I thought it might be a baby mountain lion.
I thought it might be a baby mountain lion.
I have an amateur question about that beautiful buck Okie just posted.
You say he needs another year or two. Obviously, passing on him now means he remains "out there" for joe shmoe or a pickup truck. So i ask, you say he needs another year or with optimism or realism? You would pass on this guy this year?
I assume you hunt private land, what if you were hunting public land and saw him?
Maybe he is alluring to me cause I haven't had a chance at such a nice buck.
First buck (ever) I could have shot was a 4 pt, last weekend, but he was no bigger than a large doe (it seemed).
I let him go and don't have any regrets about it. But, I would not let that buck you posted go. Am I wrong?
You say he needs another year or two. Obviously, passing on him now means he remains "out there" for joe shmoe or a pickup truck. So i ask, you say he needs another year or with optimism or realism? You would pass on this guy this year?
I assume you hunt private land, what if you were hunting public land and saw him?
Maybe he is alluring to me cause I haven't had a chance at such a nice buck.
First buck (ever) I could have shot was a 4 pt, last weekend, but he was no bigger than a large doe (it seemed).
I let him go and don't have any regrets about it. But, I would not let that buck you posted go. Am I wrong?
Dead deer don't grow. If you "need" meat, harvest a doe. I would rather not take a buck for 10 years to improve the chance of a monster. If everyone goes out with the attitude that everyone else is shooting young bucks then that is that many deer that will never mature. We let kids shoot the baskets and explain that if they want a big deer next time then they need to let them grow. I passed on 23 different small bucks last year alone.
Ultimately, it is a personal decision. Plenty of great deer are harvested on public land, people use public land as an excuse to take young bucks.
I never had someone to teach me. So, Thank you (from a fellow german i might add)
Pfirti
I think the ODW has a report that the bucks are getting bigger because enough hunters have said they want quality bucks vs meat bucks.
shoot the does for meat.
So, yes somebody else might shoot him as he travels among private grounds, but on public ground the hunters are doing the same. Its just a personal decision one has to make, and hopefully other hunters will do the same.
What is a quality deer to some is not quality to others.
To new hunters, anything with antlers is a trophy. I can see that. Don't have any bad words to say about it. As one becomes a seasoned hunter, the desire for a buck with bigger antlers becomes the norm wanting to get one bigger than the one taken in the previous year.
I've looked at the antlers on my wall, and see that in 44 years of deer hunting, the racks have sure got bigger as the years have progressed.
We have enough does in this state to get some meat and that is what a lot of the new hunters are focusing on.
Back in the day if you shot a doe, you were vilified because that was breeding stock. Now days that's not true. The breeding stock has became problematic in some areas.
This deer would not get passed up by me nor prolly Okie if all I had was public land.
That sucker needs shot though. Know it's not the trophy but his age screams for Geronticide. I should be given chance w stickbow.
That sucker needs shot though. Know it's not the trophy but his age screams for Geronticide. I should be given chance w stickbow.
Don't start fighting now guys 
Not an amateur question at all
The top buck (top 2 pics) was 12 yards in front of us with 10 minutes of shooting light left this evening. His body is still thin/stream line, unlike the buck in the bottom 2 pics..........so he's a 3.5yo deer, got to look at him really well this evening. It was so still when he was standing there, I couldn't get a cell pic of him. After the doe left, he walked to the game cam and that's where the top 2 pics came from.Yes it's private land........yet I rarely see the same bucks from year to year, on cam or in person. Very little hunting pressure around me either. I say it with both optimism and some realism. The buck in the bottom pic is a toad, and I hope his rack keeps up with his body.
..........and to your last question, you've already recognized the value in letting the 4pt go, so on to the buck from tonight...........no you shouldn't let it walk, I would have crapped down both legs if that would have been my first buck! The bucks that you take are yours, if your happy with them, that's all that matters!
If would have been sitting there with my longbow....................it would have been a tough choice. He's young in the face and trim, healthy and growing hopefully........just got some trashy issues.
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