Do you kill a buck every year?

[ozzz]

and if not, how often do you kill a buck?

What age class/size of bucks do you kill?

What percentage of private vs public do you hunt?

[BigHunt]

nope

[ozzz]

nope

Come on now, what about the rest of the details?

What types of bucks do you target?

What ratio of private/public do you hunt?

[BigHunt]

What types of bucks do you target?

The biggest bucks my hunting areas hold.....

What ratio of private/public do you hunt?

[/quote]
used to be 80% private 20 % public ......but this year its going to change.....70% public and 30% private

[ozzz]

What types of bucks do you target?

The biggest bucks my hunting areas hold.....

What ratio of private/public do you hunt?

used to be 80% private 20 % public ......but this year its going to change.....70% public and 30% private[/quote]


Will you be hunting more public this year because you think it will give you a better chance at bigger bucks? That sounds like a dumb question but how?

[Dewey]

I hunt 100% public.

When I was shooting smaller bucks I killed one pretty much every year but now that I upped my standards the kills are much further apart.

The last 9 years I have been holding out for 130" or better and only killed 3 bucks since then on public land. Every year I pass on quite a few really decent bucks scoring 110"-120" that I could have easily killed.

It getting to be more and more of a challenge lately to get on those decent public land bucks. This season I might lower my standards some depending on how the first month or so goes.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[ozzz]

I hunt 100% public.

When I was shooting smaller bucks I killed one pretty much every year but now that I upped my standards the kills are much further apart.

The last 9 years I have been holding out for 130" or better and only killed 3 bucks since then on public land. Every year I pass on quite a few really decent bucks scoring 110"-120" that I could have easily killed.

It getting to be more and more of a challenge lately to get on those decent public land bucks. This season I might lower my standards some depending on how the first month or so goes.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

Why do you think its getting harder lately? Just because of how the herd has been decimated in SE Wisconsin?

and how much do you typically hunt in a year?

[BigHunt]

Will you be hunting more public this year because you think it will give you a better chance at bigger bucks?

i know it will because i only have so many private land beds to hunt , granted the private lands i do hunt, there is some pretty good bucks on them ...... but the number of bedding areas i have for public is substantially greater in number so my chances are definitely better on public , but ya never know until that moment comes......

[ozzz]

Will you be hunting more public this year because you think it will give you a better chance at bigger bucks?

i know it will because i only have so many private land beds to hunt , granted the private lands i do hunt, there is some pretty good bucks on them ...... but the number of bedding areas i have for public is substantially greater in number so my chances are definitely better on public , but ya never know until that moment comes......

Will you kind of lay off your private grounds and focus on public bedding in the early season then sit your private stands during rut? What is your general strategy for the year?

[Dewey]

I hunt 100% public.

When I was shooting smaller bucks I killed one pretty much every year but now that I upped my standards the kills are much further apart.

The last 9 years I have been holding out for 130" or better and only killed 3 bucks since then on public land. Every year I pass on quite a few really decent bucks scoring 110"-120" that I could have easily killed.

It getting to be more and more of a challenge lately to get on those decent public land bucks. This season I might lower my standards some depending on how the first month or so goes.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

Why do you think its getting harder lately? Just because of how the herd has been decimated in SE Wisconsin?

Yes......The mature buck population in my units are way down. The years immediately following EAB were unbelievable and that was when I shot my two largest bucks in 2008 and 2009. Been going downhill since........

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[ozzz]

I hunt 100% public.

When I was shooting smaller bucks I killed one pretty much every year but now that I upped my standards the kills are much further apart.

The last 9 years I have been holding out for 130" or better and only killed 3 bucks since then on public land. Every year I pass on quite a few really decent bucks scoring 110"-120" that I could have easily killed.

It getting to be more and more of a challenge lately to get on those decent public land bucks. This season I might lower my standards some depending on how the first month or so goes.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

Why do you think its getting harder lately? Just because of how the herd has been decimated in SE Wisconsin?

Yes......The mature buck population in my units are way down. The years immediately following EAB were unbelievable and that was when I shot my two largest bucks in 2008 and 2009. Been going downhill since........

[ Post made via iPhone ]

How many years after EAB did you notice mature buck hunting was better?

[BigHunt]

Will you be hunting more public this year because you think it will give you a better chance at bigger bucks?

i know it will because i only have so many private land beds to hunt , granted the private lands i do hunt, there is some pretty good bucks on them ...... but the number of bedding areas i have for public is substantially greater in number so my chances are definitely better on public , but ya never know until that moment comes......

Will you kind of lay off your private grounds and focus on public bedding in the early season then sit your private stands during rut? What is your general strategy for the year?

i will be focusing on public more early season but im still going to hunt my best spots early season too on my privet lands...im going to mix it up and not hunt the same spot twice. ill mix it up for the rut too hunt privet and public...but its still early in the year, and time will tell when and where i hunt. my scouting this summer( shinning, glassing, spot checking) will dictate when and how i hunt my areas....and it all depends on what the wind is doing

[Dewey]

How many years after EAB did you notice mature buck hunting was better?[/quote]


The first 2-3 years after were really good but then they really started getting thinned out.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[whitetail007]

buck every year? no

age class? 3.5

public / private? 75%-25%

[Pullintoobs]

I used to shoot a buck every season. But that was when any buck was good for me. I have shot two 3 1/2 year olds. I did not shoot one last year and the year before that I wounded and lost a big one. I hunt primarily public marsh so I am much more selective on what I will shoot. It takes some effort getting a deer out of there! I won't say I have set a "standard" on what I will shoot but the small 4 and 6 pointers will get a pass every time now. I have shot plenty of them. It has become more about me trying to figure out and outsmart a good buck than it is about me filling my tag. Hopefully it becomes a pattern for me.