If all deer had approx. the same size antlers and configuration…would you still hunt them, or be as passionate about hunting them?


Yes or no?

Yes. But I'm primarily a meat hunter.

No, I am not a meat hunter, and enjoy hunting a particular buck each season.

No. At that point it's less hunting for me, and more or less just killing. I don't care if I kill "a" buck, I want to kill "the" buck. Part of what makes it "hunting" to me is selecting a few deer each year and going after those specifically, hoping to pattern them, hoping to get a little lucky. You take that away and it would remove a large part of the reason why I enjoy WT hunting. At that point it's not any different than shooting dove. I enjoy it, but it's not a huge challenge and every one is the same.

I would. Antlers are fun to chase, but there is some primeval drive to be the provider/hunter side of a hunter/gatherer for my family.

Yes, I hunt primarily for meat and the time/experiences that come with, whether hunting myself or guiding. You left the question open with approximately. Therefore, just as now, there’s always outliers. Unique deer wouldn’t be as common as they are now, making them even more of a trophy!

Real-estate business must be slow today.

My favorite parts of deer hunting are figuring a buck out, and watching my kids fill the freezer. Hunting by myself is just proving out my scouting. I'd rather someone else did the shooting. Assuming they still got wilier as they aged, size would make no difference.

There are other species of deer which come real small with the differences in antler sizes being hard to notice. People go nuts for hunting them just like hardcore trophy antler whitetailers.

No. That would remove 100% of what I find to be challenging. I do enjoy eating the deer I kill, but If I were hunting for meat only, I'd hunt at Old Town Meat Market in Highland Village.

I am a meat hunter, if there’s a buck that makes my heart beat faster, I will take it, but otherwise I am strictly doe patrol. The other guys on my lease appreciate that.

Even if they didn’t have horns I would happily hunt them.

As long as they're still made of venison, yes I'd still pursue

It's a shame that nilgai aren't more prolific around the state.
They're the perfect game animal IMO. Large leather bag
full of meat.

Yes because I hunt for meat. Antlers hold no appeal for me.

Yes, still got age as the main pursuit, to add to the meat

They are all over my ranch and I watch them every day. I only shoot one if I'm in the need of some jerky and it looks like taking it out will assist in quality/quantity. I appreciate a nice set of antlers, but I'm not completely eaten up anymore with trying to shoot a "trophy".

Yes. It's more about the hunt than the antlers.

Id still hunt i enjoy the sport , fellowship , processing, and everything else that goes with it . And something about bringing them from the field to the table makes me feel like im doing what im naturally built to do . It puts a big smile on my face to feed people something good to eat . On another note i want that dream trophy too cuz who doesnt enjoy a little smack talking !!!

I can get excited over a doe. If bucks were all the same it would still be exciting.

Great question. I couldnt wait to get to end of replies so I could reply. The differences in WT antlers is the main reason I hunt WT over other species. They just amaze me how they can be somewhat similar yet still so different. And the size difference can be huge. Animals like Pronghorn can be different yet they are still very much the same. Nilgai, Lions, Bears, Goats etc are all so similar. Dont even get me started on quail or dove. All those birds look alike. Thats not for me.

Antlers are so overrated these days. Between high fences, canned hunts & breeding, the brag board is severely over inflated these days.

30+ years ago it meant something. These days it’s worth an eye roll at best.

Which makes doing it right meaningful. To hunt for a wise, mature buck in the wild is a rewarding challenge for me.
IMO High fence doesn't belong in the same conversation as hunting.

Preach it brother!
Everything was so much simpler and horns were just a welcome bonus!

Maybe not as much, but venison is genuinely my favorite type of meat.

I just like to hunt. I like the process all the way thru from preseason to field to table. Of course some variety is interesting in terms of deer size and antler characteristics and such. but truly if all there were was does with no antlers at all.....i'd still hunt and still enjoy it. game birds of each species all look the same and are basically the same size and there's still a significant following of people who hunt them.