It's so sad

[deadeye]

Last weekend I learned that one of our neighbors group shot 10 deer.  Eight of the 10 were little bucks.  Now, I know it's their land and they can do as they want, but come on, EIGHT little bucks off 160 acres!  Nobody needs venison that bad.  For reference that would be like us taking 35 little bucks off our property.  They shoot everything that moves.  Just venting a little here.  I have nothing against people shooting what they like, just don't go nuts with it.   

[Swany]

Little like 1.5 year olds? How many people are in your neighbors hunting party?
I would tend to side with you, but it is their tag to fill. Personally I would rather shoot a fat doe vs. a small buck, especially if I just was after vension.

[MTCOMMER]

   That is definitely tough to stomach as a neighboring property, but as you said, its their tags to fill.  We had that problem a few years back with one of our neighbors, they would allow big groups to hunt their land and shoot EVERYTHING.  It would sound like a warzone some years.
They have since sold the property and we have noticed a HUGE improvement on the classes of deer we are seeing, both bucks and does.  Sorry to hear about  the situation, hopefully they will tone it down a little.

[ray634]

It is unfortunate that they choose to harvest that many small deer. They must be of the mind that a small buck is better than a doe even if the doe is bigger.
I have a relative in my party that is that way. He says he does not want to shoot anything, just to be out with his kids.He ends up letting easy shots at does go by and will consider any spike buck a real trophy. I have given up on trying to change his ways.
Or they may be in the MUST FILL OUT stage. Just poor managment strategy any way.

[The Leacher]

Thats a real bummer
Were I hunt most neighbors are doing buck management and me as well. But there one neighbor who doesnt care he invites bunch of people and shoots up what ever they can and as many. What really sucks is last year they shot 3 2.5 yr old bucks that I was watching all season they had great potential for this season
Just a bummer knowing that all them bucks are gone for the future

[Mayfly]

Very unfortunate...

[beeker]

we had a group north of us that was cut off from the state land behind us and they would line up 12 guys on 40 acres with shotguns.. the nice thing was they moved around allot and made a ton of noise which pushed everything towards us.. they haven't been up in a few seasons.

[Sew Sille]

  I feel your pain!! I hunt a only 15 acers, My neighbor all so has 15 acers, I was talking to them befor season (rifle) and the 30 year old said he didnt think he would hunt this year because all there were was litttle bucks. I told him that if they didnt shoot alllthe litte bucks they seen there would be some big ones. He didnt like that very much. So Nov 8, i was on my stand and shot a 10 point. about a hour later he came over to see what I shot. He said I didnt go out to day because I didnt think there was a big one around. The next day he shot an little buck. The last 4 years they shot 4 or 5 bucks a year. All 1 1/2 year olds.

[dakids]

Did you show them the pictures of the big bucks your group shoots?  Maybe they would change if they saw what they could get if they let the little guys walk.

[deadeye]

No, I haven't talked to them this year.  They have hunted this way for as long as I can remember.  The problem is too many hunters on the property.  It get to be a mob scene where everyone wants to get a deer so bad they just blast away.   They seem to be in it to see how many deer they can shoot each year.  They probably know there will be ample deer coming from our property each year so they are not worried about wiping out all the deer on their land.  I plan to stop by one day to see what I can do.  I'm not to hopefull that I will make a difference.
   

[jigglestick]

it's simple, just buy them out.

[naturalistmn]

That's really too bad.   LET'EM WALK!!!   Agreed, shoot a nice plump juicy doe.   No one needs another little rack to kick around the garage floor.   Wait till he's big enough to bring in the house!   We the people, need to all take part in proper management, especially when our very own DNR doesn't.   It's up to us, and it is our choice.   I love reading threads like this.   I'm hearing more and more guys wanting the young bucks to live! N-I-C-E !!!

Someone said something like how it sucks because they had a simular situation and now there were no bucks for the future.   Yep, that sucks, but there will be more bucks.   Don't worry about that part.   People seem to think they can "stock pile" bucks, wrong!!!!   Buck dispersal rates keep different bucks in different areas.   The younger the buck the higher the dispersal rate.   Very very rarely does a person have the same buck in his hunting area from young to mature.   New crops of bucks go out every year and a new crop of bucks comes in every year.   You are more likely to get a more mature buck to stick around, if he thinks he's got it "good."   

Keep your heads up guys and thank you to those who can see the benifits of good deer management!!!

[Cody Gruchow]

well this is a tough subject. because theres so many ways to look at it. now do they hunt just for meat? beleive it or not people that hunt just for the meat dont care if its a buck or a doe. yes i agree with shoot a doe instead of a small buck. but many people are to afraid that they wont see another deer if they pass that one, so they shoot it. but if they shoot small bucks then i dont understand the reason for complaining that there arent many big ones around. in this case 1+1 wont equal 2. cant have it both ways. theres reasons why the DNR wont put antler restrictions across the state. you cant force everyone to think a like because one guy wants bigger bucks when the other guy just wants to feed his family. take me for example. i passed on small bucks all season and smaller does all season, now im on the brink of not even bagging a deer this season. yes we do see bigger deer now(well atleast the trail camera does at 3am). this is just a hard subject because not everyone feels the same about it.

[HUNTER2]

I would say pass on the little ones. Burger is cheap to buy.

[deadeye]

I hear you cody, it really is an individual choice.  I doubt very much they are hunting to feed their families.  I would like to talk to each of them to get a better idea of where they are coming from.  We (we share a small 1/4 mile border with them) usually see some deer each time we go out.  It shouldn't be that much different where they are.  Obvioulsy shooting and chassing around after the first deer that comes by greatly affects the number and size of the deer seen.  Hunter2 is right, burger is cheaper.  In very few cases is the cost of venison justified (feeding family).  Maybe a case could be made for the guy who uses a hand me down gun, shoots one on the way to the milk house and the cuts it up himself.  but for most of us you really don't want to know the cost per pound.  Now if a guy just likes to eat venison, that's a different story. 

[stevejedlenski]

i think cody nailed it on the head. i love hunting big buck because i do it for "4 months" with a bow. many people hunt 1 week or even weekend a year. like it or not having these people around may actually be better deer management than you and i passing everthing up and going without a deer for the season. remember that overpopulation is a threat to the heard and unless your area can support 20 young deer and the 20 mid-old deer you want is doubtful and they will likely die of starvation or disease. i have a "big buck or go home" attitude and have since gone without a deer for 4 years while i see decent bucks ive passsed on shot by neighbors and poachers. The neighbors enjoyed every minute of it just as i do when i get a big buck. i used to argue the same thing until my hunting went from every day to a couple weeks of the season. its just not fun if you never end up with anything. And made me look at it from a different perspective.

also like it or not proper deer management is all in the eye of the beholder. to the DNR its the population as a whole so hunters always have something to hunt, not hang on your wall. remember the days of teddy rosevelt and his "game refuge" THEY ALL DIED!!! its time we as hunters remember what counts and that is the experience

i know its good to vent sometimes to make yourself feel better, i do it all the time. but lets take a step back for a moment and realize that if you enjoy spending thousands of dollars and all year planning and prepping, and chasing that big guy on camera then by all means have your fun. and go and talk to your neighbors and see if you can bring them on board. but just know that some people enjoy shooting every deer they see and its not always a bad thing. a lot of them, even though they would still mount it, wouldnt prize a 160" buck any more than a 110" nor would they really tell the difference. its weight and points to them.

[deadeye]

stevejedlenski, you are correct about hunting 4 months verse a weekend.  I'm sure if I only hunted one or two weekends a year, I probably would hunt differently also.  As far as deer  management goes, we do an ok job of taking does.  We are in an intensive harvest area and  I shot 2 this year and 3 last year.  My issue is with shooting little bucks and by little I mean 1.5 year olds.  These deer usually weigh around 130-140 pounds and have spikes, forks, small 6 and basket 8's.  Unless you flood an area with too many hunters, most everyone should get a crack at a doe or nice buck at sometime during the season.  I have never pressured any neightbors to let the little bucks go, I just show them pictures of the big ones.  Like cody said, if you shoot little bucks, you have not right to complain about not seeing any big ones.