Mike Belt":1vqtzkg8 said:
Personally, I pass every buck I see if he's missing points or part of his main beam. He's just as hard to kill but I want him to have everything he grew before losing any of it. Hopefully he'll have it all the following season should we bump heads again. That being said, a buck that only has half a rack because that's all he can grow and particularly if he's an old bruiser would still be a trophy...just not my cup of tea.
Mike, when it comes to deer hunting, you and I think much alike.
A few years ago, I had one of the largest antlered mature bucks I've ever seen give me a perfect 15-yard shot. He probably would have been my largest antlered buck ever. Then I noticed he was missing his entire left main beam. I just watched him walk off, not sure whether to celebrate or cry over what I'd just seen and done.
But another thought went thru my mind: It took a heck of another buck to have broken off such a massive main beam on this one! But then again, he might have been run over by a truck. I never saw that buck again, but have no regrets for passing him. I sure did hunt hard looking for him the next year, and enjoyed every minute of the pursuit!