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treehugger
02-08-2015, 10:52 PM
I've heard of a lot of folks passing on animals for various reasons... most of the time it's "holding out for a bigger one"! One reason thrown around is "He's coming along nicely. Will be a real beauty in a couple more years"... maybe it's just a cop-out for taking a smaller animal or maybe it's god's honest truth and the runt they take home and show off is better out of the gene pool.

I've mostly been a meat hunter. The only time I ever wanted something more than a spiker was on an elk hunt. For me, the season's usually short and with young kids it's better for the family to keep it that way ;). If it's legal - shoot it.

I recently heard from a friend that a benefit to Guides/Outfitters is they're better at managing the herd than residents. Why they would waste a valuable tag on some genetic freak to boost the overall health of the population in their area doesn't add up (or does it?)

I realize this argument is flawed on so many levels...

but it got me thinking...

Here're my questions:

Is there any validity in this?^

If/when you take something that should be out of the pool what are you looking for?

How do you identify something "that's coming along nicely"?

And, by eventually shooting the animal aren't you taking it out of the gene pool? Or, by the time you shoot it are it's procreating days over?

...excuse my ignorance but if you can't pose questions like these on this site, where?..

treehugger
02-08-2015, 10:59 PM
I should add... I'm in no way pro GOABC. Anytime you pull resources from the public and sell them to foreign interests and a privileged few is f*****g b******t.

Drillbit
02-08-2015, 11:04 PM
I passed up many big bucks for many reasons.

This year, it was because of not seeing many deer. I want the animals numbers to increase. I also do major predator control to help that happen.

Mostly I let them walk if they have thin antlers. I want a big buck with some Cubic Inches. (thin=coming along nicely haha=young)

I also want to shoot the new world record (who doesn't?). So, if I get a good look at something and it isn't the world record, I let it go.

All the big bucks I've shot, which is a lot, are ground shrink bucks. When they are running away from you at 40mph and the sun is shinning they look bigger than they are.

treehugger
02-08-2015, 11:19 PM
I've always been a bird in the hand kind of guy. I admire those who can pass on an animal. I hope to one day have that abilty��

Hanrahan
02-08-2015, 11:46 PM
This guy's coming along nicely! I passed on him this fall. Gonna be a monster next year!
I'm a lot like you. I don't pass on much. I hunt for meat, and we're allowed 15 deer a year here, so until the freezer is stocked I'm not too choosey.

http://i1380.photobucket.com/albums/ah197/hanrahan1/imagejpg1_zpsfc341d04.jpg (http://s1380.photobucket.com/user/hanrahan1/media/imagejpg1_zpsfc341d04.jpg.html)

treehugger
02-09-2015, 12:10 AM
http://i1380.photobucket.com/albums/ah197/hanrahan1/imagejpg1_zpsfc341d04.jpg (http://s1380.photobucket.com/user/hanrahan1/media/imagejpg1_zpsfc341d04.jpg.html)

Whoa! How far away is that monster? Must've just dropped his antlers! I spent some time living on the Charlottes... same limits. Beautiful part of the province!

Foxton Gundogs
02-09-2015, 08:40 AM
Trophy animals are by definition, the prime examples of the species, they are in or just coming to the end of their breeding prime, they are genetically superior animals. A hunter does not want to come from Europe all the way to B.C. to shoot a developing, regressing or genetically poor(mature animals with small or poorly configured antlers). Guides are there to please their clients, you decide.

elknut
02-09-2015, 03:14 PM
Years ago I shot the 1st mule deer buck I seen..Never could get a 4pt..Then someone said ...If you shoot the first deer you'll never get a chance at a bigger one..I resolved to never shoot anything less than a 4pt..I then took it one step further..I started hunting the dominant buck in my area and Oula...I started killing some good ones..For a number of years I took very high scoring deer..Now to turn down a 150 buck is not hard..It's a personal thing that one may develope over a number of years..All legal elk...moose are great to take regardless of antler size..Big buck muleys are a passion and really don't come easy..By turning down the small ones you get to extend the season and have a chance at the end for that " Buck of a Lifetime "

HarryToolips
02-09-2015, 04:28 PM
Only legal animals I've passed on were WT does with fawns, or too small, or black bear that were too small...a legal buck with decent body size worth putting in my freezer goes down..

boxhitch
02-09-2015, 04:40 PM
tree , Maybe you are taking things too literally

Sometimes a guy is just busting another guys balls over killing a 'less-than-awesome' animal , implying that it is sub-standard genetically , good to get out of the pool .
Sour grapes sometimes .

Don't take all the talk on some of the US hunting shows as being the normal either . There is lots of talk about game quality in them but most of the time these are on private lands where the landowner or guide has a slighted view because he is trying to sell hunts