Am I crazy to let this one walk?????

[Jordan Selsor]

Took everything I had to let this this buck walk yesterday ev! I wanted to put an arrow through him so bad as he fed on milo an clover for 20 min before proceeding to the destination plot. My goal this yr is to shoot a 4 yr old buck. Tough for me but I think this is a fat 3 yr old. Whats your thoughts on age? It was very rewarding to watch this ol boy feed unpreasured then proceed onto the big plot without ever knowing I was there. Food plot architecture paid off by using milo to funnel deer right where I want them to walk! He was so noisy eating that milo! It was fun to watch! Its all starting to pay off:)

 

[nwmn]

oh brother...you're right, rough to lay off that boy. congrats, your patience will pay off, and how rewarding to watch a nice buck. excitement is probably still lingering, and probably just as much fun as harvesting him.

good luck, I'd like to be in your situation soon where I have bigger/older deer in the area to make passing him worth the pain!

 

[tooln]

I don't know that I could have held off. Your work is definatly paying off.

 

[strawhead]

NICE....Congratulations on your decision to let him walk. Would have been a very tough choice for me to let one of that caliber walk.

 

[Greta&Gus]

I'm not sold that he is only 3, with a big stomach and low chest he might be 4. Need to see some more pictures of him in November when he fills out. The real question is how do you feel now? Are you happy you let him walk or are you disappointed you didn't shoot him? If at the end of the season you didn't fill your tag will you be satisfied with your season?

I would have killed him but not being a trophy hunter our goals are different.

 

[Terrific_tom]

I was thinking that he could be 4 years old also. As long as you were happy with your decision to pass. There is plenty of time left in season. Good luck.

 

[Jordan Selsor]

I'm not sold that he is only 3, with a big stomach and low chest he might be 4. Need to see some more pictures of him in November when he fills out. The real question is how do you feel now? Are you happy you let him walk or are you disappointed you didn't shoot him? If at the end of the season you didn't fill your tag will you be satisfied with your season?

I would have killed him but not being a trophy hunter our goals are different.

How do I feel now? Hmmmm
Lots of things run through my head. Is it greedy to want a bigger rack? All thing I have been thinking about. I have a baby due on Oct 13th an not sure how much hunting I'm gonna get to do after the lil rascal arrives (which I'm more than ok with:)
I also have a younger brother that would be ecstatic to kill him. He has only 1 or 2 bow kills under his belt an plans to jump in the tree tomorrow. I truly hope he gets a shot at him.
So I guess I have mixed emotions. This is the first yr I have ever been willing to pass a buck like that. It's different. I know many would love a shot at this buck. It was very enjoyable to watch him but I am hunter thru an thru. I enjoy the kill. Mixed emotions is the only way I can some it up. But I'm ok with that

 

[Brush Creek]

When I first looked at this deer I thought 3 with the neck, but the more I look, the more I think he could be 4. Don't worry about how you feel. One day I am thinking I am only going to shoot a 170 or better and the next day I think about how much fun it was to shoot the first buck you saw with your bow and then go celebrate with your buddies. If you wouldn't shoot him on the first day, don't shoot him on the last....right?

 

[phil@thesidehill]

As long as you feel good about the decision...you made the right decision. Do you have previous history with him that makes you lean toward 3? I really think he is north of 3 based on only those 2 pics. One positive is that your brother may be able to harvest him and I'm sure he would be so thrilled to do so....that is a really good buck. Another positive, is that he may survive to net year...maybe you build a collection of pictures, and pick up his sheds and really build a good history with him, that may make a harvest next year even more memorable. I have a buck around my property that I now have almost 4 yrs of history with...ages 3, 4, 5, and now 6. I have sheds from ages 3, 4, and 5. I almost got a shot at him when he was a 3 yr old.....and although i was disappointed at the time...I am very glad it happened that way now. I saw him from my stand once when he was a 4 yr old, he completely disappeared as a 5 yr old, until i found his sheds on the neighbor's, and then got a few pics of him early this summer. I used his 3 yr old shed to propose to my wife, and i found his 4 yr shed the day i found out that i was going to be a dad! Part of me really wants to put an arrow through him this fall....but a part of me doesn't want to....I honestly don't think i will enjoy shed season in the area as much with out the hope of finding another one of his antlers! As much as i am a die hard deer HUNTER....i am also a die hard SHED hunter.

I was in a similar situation to you last fall....my son was delivered on Nov 18th. I shot my buck on November 9th. As it was getting down to the wire, I'd be lying if i didn't tell you that I was starting to feel some pressure, because I knew after the 18th hunting would be the last thing I would be able to allocate my time to.

 

[MoBuckChaser]

The way I look at it is you get to continue to hunt and see what else may be around. And you may have another shot at him later anyways if you feel the need to shoot. Thin Rack, Short main beams, short brow tines and he is a 3 year old 8. The tall tines make it look good, but I think you made the right decision! I know you have bigger bucks around.

 

[Bill]

If he survives and you get pics of him next year, you'll have your answer. He's a walker for me, but my circumstances in N MO are much different.

If you stuck him and were happy I'd congratulate and be happy for you.

One thing is for sure, he's not hanging in your shed with you thinking you should have let him walk.

 

[bueller]

A buck like that walks within bow range of me and I'm shooting. Probably missing but shooting. Reason, we just don't have many opportunities here in the land of the public land hunter and spike bucks.

I like to go by the standard of trying to shoot a buck bigger than your last. So for some of us that means almost any buck while for others that means 170+. I imagine this standard gets lowered in the later years.

Bottom line is, shoot what makes you feel good. Don't worry about what others do, especially when they are hunting under totally different circumstances.

 

[j-bird]

Its a personal decision. You still have time in case you change your mind. Nice deer - congrats on the little one on the way as well.

 

[Tree Spud]

I have asked a number of very successful hunters what their secret is to taking a 150" - 160" plus deer ... the best answer I got was ... "you have to pass on a lot of 140" class deer"

As a general rule, if you are not sure, he's probably not the one you are looking for.

 

[Jordan Selsor]

As long as you feel good about the decision...you made the right decision. Do you have previous history with him that makes you lean toward 3? I really think he is north of 3 based on only those 2 pics. One positive is that your brother may be able to harvest him and I'm sure he would be so thrilled to do so....that is a really good buck. Another positive, is that he may survive to net year...maybe you build a collection of pictures, and pick up his sheds and really build a good history with him, that may make a harvest next year even more memorable. I have a buck around my property that I now have almost 4 yrs of history with...ages 3, 4, 5, and now 6. I have sheds from ages 3, 4, and 5. I almost got a shot at him when he was a 3 yr old.....and although i was disappointed at the time...I am very glad it happened that way now. I saw him from my stand once when he was a 4 yr old, he completely disappeared as a 5 yr old, until i found his sheds on the neighbor's, and then got a few pics of him early this summer. I used his 3 yr old shed to propose to my wife, and i found his 4 yr shed the day i found out that i was going to be a dad! Part of me really wants to put an arrow through him this fall....but a part of me doesn't want to....I honestly don't think i will enjoy shed season in the area as much with out the hope of finding another one of his antlers! As much as i am a die hard deer HUNTER....i am also a die hard SHED hunter.

I was in a similar situation to you last fall....my son was delivered on Nov 18th. I shot my buck on November 9th. As it was getting down to the wire, I'd be lying if i didn't tell you that I was starting to feel some pressure, because I knew after the 18th hunting would be the last thing I would be able to allocate my time to.

What cool hx you have with that buck! Proposed with an antler!!!! Haha awesome brother:)
I do have some history with him. I posted a pic of him from last yr in the "watch em grow thread" in the trail cam section. He very well could be 4. But last yr he would have been pretty puny as a 3 yr old. I hope My bro kills him. He is prolly headed to the farm as I write this post! He doesn't have a key to my gate yet so is gonna be one hell of a drag if he shoots him lol. My brother is a gym rat an pretty stout so I told him it would allow him to skip leg day this wk hahahaha

 

[Jordan Selsor]

The way I look at it is you get to continue to hunt and see what else may be around. And you may have another shot at him later anyways if you feel the need to shoot. Thin Rack, Short main beams, short brow tines and he is a 3 year old 8. The tall tines make it look good, but I think you made the right decision! I know you have bigger bucks around.

Yep I thought about ya when I saw those short brows haha! But when he finally moved on an I saw that rear profile which always makes them look bigger he looked like a goodN! He fed right through a gap I left in the milo with my wind blowing right over the top of him. I pictured that in my head when planting this summer! That put a smile on my face:)

 

[j-bird]

My exp has been if my entire body doesn't scream "shoot" then I let them go. If I have to think about it - I need to pass. Set-up worked as designed - that's gonna make a fella smile. Maybe this buck will make your brother happy and then you both have something to smile about!

 

[phil@thesidehill]

What cool hx you have with that buck! Proposed with an antler!!!! Haha awesome brother:)
I do have some history with him. I posted a pic of him from last yr in the "watch em grow thread" in the trail cam section. He very well could be 4. But last yr he would have been pretty puny as a 3 yr old. I hope My bro kills him. He is prolly headed to the farm as I write this post! He doesn't have a key to my gate yet so is gonna be one hell of a drag if he shoots him lol. My brother is a gym rat an pretty stout so I told him it would allow him to skip leg day this wk hahahaha

I even have trail cam pics of the proposal...lol. I planted the antler with a plastic costume ring on the G2 and hung a camera on it. I told her that i was going to go check a cam one morning....came back and told her to get her boots on because I just saw a buck run into a little brushy spot and as he ran out the other side he no longer had his head gear! She had never found a shed and had been along with me on few hikes....so i told her this was her chance to pick up not one but possibly two! When she spotted the planted shed she was confused by the plastic ring...that is when I got down on one knee with the real ring in my hand and told her to turn around....lol. the look on her face was priceless!

That is great to see the deer....a good buck no less....use your habitat and food plot layout as designed....truth be told that is just about as good as it gets! Last year was the first year i had my property set up the way i wanted it going into the season. The buck i shot read the script almost "word for word"....words can't describe the that feeling!

I'll be waiting to see if there will pics of your brother with that buck in this thread in a few hours!

 

[phil@thesidehill]

how wide is he by the way?

 

[Jordan Selsor]

I even have trail cam pics of the proposal...lol. I planted the antler with a plastic costume ring on the G2 and hung a camera on it. I told her that i was going to go check a cam one morning....came back and told her to get her boots on because I just saw a buck run into a little brushy spot and as he ran out the other side he no longer had his head gear! She had never found a shed and had been along with me on few hikes....so i told her this was her chance to pick up not one but possibly two! When she spotted the planted shed she was confused by the plastic ring...that is when I got down on one knee with the real ring in my hand and told her to turn around....lol. the look on her face was priceless!

That is great to see the deer....a good buck no less....use your habitat and food plot layout as designed....truth be told that is just about as good as it gets! Last year was the first year i had my property set up the way i wanted it going into the season. The buck i shot read the script almost "word for word"....words can't describe the that feeling!

I'll be waiting to see if there will pics of your brother with that buck in this thread in a few hours!

You nailed it! Wish I was that clever!!! Bet you made her feel special for sure!

As far as width he is defiantly out past the ears. I will post some more pics this ev