If you are a meat hunter and you had two deer in front of you within range and you could only shoot one which would it be?

1: a 3.5 yo big doe that would have tender delicious meat?
2: or a 160" old 9.5 yo buck that would have very tough meat that would not taste that great?

That big buck is made of meat, too.

Ok...what if the buck had some kind of disease that would not spread to the rest of the deer herd? And would be harmful to eat for humans?

As a self proclaimed "Gourmet" Chef, I'd take it as a challenge to make that 9.5 YO Buck taste like Koby Beef

LOL..me to... i think most of us if not all would shoot the buck, even if the meat was no good.

I think you know where I am going with this!

That big old buck is only good for sausage and/or pepperettes. So it would depend on how much sausage I already had in the freezer. My family essentially eats only venison for read meat (although every once in awhile I do buy some nice ribs) and that works out to 3 to 4 deer a year. Usually I take 1 old buck for sausage/pepperettes and 3 younger animals (prefer 2.5 to 3.5 year old does) for roasts/chops and ground.

So your saying that if you had plenty of deer sausage/pepperettes and jerkey etc... that you would pass on the 160" buck to kill the doe even if you had another buck tag in your pocket?

In theory I'm saying that - but if the opportunity arose as described who knows - it would be awful tempting.

yea I think just about all of us would shoot the buck no matter what kind of meat it had on it.

What would a old doe taste like?

i'm sorry, pepperettes?

I would kill em both!

i'm sorry, pepperettes? [/quote]

I think of pepperettes to be like a slim jim type sausage. Shriveled up little hot dogs is another way to think of them.

In theory the buck should be a lot bigger and will have more meat, if you're looking to feed your family.

Probably the buck. I can always find a way to take care of that tuffer meat.

the buck....the sausage grinder don't care...

for the GREAT majority of hunters a 160" deer will be the biggest rack and the biggest deer they will every see hunting in their life.

Make it a 9.5 yr old spike ...

Don't Say the buck is that old just say he is a 110 3.5 year old. Be interesting to see the response. I see a lot of people on here that always say meat hunters. But I think given the opportunity there is no way they would pass on a good buck for a doe. I like horns on the wall when I can get them but always shoot a couple does for the good meat that is not sausage or roast.

I'd shoot the buck then go eat at chipotle.

not passing up a 9 year old buck that scores 160

Chili doesn't care if its made from old doe or old buck.

In the scenario given I think the old buck is a no brainer versus a doe in her prime. However I do shoot four times as many does than I do bucks. The meat is great from either one IMO.

I think most meat hunters like antlers too. They think of it as a bonus. So they would get lots of sausage and a bonus set of antlers for their trouble.

I've got a 174" on the wall so I'd take the doe for sure!!

Ive been hunting and processing my own game for 20 years now, started processing my dad's before then. I have shot deer from 2.5 years old to 6.5 years old and have yet to notice a taste or tenderness difference in any of them.

Deer from out west eating sage definitely have a different taste to me, but that is all I have ever noticed.

I am a meat hunter in the respect that I use all the meat I can, try to make shots to reduce meat loss, hunt with amo that will destroy as little meat as possible etc.

I WILL NOT LET A DEER SIT OVERNIGHT IN FEAR OF PUSHING IT AND LOOSING IT. To me getting the horns after it spoiled overnight or the yotes ate it is a slap in the face and would be ashamed to have it on my wall.

However I try to manage our deer herd and shoot mature deer and would shoot the buck.

I'm always baffled by this "tough" and "bad tasting" old buck stuff. I process my deer myself (total de-boning and remove all fat). Age the de-boned meat in a old fridge set at its coldest setting for two weeks, then vacuum pack and freeze it. Never have tough or bad tasting meat regardless of buck/doe, young/old.

I'm shooting that there buck `cause I ain't never shot a 160 incher. In fact, if I see a 160 inch buck in my piney woods I might just fall over dead before I could pull the trigger.

Here's a nice 110 lb. doe.