Turkey
Deer
Duck
.... And why?
Where I hunt (NE Florida) it's definitely deer. If you kill a mature buck here you have done something.
Quote from: JellyHead Key on February 02, 2014, 07:10:41 PM
Turkey
Deer
Duck
.... And why?
In my opinion Turkey from this list since I don't deer hunt.....but Grouse beats them all to me!
God Bless
Deer. I can kill a mature tom year after year. But big bucks don't always happen.
I'll say ducks just because of the migratory factor.A place loaded with ducks one day could be bare the next.
Deer , their nose
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Deer here in alabama for sure
Hmmm I'm going with deer on this one
for me a mature buck is harder to hunt than a mature tom
Deer
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For sure a mature buck is the toughest of the three.
Mature buck in my opinion. Just killing any old deer is easy but an old knarly buck that's survived 4 or 5 gun seasons is a tough customer.
deer would get my vote as well.
the main reason would be there nose.
i hunt the wind. but when the wind switches even the most
scent free hunter can be busted.
now if a turkey could smell my opinion would change.
For me personally deer are tougher!!! Why? 1. their sense of smell 2. I get bored after an hour in a tree stand
deer because of their nose
Mature buck by far. He moves mostly at night, great nose, and he doesn't let the world know where he's at every morning. A 4+ year old gobbler is pretty impressive tho since he told everyone where he was and still survived
Big Deer......
Mature bucks.
Mature buck except during rut which is when most the "hardcore hunters" are successful. On an even scale its a mature gobble not even a contest.
Mature buck, that would change if turkey's could smell though.
a mature deer where i hunt
mature deer no doubt in middle tn.
Quote from: Terry on February 02, 2014, 07:31:28 PM
Deer. I can kill a mature tom year after year. But big bucks don't always happen.
I bet this would change if a gobbler took 4.5 years to become mature, or if bucks were deemed mature at their 2nd hunting season.
We're kinda comparing apples to oranges.
But I agree, a mature deer is probably most difficult because they move at night.
I have never hunted ducks. Between deer and turkey, definitely deer.
out here in Arizona I would have to say coues deer are harder to hunt.
(1) Mature bucks (2) 3-5 year old Spring gobbler
(1) 3-5 year old Fall Gobblers
young deer and young turkeys are not that hard to kill.
Ducks I have no idea, I have never hunted them, but would like to someday.
:OGturkeyhead: :OGturkeyhead:
Quote from: Terry on February 02, 2014, 07:31:28 PM
Deer. I can kill a mature tom year after year. But big bucks don't always happen.
x2
Deer you don't get many opportunities at mature bucks
Mature bucks
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Wow--I am a bit surprised at the overwhelming sentiment regarding deer being harder to hunt. Maybe that explains a post of a few days ago about guys giving up deer hunting.
Mature deer are more difficult they are so warry and the nocturnal factor makes it rough. At least with mature turkey they move during day and you always got a chance if you can scout and have patience. Now with that said I do believe a 2 year old deer is most often easier to kill than a 2 year old turkey especially in my state since they allow baiting deer
Quote from: catdaddy on February 03, 2014, 10:44:17 AM
Wow--I am a bit surprised at the overwhelming sentiment regarding deer being harder to hunt. Maybe that explains a post of a few days ago about guys giving up deer hunting.
:TooFunny: My thoughts exactly!
I'm not a deer hunter, but I do a lot of waterfowl hunting. Ducks are way easier to kill than turkeys, that's for sure.
A mature buck.....that nose is tough to beat
Big deer.....
Not sure why turkey hunting seems to be so difficult for a lot of people.
I believe it's harder to target a specific mature deer and get it killed vs. targeting a specific turkey.
I am not going to disagree about mature bucks being hard to hunt, between the nose and the nocturnal nature, they're tough, no doubt about it.
But how about that old gobbler, you know the one, who gobbles once on the limb, flies down and the next time you hear him is 1000 yards away. Or the one who's strut zone is the middle of a 100 acre field and no matter what you do, he will not leave.
Then, there is the old gobbler in the fall . . .
deer, but turkey is funner.
Quote from: Redfish on February 02, 2014, 07:19:18 PM
Where I hunt (NE Florida) it's definitely deer. If you kill a mature buck here you have done something.
I agree for the same reason.
Duck because of the efforts it usually requires to get the boat launched, decoys out and such. And because it's so sporadic around here on the birds.
No wait, deer because of their nose and the restrictions we have around here.
No wait, turkey because they can see around trees.
:goofball:
No that's not true, turkeys can't see around trees. They can see thru them. :funnyturkey: :funnyturkey:
Seriously, the one hardest to be considered "successful" at, probably deer. Not many true trophies out there compared to the number of folks after them.
For me, on a scale of 1 (being easy) to 10 (being difficult)...
Any legal deer - 1
Any legal turkey - 3
Mature turkey - 4
Mature deer - 10+
I am not necessarily disagreeing with the majority here that deer are the hardest to hunt, but I do find it intersting that, in my neck of the woods anyway, deer hunters are a dime a dozen. It is the ace turkey hunters that seem to be much more revered as expert hunters/woodsmen.
Its kind of apples to oranges here. The land or property being the deciding factors. Obviously if you hunt turkeys were there are an abundance of turkeys it may be easier. But the sae goes for deer.
If you have a place to hunt were you have a good mature buck to doe ratio well then that may be easier. A better question would have been on the land that you hunt what is more difficult to harvest.
I actually think that deer hunting has ore to do with luck then hunting turkeys does.
Exactly! The land and region as well as location is the hardest determining factor. Private land, quota hunt, drawn controlled hunt, guided hunt? For some people its only a matter of how much they wanna write a check for. Public crowded areas have a lot more stacked against you. I think the one your most passionate about is most likely your most considered easy on a scale. some folks breathe deer, some turkey, some ducks, even squirell. i rate them all challenging and love them all. Also hunt public ground exclusively. I see a lot of dissappointment and crazy challenges before any of my hunts ever begin. Sucks sometimes but i think it makes you a better hunter and forse you to be creative and to think outside the box.
Deer all day long. Hunt them all & more, and a deer is smarter & equipped with more weapons to combat us hunting them.
Quote from: JellyHead Key on February 02, 2014, 07:10:41 PM
Turkey
Deer
Duck
.... And why?
IMO:
1) A big turkey for sure! If turkey had olfactory senses you would never bag one, you need to be a lot closer to a turkey. IMO takes a bit more skill.
2) A big deer is close second, a matriarch doe or a mature buck ....... not many roaming around, that is the reason they get so old.
3) Distent 3rd...... they show up in flocks.
I have almost zero duck experience
but deer and turkey are almost the same, except when you get into mature animals... mature tom will still gobble and strut and you can stalk him if he doesn't come to call, but a mature buck may not show himself in the day time and can smell you... definitely in the older age class, deer are much tougher than turkeys. turkeys can't go nocturnal
I agree with the sentiment is that it matters where you hunt. I have seen this kind of post on here before and usually its more about the turkey over the deer, I am a little surprised at this ones response. Can you hunt over bait for both animals, do you hunt the birds in the woods/swamp or off of food plots? all these things make it easier or harder to bag a mature bird or buck. I hunt primarily state land and its rare that I see a buck above 100 inches.I shot one last year and it was the second in 15 years I saw this big. Shooting a deer isnt too hard shooting a big deer is next to impossible. Last year the only day I hunted turkeys I saw 3 or 4 big gobblers we just couldnt get my son a shot. Doesnt mean it was easy but just that the oppurtunity on a mature bird was there.
Deer without a doubt. With the pressure that PA receives the public land deer around here have their PhD's. Not that long beards aren't difficult at time, there just seems to be a lot more of them.
In order:
#1 Deer - (at least targeting one specific mature buck)
#2 Turkey
# 3 Duck
I duck and turkey hunt mostly and ducks are more predictable than Deer and turkey IMO. You can scout them out the day before and establish a pattern around food and generally, they are going to be there tomorrow fr you to stack them up.
Deer- if you're targeting a specific deer, you got to account for a lot of factors and THEN be lucky. Add to that, if you're after that one specific deer, you dont have a lot of options if he doesnt want to play that day. They are unpredictable during the rut and hard to pattern, on top of their senses. Turkey are more patternable than deer and since they dont go nocturnal, you always know they are going to be out there somewhere, doing what turkey do. Deer may not leave their bedding area much at all during the day in some areas. Also, turkey tell you where they are. Deer dont. Last point would be that if a specific turkey isnt acting right that morning, you have a decent chance to go chase another one that wants to play.
Too many variables play into each of them and, as has been stated, its an apples to oranges comparison. Obviously, mature deer are hard to come by, but is it any easier than a turkey with 1.5" spurs?
Most accomplished hunters would hav e no problem taking just any deer or any legal turkey, but the trophies of either species are harder to come by. Biggest difference is that deer hunters are specifically targeting a particular animal. Most turkey hunters will be happy with 2 year olds or older.
Each pursuit has its own challenges. I mostly turkey and duck hunt. I would say there is probably the widest ranga of know how and variables involved with the average duck hunt than any other type of hunting, and who can say that the duck hunter who consistently limits out is any less of a hunter than the guy with 100 turkey beards or a wall full of 140 and higher class deer.