Johnny cash Report post Posted August 4, 2012 Just thought i would see if anyone has done the same... Last aug i took a few days off work to hunt coues, But this year i will take my days off in sep. I ended up last year passing a good buck cuz i just couldnt help but notice he still had a ways to grow.. So here is my questions? has any one else run into that situation? And dose some deer grow faster than others depending on where they live, age, eat etc...? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
123456 Report post Posted August 4, 2012 If I have a chance at a good buck in August, I would love to end his growing premature. At the end of the day, a few more inches isn't going to be my make or break decision. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tjhunt2 Report post Posted August 4, 2012 Of course some deer grow faster in where they live, age, and what they eat. Look at the Kaibab conpaired to the central region of deer. Your problem was you passed up a buck that you thought was still growing wnen you should have been thinking that deer had a few more ounces on his steaks than the year before. Just my humble opionion. TJ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
huntlines Report post Posted August 7, 2012 This is something I have thought about as well. It is tough knowing they probably will put on a few more inches from late August to mid September. I have harvested several bucks in velvet and most of them in late August. The biggest issue for me is the bucks move in my experience about the time they start to rub off. Late August and early September is a perfect time to really pattern bucks. When they start to rub they generally move, usually for different food sources. Then of course come December they are constantly on the move! In my opinion if you find a buck you really want then August is the best time to get him patterned. While December and January are the funnest times to hunt coues, August can be most productive of one particular buck. I know a few guys who refuse to hunt in August and Sepember because they want the bucks to reach their max growth. I wanted to do this one year too and was watching a buck all summer and drooling. I put in for the early rifle October tag thinking he would still be in the area. Well he wasn't and I never not only saw him again but never got him on camera until the following July. Yes, that year I didn't hesitate to shoot him in velvet........ Long story short; if he is big enough for you in velvet then why wait even a week or two for him to maybe get a few inches bigger? One of the guys I know who refuses to shoot them in velvet, well he hasn't taken a buck in several years......... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
azstroops Report post Posted August 7, 2012 Of course some deer grow faster in where they live, age, and what they eat. Look at the Kaibab conpaired to the central region of deer. Your problem was you passed up a buck that you thought was still growing wnen you should have been thinking that deer had a few more ounces on his steaks than the year before. Just my humble opionion. TJ +1 every deer is different, I had a deer that doesn't loose his horns until August/ September. I have a deer that grows real fast early then stops growing after the first week of August. I wouldn't pass a deer for a couple inches. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
olmos1010 Report post Posted August 9, 2012 Big horns or little horns, They all taste good. Any coues with a bow is awesome achievement. I know my blood gets pumpin for any buck that walks by. The only passin im doin is over or under, but God willin its right through. Now have I got a 100" buck with my bow yet, not even close. But I do have meat in the freezer every year. Good luck to all. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oz31p Report post Posted August 9, 2012 I see so few buck when im hunting (archery or rifle) that i shot the first legal deer i see. A very small part of me will feel bad for the first spike to walk past my blind. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Scooter Report post Posted August 9, 2012 Due to my job, I haven't been able to tag out on a deer since I left home in 2004- shot a doe with a shotgun in western NY. So if I see a legal Coues or Muley buck pass in front of my blind within 50 yards on 24 August in the first hour of the hunt... he's gettin' stuck and quartered. I can always help others drag/pack out, camp host, etc. the rest of the season! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Johnny cash Report post Posted August 10, 2012 Have plenty of coues meat and I said it had a "ways to grow" not a few inches....just seeing if most people just sat in SEPT to avoid slow growers but i guess not... thanks for the info .. good luck to u all Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
huntlines Report post Posted August 13, 2012 Any buck you see even on opening day(this year the 24th) only has a few inches of growth left. Most bucks start shedding velvet about the third week of september. They don't grow much more from the third week of August to the third week of September. Trust me I have thousands of trail cam picks and have studied this exact issue. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ccran Report post Posted August 13, 2012 Shot my first buck last year on opening day of August, a nice cute little spike coues, with a nice little hole in each lung. I have managed to save the last package of venison for this weeks dining fare. Hard to believe I made such a small deer last all year. Venison for birthdays and holidays are the only way to make a little coues last until the next hunting season. I will atleast try to wait until the 2nd day of the hunt to shoot something this year. no reason to go back to work so soon, when you have a four day weekend. Good luck to you all. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Desertdon Report post Posted September 7, 2012 Scooter, I never mean to be negative on any forum any maybe you just meant "fifty yards....." figuratively. From a lot of experience, unless that coues is completely un aware of you-50 yards is as good as 500 yards. Why-we had four relaxed broadside bucks-drop, spin and miss clients arrows at less then 30 yards-this week alone. At 50 yards that buck could be in the next canyon before the arrow gets there. (Yes-even the new 320+fps bows) We take elk, mulies, pigs and many other critters at 50 yards plus-but I don't advice a shot on a coues much more then 30 yards. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bojangles Report post Posted September 7, 2012 hey, at this point in my hunting career, if it's brown, it's down!! or gray, in this case. maybe some day i'll trophy hunt, but right now i just like gettin' out there and killin' deer, and puttin' food on the table. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pwrguy Report post Posted September 8, 2012 Hey I just enjoy the experience. I won't knock someone for shooting a spike or the next guy holding out for a giant, its a personal choice. For me it kinda depends on how long it's been since something made it to the freezer:) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
