For the past 15 years, I have been hunting two 400 acre tracts of land in the Black Belt. They have a similar mix of old pastures, hardwoods, and pines, and are only a few miles apart. The management and hunting styles differ, as do the results.

On tract A, we kill 6 to 8 does per year, but limit the buck harvest to wall-hangers. If you kill it, it goes on the wall. We see lots of nice young bucks, 6, 8 and 10 points, and let them walk. We have 3 small food plots, which we hunt only during the rut, and we never shoot does on them. There are two of us who hunt this land, and we have killed 8 really nice bucks over the years. Since we only shoot does in the woods, we are willing to accept the accidental button-buck as part of the doe harvest. It is never more than one per year, and doesn’t keep us from seeing lots of larger bucks.

On tract B, I hunt with two other guys who are reluctant to shoot any does at all, but let me kill 6 or so every year. They claim to be trophy hunters, but will shoot any 8 points they see, regardless of age. One of them will count any burr or spur “you can hang a ring on”. They average killing 5 or 6 of these young deer every year. I hunt the woods, but they hunt mostly plots every afternoon. Over the years their sightings of really nice deer have dwindled. The does use the plots mainly at night, and aren’t there in the daytime during the rut. The plots are eaten down, and full of tracks, but the number of daytime does declines as the season progresses. As a consequence, they are seeing far fewer nice bucks. This has led to friction between us, as they feel that the decline in mature buck sightings on the plots is because I am shooting “too many “ does in the woods, including the occasional button buck. I just don’t see how a dead doe would have been a nice buck next year. I do feel that a 140 pound two year old basket rack 8 isn’t likely to get any bigger once he has a hole through his lungs. I didn’t hunt with those guys this year. They still only shot dinkers. Maybe the does I didn’t kill this year will morph into wall hangers for them next year.

you can't fix, or train stupid....

You can't fix stupid.

Dead 2.5 year old bucks will never become a wall hangers!

If you have any control over the place, put in a rule that there will be a fine of $10 per pound live weight for every pound under 180 lbs for the bucks. Maybe they will then start holding out for mature bucks.

Agreed with BhamFred and ElkHunter. Just can't fix stupid. And I like that rule could raise some money for the food plots. Or they might just kill it and never tell Alagator about it.

They are the reason for no big bucks being taken. and until they learn to let them walk it wont get any better.

I agree with what everyone is saying. Dead deer don't grow. However why are the does only using the plots at night time? I don't think 6 does is hardly hurting the heard but if the density is decreasing due to predators then maybe backing off the does could help the sightings. But this is all just a thought.

doe sightings are probably down cause they hunt foodplots too much.

If it were me, I'd quit shooting the does and try to pick off a good buck every once in a while in the woods, and then use your other land as your primary place to hunt. If they are killing a bunch of dinks then shooting does and keeping the herd in check probably will not help much any way.

True.....

Probly the turkeys scaring the deer I'd start by busting up all turkey nest right away!

Sounds like a couple of "hunters" that can't figure out the real reason why they can't kill a 4YO+ 140"+. But are quick to blame you for them not laying off the trigger.

[quote=truedouble]doe sightings are probably down cause they hunt foodplots too much.

Exactly--they hunt plots with no regard to wind or noise--drive almost to the plots on 4-wheelers, then sit with the wind at their backs. Just as noisy leaving right after dark. I discovered that the deer were using the plots in the morning, right up to about 30 minutes before the hunter drove up. The deer had them patterned.

Do they hunt the wind or just sit every plot in any wind?

Another solution kick them out and get two other people that are trophy minded like you. Hint Hint