Are the glory days of deer hunting coming to a close?

[omicron1792]

I was listening to Lee lakosky talking about his strategy for buying land and he kept harping on neighbors. Which i totally get. But that’s a ballsy strategy to base almost everything on. Every piece of property is for sale for the right price, so even the best neighbors could sell. Now if you talking bordering a military base or state park or giant river/lake, I get that but individual landowners are unpredictable.

@Hoytvectrix this guy is must be getting “help” from neighbors. I would love to think even the perfect 400 would hold mature bucks but those deer are definitely wandering around the neighborhood. Obviously his track record speaks but while 400 is big for an individual, it’s a hop skip and jump for a buck

How does @Native Hunter do it on much smaller then?

 

[Double Creek]

I learned a long time ago that trying to only target mature bucks in my area, with 3 months of consecutive firearm seasons that span all phases of the rut, was a futile effort outside of controlling thousands of acres or getting LUCKY with your neighbors.

Instead of challenging myself with the age and size of a deer, I chose to challenge myself with my weapon of choice. Spend a few years hunting with traditional archery equipment only and I promise you, that 130" 8pt that you don't care much about now, will be magically transitioned to a very real trophy animal.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Are the "glory days" of deer hunting over? Considering the numbers of mature, better-racked bucks today - NO, the days are better now than many of my early hunting years. It's not even close! Spikes are fewer here (they used to make up the majority!), and bigger bodies / bigger racks are the norm. AR & trigger restraint have made a difference. Speaking for Pa.

 

[Stubborn1VT]

I also see bigger bucks in Vermont. I have to give management some credit, but mostly I attribute it to fewer hunters and less land access for hunters.