Just curious, how many deer do you guys normally shoot or want to shoot each season? Do you want to fill your tags or just enough for enough meat to last till next season?
I don't have a set amount. Last year I shot one buck. The pervious year I shot a couple of bucks and a doe. Unless someone I know wants a deer or I get a chance at two nice bucks, I am fine with one. That is plenty of meat for me for the year, considering all of the hog, dove, quail, turkey, and fish that I accumulate during the course of the year.

Because Lora has several allergies, including one that causes an asthma attack when eating commercially grown beef, we try to kill as many deer as is legal each year. We use game meat in place of beef for as long as our supply holds out. Where we have been hunting in Montague county, and with our Daughter and her Hubby living with us, that could run into 12 deer. The most we have killed though was 7, during the 2003-2004 season. In 2004-2005, we killed 2. During this past season, we didn't kill any, but 5 deer were killed by guests, and we got most of the meat off 3 of those. That was one of the reasons why we stopped by on our way home from this years Javelina hunt, and hunted axis deer with txbobcat, so as to get some meat for the freezer.

Now with us raising the hair sheep, we will have lambs from time to time, so that helps the meat situation.

I like to kill at least 1 deer every year, most of the time it works out, but I have came up empty handed my share of the time.

I usually harvest 4-5 deer a year. Mostly does. I Do not shoot a buck every year and last year was my first buck in 3 years, he was a good one though. I eat up alot of deer jerky (make it from the hams and ground meat). Love tenderized chicken fried venison, love the back strap fryers or on the grill and all the sausage. My family will eat up about 4 deer before the next season starts. Getting some tamales made up this year from both hog and deer.

I will generally fill my does tags. We don't buy any ground beef either so most of our does(besides backstraps and tenders) go to grind. 2003-2004 I hunted a managed property in east Texas. Would have loved to kill a ton of does for the freezer. Only one problem...there aren't any deer up there. Did kill a big bodied buck that year in Nebraska. That gave us quite a bit of meat but we ran out quickly. Last year I filled all three of my doe tags. Shot a spike. And shot a buck in Nebraska. The Wife also shot a doe in Nebraska. We may have to give some meat away this year. We have a little bit too much meat.

Next year I will again fill all three of my doe tags and will only kill a buck if I get the oppertunity at a mature deer. I'm sure the Wife will fill a doe tag or two also.

I usually try to fill the tags, but not just for the family - have kids that help out there. I get enough for my grandmother and a couple of aunts.

Last year saw just one young buck and passed on him. Not another buck the rest of the year. Due to other circumstances didn't get to go as much, so last year was the first time in a very long time I didn't put meat in the freezer.

...think I'll frame the tags...

We (son and I) usually get 1 or 2, last year got three as a guest took one then gave us the meat back. He was taking his son, and his new wife wouldn't the deer to come home!!!

between my dad and i we like to have 3 to 4 deer in the freezer for the year that will last till about sept, but then the the freezer is stocked with 1 calf, 1 pig, 3 or so deer, dove, quail and loads of fish.

This past yr, nada, zelch. The yr. before I shot one cull buck and 2 does. I always take at least 2 deer. If the antlers are not big, on anything I see, I prefer does. I prefer doe meat vs. the buck's, for my personal eating. I still have about 30 lbs. from the prior yr, off the doe I shot. I usually give to my parents and sometimes other family. I have really started considering doing my own butchering, which I have in the past. Seems like every yr. I take a deer I get less and less meat from the market. I had some made into breakfest sausage yr before it sucked. We do make alot of tamales from deer more so around the holidays. Could I get some feed back on this. As I stated I prefer doe over bucks, anyone else like this as far as better table fair? JMO Oh yeah this yr if goes as planned, my daughter will be shooting at the lease, and I will also do some does hunts on a ranch close by very cheap Due to the fact she may shoot a trophy leaving the does to dad. A neighboring ranch here has permits and was way short last yr on the doe harvest, so if I don't get em at the lease I will go on the day hunt.

I haven't shot one in two years. My wife goes with me now so if a doe or cull walks out during rifle season, I let her shoot it. I want one for the wall. We usually get a least one in the freezer, better if we get two. Year before last I shot 2 hogs so we have plenty of pork for a while.

1 in TX
1 in KS
last year both were does, hoping for antler this year!

Three is more than enough meat for my family. I have three sons (only two hunt/shoot). If they each get one (usually doe) then I don't try too hard for the third. I haven't had/gotten to shoot a deer in about 3 yrs. 'Corse muy grade hasn't stepped out to help me justify the third deer either.

Two is plenty for sausage/salami/backstraps. Especially if I get an elk in Sept. Plus we get plenty of hogs, too.

Phish-TX

I just look for one big buck a year, so usually I get 0! I am not interested in shooting does but I know it has to be done, so I leave those for guests.

Lora and I haven't taken a deer or an elk to a processor in almost 8 years I believe. We do all the processing at home. There are places where you can order the grinders and about a hundred different sausage seasoning mixes. You can also spend a little more for a good vacuum sealer and your in business and you know that the meat you get is from the deer or wharever that you shot. I know that there are some processors on here, and this isn't an indictement against them, it is just something the Lora and I prefer to do ourselves. JMO

One deer has always been enough for me and my son and that has usually been a doe or a buck that I was ask to cull until this year and I got the chance at a nice big buck with nice rack so I took him. With my new family I will need 2-3 next year but shouldnt be a problem with 4 boys

We, me the wife and two kids take three a year. One opening weekend, one at thanksgiving and one at the end of the season. We hammer it hard until about now when I'm the die hard that keeps cooking it for myself. I have butchered my own exclusively for at least the last 20 years. The kids inhale the sausage and jerkey, we all love the backstrap, and I grind a lot for chili etal. We also supplement with dove, waterfowl, upland, turkey and lots of fish.

When we hunted down in Schleicher county I would fill every doe tag I had. I usually gave most of the meat away as one or two does is more than enough for us since the boys are grown and it is just my wife and I at the house now.
I shot one doe in the panhandle last year since there aren't as many deer up there and no need to actively thin the heard. I had mostly summer sausage made from her which is delicious but now I have given it all away because on my last checkup at the doc's they said my cholesterol was way to high and I can't have the fatty pork that is in the sausage
I kept the breakfast sausage though, a guy can't give up everything.

MikeC

I'd have to say the goal for the year is about 30!!! Past 3 seasons about 9 .Before 2003(married the wife and moved to TX;it cut down on my hunts ) avg. of 16
TX: 5/YEAR
LA: 6/YEAR
MS: 6/YEAR
AR: 4/YEAR
AL: 2-PER DAY/YEAR
ONLY TAKE ABOUT 2-3 A YEAR MOST YEARS.