interesting

Quality over quantity. We shoot a few fawns every year. Some people don't like that, and I don't really care.

It's funny because I've read several posts reading: "if it's brown, it's down." It's your deer and congratulations on your harvest.

At my lease we can shoot one trophy and one cull.... That's it!! If I came back to camp with a spike or anything less than 4-1/2 yr old then I would be sent packing and have to look for another lease. Having said that, if there were no rules in your lease agreement and it was taken leagally according to TPW, then everyone should shut up.... including the sour puss guys on the lease with you.

Just tell them if it's legal and brown it goes down!....Hehehe!

If its legal its a good kill. Enjoy the good eats.

Not every place is blessed with prime bucks, and sometimes WYSIWYG. I've known people that scorned spikes and ended the season with empty freezers.

Me; I got a small spike Opening Day. It got made into sausage and nobody that got the sausage knew nor cared it wasn't a mature buck.

ABSOLUTELY

Who cares what everyone thinks? Is it legal? Why yes I do believe it is. Then everyone can take there opinions home in there empty coolers. I don't personally shoot button bucks, but that's just me. I'm happy for ya bubba, you got meat in the freezer and it's the type of meat you like to eat, good on ya. Too many damn wanna be wardens that stick there nose in the air about stuff like this. I say if it ain't got spots, and it's tagged legally than cool. Go shoot a few more and the ethics police in your camp will get used to it and eventually over it.

The OP shot what he wanted to shoot and if he's happy with it then ok.
But he probably will be booted off the lease before next season based on the reaction of the others in camp.

We could keep the little ones in a pen so they can't move and in a few months kill 'em and call 'em VEAL.

.....Oh sorry! We're talking deer & not cows aren't we?

Legal is legal and meat is meat!

Guess it would be leagl to stomp a nest full of new hatched quail during the season too but I wouldnt do it.

[quote=SaltyHunter]First congrats on the deer! Second, i have personally seen button bucks that were just that and were never going to be anything other than a button. there was a button shot on my brother inlaws place last year that had to be at least 3-4 yrs old looking at how the teeth were ground down. some ppl frown on taking a button or spike but hey you got meat and there is "bad" dna gone from my brother inlaws lease! [/quot

First I ever heard of a button Buck being that old. That sounds about as rare as a 3 year old spike.

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Legal might depend on whether you gonna eat 'em or waste 'em!

Never seen one, shoot a doe, more meat.

I can promise you this..serve up some deep fried backstrap and then ask them..you eating a Doe or a Buck..promise you they wont be able to tell the difference.

op said 1.5 inches each side but called it a button buck? I wouldn't have but whatever ! op show us the pics so we can see what your talking about!

yeah never in my life saw a "button buck" like that and how'd you know it was that old ? You cut the jaw bone out ?
I have shot a few nubbin bucks in my time but those have been pretty good size and at 150 -200 yards it's kind of hard to see them if your just looking for a doe to shoot and i did feel bad about it and almost mad at myself for not really looking closer .

I need clarification....was it a button buck, or a spike (already broke the skin)?

If he didn't care what others think about him shooting a spike, why did he bother to bring it up?

I guess it depends on your lease and those you hunt with. On my lease which is the way I like it, if you purposely killed a button buck or yearling you better back your bags after that season. Accidents happen and sometime they get killed but better not be on purpose. If it's your land and that's what you want to do on it then so be it.

Surely you aren't trying to compare the two.

I do not understand why everyone is complaining. If his lease did not have set rules about what to shoot then everything is good. Just because you might be on a lease with rules pertaining to antler size and you judge the hunt based on that does not mean every deer hunter does.
He wanted meat, told the others he wanted meat, he got meat.