Thread: Should I have shot this Deer?

@Average-Lad
A bit off topic, what is meant by technical? I see the term used a lot on tramping pages etc. I would take it to mean tricky (dodgy?) but in some posts I've read some people seem to use it for anything that isn't a paved walkway! In all aspects of life it could mean "you got to know what you're doing", maybe it's the same for tramping?

Originally Posted by Cigar

@Average-Lad
A bit off topic, what is meant by technical? I see the term used a lot on tramping pages etc. I would take it to mean tricky (dodgy?) but in some posts I've read some people seem to use it for anything that isn't a paved walkway! In all aspects of life it could mean "you got to know what you're doing", maybe it's the same for tramping?

Yeah I debate this often with people when deep into a hike. I try to keep coming back to the DOC track ratings: https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-re...ck-categories/. So in this case when I say 'technical' I'm referring to the 'expert:route' grading or higher. In this case I was on a unofficial track, often not marked and not properly maintained, so its pushing beyond the DOC description at times.

Originally Posted by whanahuia

So first I would say that no one should begrudge you shooting any deer you want given your stage of hunting career. You have to learn and you wont learn everything you can by worrying at this stage about trophy potential. You also need to have some successful hunts, so good on you for shooting them, but also good on you for asking the question.

Honestly, I go through threads like this and many of the replies disappoint me as a hunter. It does not matter wether we are trophy hunters or meat hunters, we should be working together. We wont have deer herds for meat to feed our families if we dont treat them with respect and value! if we let the herds get too overpopulated they will be taken from us at some point. The best thing we can do as meat hunters, is shoot the females at this point in time. There are too many out there!
Same go's for trophy hunters. You are not doing anyone including yourselves any good walking past females and the world does not understand humans who wish to kill an animal for bone and leave meat behind.
We improve our herds by targeting females, and we also improve out herds by letting promising males reach their potential. Our best reason to hunt in the publics eye is to feed our families.
So I think you have the potential to be a thinking hunter by asking such a question.

My personnel approach is- I have trophies on the wall, and a full freezer. I have shot enough deer so that I leave promising males alone while very quickly pulling the trigger on males that show little or no potential or have reached it. Right at this moment in time I avoid shooting females unless they are not feeding offspring or I can shoot both- The back legs of a fawn, boned out and sliced thin make the best schnitzel you can imagine! They will also tempt those who say they dont like the taste of venison.

Dont listen to those who say it doesn't matter. They are just being selfish. Dont list to those who tell you you should leave them. They have forgotten where they came from.

Just learn and decide for yourself where you need to be.

I know your post is Jan 2023, but great words youve written. I am also a new hunter and was wondering about these conundrums. What you say makes very good sense. TY.

Hinds carry thebpopulation, one shitty stag can get over heaps of hinds, but heaps of stags can't get over one hind. In my opinion, atleast 50% of the hinds you see should be shot. If we don't, doc will. If we want to be taken seriously as hunters, we need to implement population control. If we look after the younger stags and cull some hinds, the stags will have good feed to grow good antlers and make them worth hubting. Each to their own, but I think a good rule of thumb for deer hunting is to try and better the previous stag you shot, that way we will foster a population of trophy animals worth hunting. Equally, deer numbers are exploding all over the country, numbers donned to be dropped for the herd and country side to be healthy.

Originally Posted by Cigar

@Average-Lad
A bit off topic, what is meant by technical? I see the term used a lot on tramping pages etc. I would take it to mean tricky (dodgy?) but in some posts I've read some people seem to use it for anything that isn't a paved walkway! In all aspects of life it could mean "you got to know what you're doing", maybe it's the same for tramping?

ask DOC or goggle it its just a mechanism to stop idgits from becoming lost or going in ill prepared

Thanks for the post. From a new hunters perspective it's interesting to read all the feedback on this one. Only wish there were as many deer where I am as to spark a similar decision on my part!

Glad to see my question and all the answers have helped others. It certainly was useful advice for me. In the couple years since I've asked this question it certainly comes to mind often when eyeing up stags and targeting hinds.

Originally Posted by craigc

Second year hunting; shoot anything you can carry. Worry about being a grumpy old man once you’ve shoot 100!
Honestly you did the right thing. There’s miles to many deer around, they’re better in your freezer than rotting after being shot by a helicopter.
Enjoy your hunting journey and develop your hunting ethics from close strong relationships with people you know and trust, and more importantly hunt with.
That’s what I’d do if I was you.

exaxtly what Craig says just shoot life is short

As others have said. Your first deer or two, if for meat just shoot. Worry about the ethics of leaving stags when/if you start hunting purely for heads. Even then, if you see an unbalanced or runty head shoot the feckin thing. A bad head is always a bad head and there’s plenty of stags out there. As for hinds/does this time of year if they look preggers shoot if you want, but if you see one with full udder but slim there’s a chance she’s given birth and there’s a young one about. If you can get both go ahead but otherwise probably best to leave. There’s folk on here who will bang on about leaving stags to grow and improve the gene pool etc, stroke on, there’s too many animals around and poor quality animals don’t contribute anything useful to future trophies. Just my 2c.

As a fairly average hunter myself, I’m also in the take the first animal I see camp, although given the choice would take a hind first. One thing I don’t really understand when it comes to stags, some people will get up in arms about shooting a young stag, but a spiker is ok????
Could the spider not also turn into a good stag one day?

No I don't believe so however there is a chance a spiker could

Others could say, but a spiker with decent genetics is going to have decent single long spikes or could even be multi spikes such as you see on farmed deer.

Saw neat wee Bambi's n mums beside road as drove home at 0stupid hundred this morning. I won't shoot stag with decent velvet as it could be someone's trophy in a month or three ,if see hi d n fawn ...yeah that gets hard for me.but fawn tastes great. Open country gives you time to choose,bush stalking often not so much.

Don't loose any sleep about it mate - pissy old stags that look good on a wall taste like crap and most people only take the backstraps as they are the only thing that taste anygood during the roar. You can't eat antlers, the antlers are just the reminder about the hunt.

I hunt for enjoyment and meat, so if I need meat it's brown it's down. If I just want time in the hills - I enjoy watching deer.

I live by the motto now " You do you" and "Don't say yuck, to someone elses yum!" Enjoy getting out there and hunting.

I think with more hunting content ending up in the public area via Youtube etc, there seems to be more of a push to be seen as an 'ethical hunter'. Obviously safe shots and clean kills are very important, but I can imagine newer hunters could get the idea that part of being an 'ethical hunter' is being highly selective. I think like already mentioned - in many places if hunters aren't keeping numbers in check, someone else will. I know for sure when I first started, there wasn't any deer I was letting go!