You can't scroll through any type of media forum for long without running into this debate. The question that haunts the dreams of anyone with a Facebook group. The argument that destroys many different posts around the internet. Today, I want to take a look at both sides of the spectrum and see if I can't help people to come together a little bit more and understand each other.
Let's line item this argument a little for each side. I will pretend im a proponent of each and then play the devil's advocate and argue with myself.
First up, meat hunters and hunters who enjoy the hunt and kill legal deer:
The argument:
"We, as hunters, have the right to kill any legal deer during any legal hunting time and season."
"I don't hunt for anything but meat and you can't eat horns."
"Fred Bear didn't care about antler size" *insert picture of Fred Bear with a smaller buck*
"I don't have the money to kill big deer, so I kill what I see."
"Im on public land and deer are few and far between. If I don't kill it another guy will."
"The guy that owns the land next to me will just shoot it if I let it walk."
"I pay for a license and I legally hunt, leave me alone, im proud."
Now let's take a look at these arguments. Pretty much every one of these arguments is totally valid. You are obeying the law, you are hunting with limited time, maybe hunting with limited resources, you are surrounded by hungry hunters, and you have fun hunting moreso than worrying with exactly what type of deer walks by.
Now, the argument from hunters that seek mature deer:
"Let it grow, it will be big next season"
"Go talk to your neighbor then, and see if you can both get on the same page about what you want the deer in your area to turn out like in the future."
"Stop killing 'dinks', its too easy and its horrible to kill an immature deer that could have grown to become a monster."
"If you want meat, kill a doe"
"Manage your deer properly and you will start killing bigger and "better" deer."
"Just because you pass it doesn't mean your neighbor or another hunter will kill it and next season you can kill a bigger buck."
So, obviously this is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this argument but these are some of the main points that are made when this discussion starts to heat up. It comes down to a lot of factors.
First of all, what is a legal deer in Arkansas?
Per AGFC, a legal buck is a deer with at least three points on one side (in most places, not counting WMA and Refuge rules). So if a hunter pays for an in state license, they can harvest any deer with three points on one side. It can be a four point with three on one side and spike on the other or whatever other combination you can come up with. That's pretty much it. That's the rule. If someone posts a picture of the smallest buck you have ever seen but it meets this criteria, then the argument is over right? Wrong.
Just because a deer is legal, should it be taken? Should a small basket rack six pointer that's a year and a half old be harvested just because its the first buck you've seen this year? A meat hunter would say so. That's when the argument starts to heat up.
Let me argue with myself for a minute.
*imagine you see a picture here of a grown man with a 5 point buck, around a year and half old, with a compound bow laid across its stomach and a hunter holding up the head.* The caption: "My first buck kill with a bow! It isn't a monster, but im proud of it."
Comment 1: "Nice job man!"
Comment 2: "Is that a goat? LOL. Just kidding man."
Comment 3: "Dude, why did you shoot that little deer?"
Comment 4: "Shut up, Comment 3, he can kill what he wants and its his first deer with a bow."
Comment 3: "Im not shutting up at all. This is why there aren't enough monsters in Arkansas, because people like this shoot tiny deer."
Original Poster: "I wasn't trying to start a fight. Just glad I got to kill a deer."
Comment 3: "Well, you should learn to manage deer. Im proud of you for getting your first kill, but that thing is way too young."
Comment 4: "He killed a legal buck!"
Comment 3: "Yes, but if he had let it pass then he could have killed a much nicer buck in a few years"
Comment 5: "I agree, stupid to shoot that"
Comment 6: "Leave him alone. Nice kill. Get you some meat."
Original Poster: "You can't eat horns!"
Comment 7: "Antlers not horns"
Comment 8: "Then why didn't you kill a doe if you just wanted meat. You posted a pic last week with 5 doe walking right in front of you"
Original Poster: "I wanted a buck."
Comment 8: "So you wanted antlers AND tougher meat?"
Original Poster: "I wanted to kill a buck and I wanted the meat. its my right and its legal."
Comment 4: "Can someone kick these trophy hunters off this page?"
Comment 3: "Can someone kick these 'meat' hunters off this page?"
Comment 9: "Sad kill. Just lost a good future buck"
Comment 2: "He can kill what he wants. I was kidding above. hope I didn't start this fight."
Comment 4: "Yall need to quit worrying about everyone's kills. We don't all own 1000 acres to manage and some of us only get to hunt two or three times a year."
Comment 3: "You don't have to own 1000 acres to properly manage deer. You can let them pass and move on. The next year you will see the reward."
Comment 4: "No you wont, because the guy right by you will just kill it when he sees it."
Comment 3: "How can you be sure he will see the same deer?"
Comment 4: "It happens to me every year."
Comment 3: "It happens to you every single year? So you DO pass deer?"
Comment 4: "Yes, ive killed plenty of deer in my life and I want to kill mature deer but you should downgrade someones kill just because it isn't big."
Comment 3: "So you agree with how to properly manage but disagree with me trying to teach others the same method?"
Comment 4: "No, I disagree with you demeaning a legal kill"
Ok, so this argument, as many of you know goes on and on and on.
So now im going to go over some points that I find that stand out to ME.
The first problem was in the post. In my opinion when you say "Its not a monster but..." in your post then you are essentially saying "Im not as proud as I pretended I am and I know that this deer isn't big enough"which then opens the door for someone to begin the commenting about its size. If you are proud, just post a pic!
The second problem is how the proponent (Comment 3) went about "teaching" his belief. Don't say "you ought to be ashamed." or "that's way too small!" or "Sad kill." because that instantly fires up the opposing side to start arguing back with you.
Third, the guy (comment 4) immediately takes up for the original poster, which is admirable, but fails to be civilized by later making a comment about not owning acreage. You see, in the same way that some of us feel like we are persecuted for not owning land, landowners feel the same way when they are talked down to for having that privilege.
The questions that I take from this are:
"How do you respectfully state your opinion on a matter without degrading someone?"
"How do you represent your side of the argument without making your side look foolish?"
"How can you show the benefits of quality deer management while also respecting that not everyone can or wants to do it?"
"How can you hunt whatever you want without deeming someone a "trophy hunter" just for the way THEY enjoy hunting?"
The answers to these questions are out there. Its republican versus democrat and no one will ever convince everyone they are right or wrong, but lets all realize that different people enjoy different things and respect all legal hunting and have fun.
Good Luck In The Woods!
