Should I have shot this deer?

[Bone Collector]

I've been thinking about this and making this post since last Sunday. Catman's post made me think about it again and I decided to make the post. I have 2 really nice bucks that showed up in early Nov. I have been after one of them for 2 years. Honestly I think the other buck is one I have seen in the last couple of years and was after last year as well. This year I had 0 nice bucks on my place during the summer and early season. That is abnormal. This year Nov. came and it was like bucks were pouring in. My 2 target bucks were there, and on the 5th both were out in daylight. Since then I have gotten one daylight pic of each of them. I picked the wrong stand on the 14th, or else I would have had a shot at my #1 target buck. .

On Nov. 15th the #3 buck that I have pics of showed up around 4 pm on my food plot. He just crossed over it at about 150 yds away. I looked at him and realized it wasn't the big one I was after. I let him go in the woods, but the way he was headed told me he was going to come back towards me. sure enough about 5 minutes later here he comes back into the plot, this time at 75 yds. I looked him over and decided to pass. I am wondering did I make a good decision. I can't undo it, but I may encounter him again. he has been somewhat active. Here are the pics. Yes I an 100% sure it is the same buck.

 

[Bone Collector]

here are the two I am after. the first one is piebald. white chest, white legs at least to the knee joint, some all the way up.

 

[Lincoln Co Archer]

I am a big believer in trusting your gut. It doesn't sound like you had the immediate reaction that he was shooter.

 

[wsm]

Times two on Lincoln Co . archer said .

 

[old guy]

A shooter buck is like a nice looking lady , to some it may be mediocre , to others it may be the harvest of a lifetime . Only the hunter can make that choice. Despite what others think . Good luck ...

 

[Pilchard]

I would have shot him both times but I have never seen a deer like that in the woods with a gun in my hand.... so to me, it would have been an easy choice.

I admire you guys who display such restraint.

 

[Ski]

I'd much rather regret passing one than to regret shooting one. Beautiful deer, BTW.

 

[cbhunter]

Nothing wrong with the choice you made. On the other hand, i would have been here congratulating you with two thumbs up had you killed him!

 

[DoubleRidge]

By the fact you didn't pull the trigger in that moment I'll say you made the right call...I agree....trust your gut and don't look back....you have some nice bucks around.....also.... knowing you could have but chose not too can be very satisfying....good luck going forward!!

 

[rem270]

The way I always look at it if I have to think about it then I shouldn't shoot it. IMO you made the right choice. But it would have been a nice buck had you taken it.

 

[Deer Assassin]

i can t answer what is right for you.

I like them both

 

[Bodine270]

Just think what he may be next year if he survives and sticks around though

 

[Chief44]

If there is any doubt, let him walk. As Ski said above. I'd rather regret letting one walk than regret killing one.

 

[backyardtndeer]

Let a lot of 2.5 and even some 3.5 year old bucks walk the past several years, and just not seeing the type of results we should expect. Given what we have seen this season on our small farm this year, either of those would be targets. But you know what makes you happy, your call.

 

[bowhunterfanatic]

I am a big believer in trusting your gut. It doesn't sound like you had the immediate reaction that he was shooter.

This is my thought process anymore. If it doesn't feel right I don't shoot. I seem to find my first instinct is correct a lot more often than not. I'd much rather pass a deer every now and then that would ultimately meet my personal standards because I didn't get a good look, clean shot, etc than I would to kill a buck and be disappointed when I put my hands on him. I learned this lesson the hard way a few times so now then I try no to shoot anything that I'm not 100% certain I'll be happy with when I put my hands on him. I know it's tough in the social media world we live in but I also try to make a concerted effort to not let other people's opinions influence what I shoot.

 

[Bone Collector]

Let a lot of 2.5 and even some 3.5 year old bucks walk the past several years, and just not seeing the type of results we should expect. Given what we have seen this season on our small farm this year, either of those would be targets. But you know what makes you happy, your call.

that is my dilemma. I have let a lot of 2.5 yr olds walk over the past 3-5 years. I have done so because I know there is a bigger deer in the area. I always do so thinking "next year he will be bigger and if I see him, I'll shoot him..." well some of these bucks just vanish and never come back. I know a lot can happen to a deer in the off season, but you would think some would come back. In some cases, I have pics of them after season ends, and then next year they are no shows. My property is small and deer just pass through, so it is not part of a core area that I can tell for any of the bucks. I want to believe he will come back next year, but the other 2.5 yr old 8 from last year didn't come back this year. I guess time will tell.

 

[timberjack86]

Never met a deer steak I didn't like!

 

[backyardtndeer]

I'll shoot him..." well some of these bucks just vanish and never come back. I know a lot can happen to a deer in the off season, but you would think some would come back. In some cases, I have pics of them after season ends, and then next year they are no shows

Same here. Some years we have bucks from May to February and get hundreds of pics on multiple cams. You know they survived but never see them the following year. Then some years you have those that you get a few pics or no pics of that end up in front of you. What is frustrating is when you have hundreds of pics of one and you pass the deer multiple times. Watch the deer walk off your property and hear a boom from that direction. Text that landowner to congratulate them and they say it wasn't them that shot! Never get another pic after that shot.

 

[Ski]

What is frustrating is when you have hundreds of pics of one and you pass the deer multiple times. Watch the deer walk off your property and hear a boom from that direction.

That happened to me last season. Had a couple 2.5yr olds & a spike or fork hotrodding a 6 doe group. The girl in the back must have been just coming in, but wasn't ready to give it up yet. They chased around my stand for half an hour before crossing the fence into the neighbor's place. It was 3 minutes and I heard what sounded like a police fire fight, and then one doe fawn came running back across all confused & obviously bewildered. On my way out I saw that the neighbor had a yard full of trucks, a dang hunting party, and they had eliminated half of the immediate herd in 10 seconds. The next morning another neighbor shot the fawn. I was ready to give up.

Fast forward to this season and I have two mature does with fawns on camera. There are some yearling bucks, two 2.5yr olds, and a 4.5yr old. My wife shot the 4.5yr old. I don't have much hope of the 2.5yr olds making it, but my fingers are crossed.

 

[MUP]

You and you alone have to make that call my friend.