Great looking TN buck, don't blame you a bit for letting him walk.
As I've aged I get satisfaction out of knowing I could have but didn't
As I've aged I get satisfaction out of knowing I could have but didn't
I've had to force myself to totally stop hunting deer like this. I too am trying not to shoot anything younger than 4.5, but no chance I could make myself pass that much bone with a bow in my hand, regardless of his age. I just haven't killed enough deer that size yet to pass one.Make no mistake inches of antler isn't what saved this deer. I mean he is going to score less than what I thought originally but I didn't shoot him because the last few years I've been trying to only shoot older bucks and I really think he's a 3.5 year old deer.
I've had to force myself to totally stop hunting deer like this. I too am trying not to shoot anything younger than 4.5, but no chance I could make myself pass that much bone with a bow in my hand, regardless of his age. I just haven't killed enough deer that size yet to pass one.
. That's what I'm trying to do. I run cameras all the time and really study every deer before I shoot. Sometimes I take too long and they're gone, that's ok. The last 3 bucks I've killed were 5.5, 6.5, and 5.5.Make no mistake inches of antler isn't what saved this deer. I mean he is going to score less than what I thought originally but I didn't shoot him because the last few years I've been trying to only shoot older bucks and I really think he's a 3.5 year old deer.
You seen his bucks ??? He'll let go what I have on my wall but he kills " biggens" .Most of them boys would be shooters for me! Good job holding off if you weren't sure. Looks like some good genetics at ur spot .
Good luck and hope you see him again
I ain't much of a thinker he'd been shot ....atGreat buck but I've learned if you have to think about it then you will probably regret your decision. Great job on holding off.
I always feel wierd saying "great job" on passing a buck, because you definitely should have shot it IF you wanted and it would have been the right decision.View attachment 197488View attachment 197480Hunted this deer on the velvet hunt and never saw him. I stopped getting pictures of him, moved cameras around and couldn't find him. New property so I didn't have a lot to go on. I found a white oak and persimmon tree dropping on the edge of a small clearing in the woods. The clearing was grown up with thick weeds so I sprayed it 2 weeks ago and broke it up and planted it last week. I put a cell cam on it when I planted it but we haven't had any rain so it hasn't sprouted yet but there are acorns and persimmons all over the ground. I got pics of him in the plot the day after I planted, I made my 5th sit on him today and finally saw him. I may have messed up but he didn't look hardly as big as he did on camera and I didn't have long to make a decision so I let him go, really nice buck for the area I'm hunting but he looked like a 3.5 year old on the hoof and 125"-128". Maybe I'll see him again and get a better look but for now I don't regret my decision.
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This.Great buck and no bad answer on what you decided as it's your decision.
Makes sense.Different standards for different properties and hunters.
Do you have any other pics of him standing broadside? Good pics for aging.
Well he could have been up to my standards but in the 30 seconds I had to judge him my first impression was 3.5 and smaller rack wise than what I originally thought and in that moment I had to either draw back and shoot him or let him go. Maybe I'll see him again and things will turn out differently, maybe not.Tough call for me on his age.
I can definitely say 3 1/2 or older,
but he's very likely 4 1/2.
But so what?
He wasn't exactly up to your standards, but he will be in another year.
In the meantime, pursue another and enjoy the journey.