
 
It sounds to me like you are the one putting the limits on yourself. If I hadn't killed a deer in 5 hunting trips, let alone 5 years I would hunt a different area/state. Go shoot a doe, go shoot a spike (if legal), go kill a deer man. So what if a "trophy" walks by as soon as your "trophy kill" crashes.
I made some bacon wrapped tenderloin and backstrap on the grill last night. The clean plates by my 4 and 7 yo daughters was "trophy" enough, could have been a button bucks at that point.

GO KILL A DEER, the first deer in 5 years will be "Trophy" enough for me.
 
Loopwing said:
It sounds to me like you are the one putting the limits on yourself. If I hadn't killed a deer in 5 hunting trips, let alone 5 years I would hunt a different area/state. Go shoot a doe, go shoot a spike (if legal), go kill a deer man. So what if a "trophy" walks by as soon as your "trophy kill" crashes.
I made some bacon wrapped tenderloin and backstrap on the grill last night. The clean plates by my 4 and 7 yo daughters was "trophy" enough, could have been a button bucks at that point.

GO KILL A DEER, the first deer in 5 years will be "Trophy" enough for me.
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I should have mentioned in my original post, I kill 2 does a year, gotta fill that freezer
 
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MN_Bowhunter4 said:
Anything stopping you from hunting the intensive surrounding Sherburn? Public land options I am sure if you wanted to give it a shot. You can always come down to 701/605 and shoot as many deer as you want to buy tags, just leave some for me!

I hunted a spot up near 236 (but still in 701) last weekend. I’d be happy to share with you if you’re interested.
Click to expand...
I live in area 227 (3 deer limit) I have little experience hunting public here, still pretty new to the area. I've though of hunting 701, but had a tough time finding places to hunt other than high pressure WMA. Maybe I'm not looking in the right places? I knew a guy who said there is some way to sign up for metro hunts (MBRB?) but he discouraged me from doing that so I never really gave it a second thought till I just wrote out this post.
 
Buckkillr said:
Sounds like your putting pressure on yourself to fit in some kind of a big buck club, don't do that lol. Every bow kill is a trophy, I have several good ones on my wall but my favorite was a 100" er.

You can't eat the horns!
Click to expand...
Any time you have 1 tag...the choice is betweem trying to fill it with a given animal, or hunting more.

If I pass on a smaller buck, it's as much about wanting to hunt longer as anything.
 
Letemgrowitllshow said:
I live/hunt in MN. Mainly hunt area 159 (1 deer limit) and less frequently hunt area 224 (also 1 deer limit). Across the whole state, we are aloud only 1 buck. If I kill a deer in any 1 deer limit area, then I have to use my main tag, and cannot kill in another 1 deer limit area.

This is my predicament. I haven't shot a buck for 5 years now.

In those 5 years I have passed up I don't know how many bucks. Basket rack 2.5 year olds. Lot of 1.5 year old buck. I did miss a nice 10 last year, but that was kind of a blessing because immediately after the shot it snowed 6 inches so might have been tough to find...

My point is, I have been bow hunting 5 years, only have 1 buck to show for it. I keep telling myself it's not about the kill it's about the experience and the journey that leads up to the kill, but gosh darnit I'm kinda tired of watching all these deer walk on by!
I'm about to the point where I'm just gunna shoot the next buck I see just to get it out of my system, but I have this inner conflict that says what if theres a big one about to come down the trail. Killing a basket rack 8 point in September would be awesome, but then that's pretty much the end of my season....

I have to admit that I am very jealous of @Nutterbuster's quest for 20. I wish we could kill that much up here. Maybe I'll have to start calling coyotes just to quench my life-taking thirst.
Click to expand...

It's up to you. I wouldn't shoot something just to do it unless I really wanted some venison.

Are you scouting and exploring other properties/states?

COVID and a back injury messed up my scouting, and now my season has been very slow.

I have seen 2 shooter bucks: spooked one at my site location while setting up and saw another cruising a field edge 100 yards away. This is after around 20 hunts this year.
 
Letemgrowitllshow said:
I

I live in area 227 (3 deer limit) I have little experience hunting public here, still pretty new to the area. I've though of hunting 701, but had a tough time finding places to hunt other than high pressure WMA. Maybe I'm not looking in the right places? I knew a guy who said there is some way to sign up for metro hunts (MBRB?) but he discouraged me from doing that so I never really gave it a second thought till I just wrote out this post.
Click to expand...
The good thing about high pressure WMA is you don’t have to worry about bungling a spot or saving your best spot. Someone else is there to do that for you! You can just hunt. I find the archery pressure to be alright. Gun is intolerable.

Definitely check out MBRB. Not sure why the person you knew discouraged you from it, but I think it’s pretty cool. I’ve seen really nice bucks every year I’ve done it.
 
MN_Bowhunter4 said:
Definitely check out MBRB. Not sure why the person you knew discouraged you from it, but I think it’s pretty cool. I’ve seen really nice bucks every year I’ve done it.
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Probably "more hunters that hunt places I don't are a good thing" syndrome.
 
You guys have some very understanding wives. If I go 2 weekends without a deer. I start getting comments and looks when I talk about hunting again. Let alone if I tell her I passed on a deer. She made the comment last year "I can never ever remember you grilling up a set of antlers."

Also you said one area you are allowed one buck, but the area you live in you are allowed 3? So if you shoot the one in the one deer area, that means your whole season is over???
 
Not sure what you are using for a bow, but if you are shooting a compound, you might consider switching to a traditional bow. That will add some more difficulty and make killing those 2.5 year olds feel much more exciting. Just an idea.
 
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