My killing predicament

[Midwest Hunter]

I’m also from MN and mainly hunt public land in area 605 which is 1 buck and unlimited anterless. However this year we were added to the CWD watch list. I travel to the Iowa/Missouri border with a retired Army friend once a year on the Missouri side for a camping/hunting trip. I can tell you branching out of MN is the best bet. As the DNR says for us the deer population is quite unknown and due to the heavy wolf population and the spread of the packs deer are having a tougher time. But scouting and trail cams are great options for increasing your odds every year just take the extra time and effort. Also if you have the opportunity to hunt around the camp ripley area there are monster bucks that travel the area.


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[BTaylor]

Completely agree with NutterBuster's post above about learning to kill deer. That said, you cant kill big one's shooting little one's and you cant kill big one's where they dont live. I try to focus on killing mature deer and the horns will be what they will be.

 

[NATHAN]

I feel the pain as well. I too am looking for big and mature, but the thirst grows.

 

[7mmremmag]

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.

You don't have to shoot every little buck that walks by but you gotta once in a while or you go on long droughts unless you can hunt every single day. Tough to do with a normal job. I'm on a 13 year PA buck streak (in an antler restriction state). I shot the smallest buck in the last 13 years 2 weekends ago because I wasn't seeing big bucks from the stand this year. I had passed this buck 2x already. It really comes down to.... I like eating them as much as shooting them