Hypothetical Question

[catman529]

Just came to mind at random.

Say you are hunting public land and a buck walks up into range. He has huge mass, spread far past the ear, tall tines, 6 points that you can count on the left side, and the right side is broken clean off. He looks old, and it's public land, and you may never see him again.

Would you shoot him then, or chance trying to find him the following year with both sides intact?

 

[30-06 type of guy]

I would probably shoot seeing that it is on public ground and chances are someone is gonna shoot it anyway but if it was private land it would be a tough one for me..do what you think is right

 

[TNGunhunter]

Public land: Shooter, probably wouldn't make it till next year.

 

[longnosedoe]

let him walk. he cannot and will never get his other antler back if he is dead. public land or not let him walk. want meat? shoot a doe.

 

[FARMTOFIELD]

I had this exact scenario a couple years ago. Had a would have been 140+ deer walk in front of me i mean an absolute stud, but he was missing one side. I lowered my head, gritted my teeth, and closed my eyes so he could walk away. The very next weekend my neighbor pulled up with him in the back of the truck

 

[Ladys man]

Depends on how hard that piece of public land get hunted. But if it was on any of public land i hunt i shoot. But if hardly gets hunted or is a hr walk back in some deep nasty stuff were no one else goes id probly let him walk

 

[OnceMoreIntoTheFray]

I agree with longnosedoe, let him go and shoot a doe. You never know he might walk away from you and become a good memory and buck for a youngster.

 

[BigD_625]

Shoot him and let the taxidermist fix the other side with sheds. May not be the true side, but still makes a good story.

 

[Mike Belt]

I've had this happen on private land several times. Either a great buck was missing a beam or several points off his beams. I always let them walk.

 

[MUP]

Shoot. If he's as old as you're insinuating, then he's a trophy anyway. And...ON PUBLIC LAND?! Heck yea, shoot him.

 

[TRIGGER]

I would shoot eat and mount him as is.

 

[ImThere]

Hunting private or public it makes no difference to me. if your a meat hunter he's down. if your a trophy hunter he walks. atleast he has a chance of making it if you kill him he has a zero chance of making it till next year. if you want meat take a doe dont fly here. its about opportunity not the sex of the deer. Imo

 

[Rackseeker]

I would shoot the other side of his rack off and let him live another year.

 

[Mike Belt]

There you go....If you see a good buck that has great potential and you're going to let him walk shoot his antlers off first. This may discourage other hunters from shooting him as well and give him another year to grow, lol.

 

[BigD_625]

Buddy of mine shot one's antler off, on accident of course. He said the deer put it's head to the ground and starting doing circles. He thought it was going down to die. When he went to get it, he only found the antler (think it was 5 points on that one side). He was sick.

I saw a deer video of Jeff Foxworthy shooting one's antlers off the other day. Apparently, people still ask him about it all the time. LOL

 

[Diehard Hunter]

Nobody can answer this question until you answer one.....Would it make you happy? If so, then shoot him. If not, then don't shoot him.

 

[TN Larry]

It all depends on the situation.

The biggest and oldest deer that I have ever seen alive was a one horned deer at President's Island. This deer was at least 5.5 yo if not older and would have pushed 200 lbs field dressed. I honestly think that he was 6.5 or 7.5 but didn't have much knowledge of aging on the hoof at that time. He had 4 points on one side and the other side was broke just above the brow. Every point was broke on the "good" side. If he had any kind of tine length on each side, he was pushing a booner as an 8. He had at least 25" main beams maybe longer, 6+" of mass at the bases that carried all the way out and would have had a 22-24" inside spread. He also had about a 3" sticker point on the broke side so he would have been a 9 pt and a shooter if not broke. My best way of describing him to my buddies was to cut my arm off at the shouled and stick it on his head. I know all of this because he walked right under my stand. He then stopped broad sided at 15 yds and started posturing and lip curling at two other bucks chasing a doe. It is one of the most exciting moments that I have ever had in the woods. He was a true warrior and monarch. If given the choice, I would have used my PI tag on him in a heartbeat even though he was broke. It still tears me up to this day thinking about that. I just wish that I would have had a video camera or even a regular camera that day. It was the 2nd year that PI was open, and we really didn't know what to expect so I wasn't prepared with a camera.

 

[Football Hunter]

Id let him go

 

[bowriter]

If you want to shoot him, shoot him. Private/public he doesn't know the difference.

 

[catman529]

If you want to shoot him, shoot him. Private/public he doesn't know the difference.

But the difference is that on a private land that only you/buddies can hunt, the buck has a much better chance of not being shot than on public where if he makes one wrong step he may be killed.

 

[Dbllunger]

If you want to shoot him, shoot him. Private/public he doesn't know the difference.

But the difference is that on a private land that only you/buddies can hunt, the buck has a much better chance of not being shot than on public where if he makes one wrong step he may be killed.

Your value system doesn't necessarily extend beyond your property lines on private land. That deer may use several different pieces of property with a myriad of different hunters. You may only choose to shoot big racked bucks on your property but the people next door could very well have the brown its down mentality.

For me personally, I don't consider what the next fellow may or may not do with regards to whether or not I will kill a deer. I do what I want. In my case, a mature deer is a trophy regardless of antlers and I will shoot it everytime. I value a mature doe just about as much as a mature buck.

 

[catman529]

If you want to shoot him, shoot him. Private/public he doesn't know the difference.

But the difference is that on a private land that only you/buddies can hunt, the buck has a much better chance of not being shot than on public where if he makes one wrong step he may be killed.

Your value system doesn't necessarily extend beyond your property lines on private land. That deer may use several different pieces of property with a myriad of different hunters. You may only choose to shoot big racked bucks on your property but the people next door could very well have the brown its down mentality.

For me personally, I don't consider what the next fellow may or may not do with regards to whether or not I will kill a deer. I do what I want. In my case, a mature deer is a trophy regardless of antlers and I will shoot it everytime. I value a mature doe just about as much as a mature buck.

you are right, it would depend on the size of the property and the buck's range. And i would shoot the deer in a heartbeat, just seeing a mature buck on public land is something I would be thrilled about.

 

[bowriter]

If you want to shoot him, shoot him. Private/public he doesn't know the difference.

But the difference is that on a private land that only you/buddies can hunt, the buck has a much better chance of not being shot than on public where if he makes one wrong step he may be killed.

So? What difference does it make? He walks by a hunter that wants him, why should he not shoot him no matter where he is. So he survives one more year and has a full rack. Then, he gets killed. So what, he still dead.

 

[northeasthunter]

choot em

 

[BSK]

I hunt bucks by age, not antler size. I will shoot any buck (even on private managed land) that is 3 1/2 or older, regardless of his antlers, even if they are both broken off. His antlers don't make him a challenge to kill, his age and what he has learned about avoiding human hunters makes him hard to kill.

 

[iowavf]

Seeing how I can only tag one buck here in Iowa, he would get a free pass. I see this a lot during the late ML season because some of the bucks start to shed then. I want both sides if I'm tagging a buck.