I'm going to slap the next person that tells me the "Glory Days" of hunting are gone or that there are no more big deer. Same for Elk! But lets talk deer for a moment.

Anyone remember the BRUISERS taken last year in CO and NV? They are BABIES compared to what people took this year. Good grief bigger and bigger deer are coming quicker and quicker... the glory days are NOW!

Look at these 2005 monsters:

Possible 05 Worlds Record P&Y Mule Deer, unscored atm


'05 200+ main frame w/35+ in extras. 32 1/2" wide. 12 scoreable points each side.


Come on, tell me people were shooting animals like this in the 1940's...


-DallanC

It ain't like it used to be!!! Now come slap me. ..I'd like to meet you face to face...Over a beer of course...

Give him a good one Dallan.

Well I won't slap em but I agree with you, When I was a 15 years old and able to go deer hunting for the fist time. It was a joke. Getting a deer was a really big deal, paying extra for a doe tag ment you might have a better chance but then again I was hunting with a shotgun, shooting "pumpkin balls" kind of like shooting a musket.

Pennsylvania had a long tradition of deer hunting. Seeing a 8 point deer was a big deal seeing one that was older than 3 years was unheard of. If it had horns it died. Today they have a horn restriction. It will no doubt improve the herd. They still have a big deer hunting population.

Living in South Dakota we have white Tail deer and Mule deer that are healthy and large. They grow fast and live longer lives. The reason is several decades of sound management. As the herd size increases the hunting limits go up.

What does it all mean to me. When I was 15 I was lucky to see a deer let alone shot one. 34 years latter I have more opportunities to shoot bigger and better deer than I ever have.

Your darn right, we are living our good old days, and I thank God for that.

longwalker

I am doing a Mule Deer hunt in Mexico in December the average is 28"to 32' I 'll send pictures if I take one and Coues too.

Bushmaster wrote:

It ain't like it used to be!!!

LOL I didnt say that, I said next person that says "there are no big deer left".

They killed an 11x11 Muley 15 miles from my house this fall too. Going to be interesting to see what the Frontstuffer and Rifle crowds get. We've had an awsome wet spring with tons of growth we havent had in years for the sage and bitterbrush so animals are fat and healthy for once.

I see pictures of things like this it really gets me stoked for my Utah BookCliffs deer tag i drew this year. Now if we just get some snow by 3rd week in Oct.


-DallanC

Well, Ky has a huntable elk herd, Tn is getting near being able to have limited elk tags. When I was in my teens ANY buck was call to rejoice and have it mounted. Today, if one plans carefully and gets all the draw/quota hunts it's possible to kill 6 (or more) bucks (some places have 4pt on one side min) and 320 (give or take a bit) does the last 2 years.

Tell me again how good it USED to be.

longwalker wrote:

Pennsylvania had a long tradition of deer hunting. Seeing a 8 point deer was a big deal seeing one that was older than 3 years was unheard of. If it had horns it died. longwalker

You got that right longwalker i hunted the PA mountains for a lot of years if it had one horn 3" long it went down cause ya might not see another one. Things have gotton a lot better.

Heck I remember when we would have 30+ standers , and running dawgs , two hunts a day , and maybe one deer for the effort ..
To me they were the good old days in the respect of the class of the camp .. We had adults who acted like adults , and gave us kids an example to follow .. Nowadays for the most part the people are a bunch of idiots and a**holes ..
But the deer , now that is a different matter .. The hunting is much better today ..
Jack

There are two bulls we have been tracking for a few weeks, one is probably in the high 400 class, the other a mid 400. They keep wandering over to reservation land and we keep trying to herd them back to the "correct" hunting unit. Imagine if they both survive this season! We don't have tags this year and want them for ourselves next time IF we draw.

A scouting trip into Coues country showed half a dozen bucks in 100+ class and one that we believe could go 135, maybe, higher. Fortunately, this is an area where I finally managed to get a tag for the late hunt, an area where 50 tags are available and applications run close to 1,000. I've applied for this hunt for numerous years.

State managed game herds are doing well here in Arizona. What we face is increasing competition for those tags, afterall we have quadrupled our population in four decades. Many hunters have turned to varmint calling as an alternative, yet, our coyote population has grown over the years without too many restrictions on calling and a year round open season.

DallanC's statement fits with what I have seen in Arizona and some of our neighboring states, California excluded.

The deer are the same but the hunting is different! When I was a youngster you could go talk to farmer pete next door and get hunting permission, Know you go talk to farmer pete JR, and you better take your check book and a lawer for the lease paper work.
Its getting rediculouse! Hunting is a tradition, an american icon of what some of freedom means to me, but not any more, you better be rich to hunt some place other than state land, unless you have a few hundred acres. I think thats what he means when he says it not like it used to be.
Some of us cant afford to pick up every year and go out west to shoot at a "TROPHY", I hunt for MEAT! Not HEAD! Shoot, I gave my last rack to the kid next door....

I must be right! No one has argued yet, FOR WEEKS!!!

I also hunt for meat, a rack can provide some benefit though. It gives you a good handle to assist in draging your deer out to the vehicle!! I usually cut up every rack that I get into buttons, powder measures, short starter handles, knife grips/handles and anything else they may be used for. I've yet been able to boil or roast a rack that could be eaten!

I am real sick of the hunting being for the "well to do" crowd around here,(smells like IMPEREIALIZM) I want to hunt but have to put on a bullet proof vest and hunt State land.All the local property owners have leased to BIG $$$, Or in some cases some farmes have been leased to keep hunters out.

Crackshot wrote:

I am real sick of the hunting being for the "well to do" crowd around here,(smells like IMPEREIALIZM) I want to hunt but have to put on a bullet proof vest and hunt State land.All the local property owners have leased to BIG $$$, Or in some cases some farmes have been leased to keep hunters out.

I reckon you have hit the nail squarely on the head Crackshot. The same is starting to happen over here in Australia. A group of deer hunters got together and formed an Association. Now some state govt recognise this group as the "official" deer hunting authority !! Worst thing is they approach property owners where deer are known to be, offer him recompense to shoot on his place and also offer him help in property maintenance under the guise of "maintaining the resource". Members are expected to give up a couple of weekends a year to go to a property and assist the owner in whatever he wants done....but NO HUNTING !! The assoc also charge you a fee to belong to the assoc and charge a fee for a hunt, then you may well end up paying the property owner a fee. Mind you this is not an official authority, and there are no such things as tags for deer, or a draw. Now some property owners are seeing $$$$ signs and have closed their properties to all but those who are willing to pay for the priviledge of shooting a deer....and they charge extra for a trophy head. All this to hunt an animal that is feral, not native !! Deer are not native to Australia, but have taken to our climate well and are breeding like crazy in some places.

This is happening thanks to those who can afford to hunt where ever and whenever they want and to hell with anybody else.

I better get off my soapbox....apologies if I have been a bit vocal. I think I ned a beer.

Cheers, Vince