Trophy or good eating?

[woodchucker]

I love'em all!!!!! BIG or small.....

I'm a hunter. I hunt for food. I take the first good shot that comes along.

I have my share of big racks hanging on the wall,but to be completely honest,all but one were 100% LUCK!!!!! I consider EVERY deer that I have ever taken a trophy,from my smallest spike,to my big heavy 8 pointer.(does,fawns,and button bucks too!!!!!)

Your first deer will be the trophy of a lifetime that you will NEVER forget!!!!!

GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!!!  

[MikeW]

From my experience the "Gamey" thing normally comes from over cooking.

here in southern mi the deer taste exceptionally good. (crop fed)

Where I grew up the deer fed on sage brush and that's what they tasted like, nasty! You could soak them in buttermilk and get rid of most of it but it was still gamey. When I tasted my first deer in Texas it was like a new animal, I couldn't believe it was deer. Grain,crop and acorn fed deer are delicious!

To answer the question I usually shoot does only they are easier to find, cheaper plus you can't eat horns.

[Bill Carlsen]

We can take up to four deer in NH so early on I am not so picky. Actually I am not picky at all. Meat in the freezer trumps horns on the wall every year. Three years ago I shot a spike, a ten and an eight pointer. All were fine eating. My biggest deer dressed at 207 and he was good eating. I think a lot of what determines palatability of a deer or any wild animal is getting it in the freezer as fast as possible.

We have a nice 9 pointer (last year's count) that I am sure will dress out at 200+. I am saving my buck tag for him. There is also a very large doe in our area that I would love to shoot just to see how big she really is. Except for these two animals Laura and I will be happy to shoot whatever is legal at the time.

[Don Stokes]

If you want to taste "gamey", come down south and try to eat one that's been run by dogs for a few hours. Most of the people I've known who said they didn't like venison had only had dog-run deer. I guess it's the adrenaline. I never shoot one ahead of dogs on purpose.

My favorite for the table is a yearling doe. Mild, tender, and tasty. I can taste a buck every time. Even the young ones taste different to me. I also think that bow-shot deer are better, but that may be psychological!

[John Scifres]

I also shoot the first thing that gives me a good shot although I've never had it in me to kill a really small fawn in the early season.  Later in the year they are a lot bigger and have more meat.  When I have a choice, the biggest bodied deer gets killed.  Most deer around here don't live past 3 years so toughness isn't an issue.  I shot a 6 year old doe a couple years ago and she was fine eating.  My favorite is a December fawn.  About 80 pounds, 35 pounds of boneless, and tender.  They aren't hard to drag either.

[Full Quiver]

Like others Big Buck is first on the list as I have not had that much opportunity at trophy deer.
That being said any game taken with my bow is a trophy for me.
I have a large family & we eat all the wild game we can get(I think it's healthier anyway).
If given a choice my choices would be as follows:
1)Old doe, I think they get to an age that they do not produce but are still competing for food. But they still taste good.
2)Younger doe, preferably without fawns, but if the young don't have spots she's fair game.
3)Younger deer, they really taste good, & you can cut them with a fork.
I try to let the forkhorns & young bucks pass.

I'm hungry now  

[Jack Skinner]

Brown its down. If its legal and gives me an opportunity it goes in the freezer.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

I hunt for meat, which ever give the better shot angle. I take more DOEs then anything.

[BigRonHuntAlot]

The biggest affect for gameiness in Venison comes from the age of the deer, the diet of the animal, the rut plays a Big difference in quality and the presence of Lactic Acid in the meat caused by stress from some sort. This is what I have observed over years of hunting. Now there are tricks to make the meat more palatable but almost a given is a younger deer taken cleanly with proper field dressing techniques and rapid cooling will always taste better, ALOT better than a stressed or older specimen.   Some folks confuse the flavor of venison with gameiness also...

 That being said I would shoot the big buck as for the same reasons stated above.  Although my freezer is filled every year on does and opportunistic young bucks.  I am NOT a Trophy hunter but Love it when I bring one home. LOL

[buckeye_hunter]

I'll shoot the big buck for more reasons than one.

1. More meat in the freezer.
2. Older mature bucks are hard to come by and harder to kill.
3. Mounted antlers will remind me of the hunt for years to come.
4. Pure adrenalin rush.
5. The antlers provide one heck of a good handle to drag a deer out with.

My 2 cents,
-Charlie

[bohuntr]

It depends on the day.    
 
 
 

[Buckeye Trad Hunter]

If it's legal and it makes you happy then it's worth taking.  My first harvest with trad gear was a yearling doe.

[mrgreenhead]

meats meat i got to eat and that all folks.

[bill langer]

The old school Yankees out here in the east often judge a trophy by how many lbs it is, not its head gear. Hunting is a way of life for us, I am the oldest of 6 kids and have 4 of my own. We eat alot of venison. However, the decision to take an animal is always based on the hunt itself. Good post, Bill

[trapperDave]

since Indiana limits me to one buck....I'll shoot the big one AND the doe both  

I once took 3 in under 30 minutes with a bow and all 3 dropped within sight.....back in my wheelie days  :D

[sticknstring_AK]

I don't eat antlers, never have never will.  

Young buck/bull, since Alaska doesn't normally have doe/cow hunts.  I wouldn't shoot a doe/cow to begin with, never have never will.

Steve

[Arwin]

I'll choose the good eating. My best buck tasted nasty compared to a doe the same age. Horns are cool, but fresh straps are better IMO.

[J-dog]

First one to walk by, I do not discriminate.

J

[SouthMDShooter]

We dont shoot young bucks on our property, so we kill a lot of does. The only buck we shoot are mature 8s and 10s. We have been doing this for ten years now and we are seeing so many more big mature bucks. So to answer your question I shoot mostly does but if a mature buck presents a shot hes down

[SouthMDShooter]

Originally posted by SouthMDShooter:
We dont shoot young bucks on our property, so we kill a lot of does. The only buck we shoot are mature 8s and 10s. We have been doing this for ten years now and we are seeing so many more big mature bucks. So to answer your question I shoot mostly does but if a mature buck presents a shot hes down

Btw this is on 6000 private acres if I was on public land it would be a different story