What have you passed?

[Huntaholic]

All this talk about how the new limits are either good or bad has got me thinking and rather than post this subject in other threads, I figured to start one specifically asking this question. So, what have you passed and why? As Im typing this, I just passed on a 3.5 yr old 8 pt with a busted G2 on his left antler. In the last 2 weeks Ive let a 2.5 yr old 8, another 3.5 yr old 8 and a 4.5 yr old 10 all walk. Why you may ask? Because I think they have a chance at making it another year. That's just in the last 2 weeks. I killed a droptine 10 pt during bow season, he was one of 3 shooters on that farm. The evening I shot him, he was the 7th buck I had seen. The reason is simple, I want better deer. Im not high and mighty, in fact, if the limit was like it used to be back in the late 80s and early 90s, I would still be sitting here with only ONE tag left. The difference is, there would be 11 bucks already dead because of the limit. THAT, friends and neighbors, is how this new reduced buck limit WILL make a difference in the next 3 years. These deer that me, YOU, and most everybody else are letting walk, some of them will make it.

 

[AT Hiker]

I let every deer walk this year that I would have let walk in years past, the limit has NOT changed that for me.

I do know quite a few people that are either tagged out and done buck hunting or are passing bucks that they would have shot before. Not one has complained about it either.


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[jotahech]

a couple kidney stones....

 

[AXL78]

I have passed numerous bucks this season, some large bucks by anyone's standards. I haven't changed anything from seasons past though. It is interesting though, it is bioligically fine to kill a 4.5 year old 10 pt. I admire your passing of multiple bucks, but it does no harm to harvest some of the older bucks, and they evidently seem to be in good supply where you hunt even after years of a 3 buck limit. What benefit will you see, or do you expect to obtain, by switching from a 3 buck limit to 2 as it seems you already had plenty of older age class bucks?

 

[WORM82]

I passed a nice 6pt sat and a woman that hunts the place also killed him sat evening. Sucks when all the private land I can hunt gets just as much pressure as the public land. Passing up a buck around here just means that the next person will kill him.

 

[catman529]

I let every deer walk this year that I would have let walk in years past, the limit has NOT changed that for me.

same here. I killed a top end 2.5 last year and was happy with him, but don't want to kill another one like him this year so I have let 3 decent two year olds walk, all within 20 yards, one of which I had on camera during the summer and had already decided to pass. I also passed a 3.5 year old 10 pt on bow opener but that is not the norm for me, I agreed with the neighbor Fleet Fox who has lots of history with him and he has some good potential so we both have passed that deer. My standards now are anything 3.5+ on most of the private land I hunt, or anything that gets me pumped on public land. The limit may have had a slight effect earlier in the season, but as its December now and I still have two buck tags, I don't care so much about having the extra tag because I'll be lucky to even kill 1 buck this year.


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[Bone Collector]

I have passed a bunch of small bucks this year on my small tracts of private land. That didn't change this year so far from any of the years past. I did pass a 1.5 yr old 6 pt on Priest that I would have shot last year with the extra tag. I've already said it on 3 other posts that the limit stopped me from shooting him. I had a spike on Priest as well at 30 yds, but would have passed him either way.

 

[benellivol]

Limit hasn't changed it for me. I've let 3 smaller bucks walk that I would have let walk last year

 

[Rob-HC Hunter]

Here are a couple of bucks I passed this year during muzzleloader season. I am fortunate enough to hunt a large block of land with low hunting pressure so the deer have a fair chance of surviving. I've been trying hard to only harvest 4.5 year old deer or are 130" plus range on this farm.

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[J_W]

Lost count of the 1.5's and 2.5's I've let walk, but that's no different than years past. Was fortunate to take a 3.5 10 point Nov. 30th. He was with another 3.5 8 point that would likely score better, but it was an easy decision for me to take the 10 simply because I had never killed more than an 8.

Since then I have seen the same 8 at least twice, once at last light with no good shot and yesterday afternoon 30+ minutes before dark. I didn't shoot for a few reasons. The limit played a small part in my choice. Just as much, however, was that he never got much closer than 400 yards. I practice out to 500, but I don't prefer shots at game at such ranges. Additionally, for several years I have passed any buck that wasn't as good as my previous best (and didn't shoot one for several years as a result). This deer would pretty much equal that, and I have pics of a couple of bigger ones, including at least one 4 year old. There's a couple other reasons, but the bottom line is that at the time he didn't make me want to shoot. I'm not sure that I wouldn't shoot him next time if the situation were different.

Here he is from early season:

 

[poorhunter]

Haven't passed anything! Killed the only deer I had a shot at a 2.5 8pt. I hunt the 50 acre farm I live on (Hickman)plus the 130 acres of the neighbors and have only seen one doe in the last year on all of it. There has been a total of onee deer taken off this 180 acres in several years. I am surrounded by leases, and I can only assume doemagedden has depleted the population. That or the coyotes. If I drive 3 miles from my house I see tons of deer all year long...in season or out. I have seen 4 other bucks, with 3 of them being pretty nice deer, so at least the club hunters must have antler restrictions.

 

[Snake]

Bunch of time :D

 

[muddyboots]

Passed 31 bucks aged from 1 1/2 to 3 1/2 until I saw number 32 Sunday morning. I killed him.

 

[Gravey]

I've hunted every weekend since muzzleloader opened plus two other days so about 10 days total. Killed one 8-pt and passed several small bucks that I wouldn't shoot if the buck limit was ten. Every day that I've been in the stand I've seen at least one buck. I don't mean morning and afternoon necessarily but just the day.

 

[Huntaholic]

I have passed numerous bucks this season, some large bucks by anyone's standards. I haven't changed anything from seasons past though. It is interesting though, it is bioligically fine to kill a 4.5 year old 10 pt. I admire your passing of multiple bucks, but it does no harm to harvest some of the older bucks, and they evidently seem to be in good supply where you hunt even after years of a 3 buck limit. What benefit will you see, or do you expect to obtain, by switching from a 3 buck limit to 2 as it seems you already had plenty of older age class bucks?

It seems that most of the people already passing bucks prior to the limit change are the majority of responders, and that's kinda what I expected. The ones that are crying about the limit would never admit that they killed a better deer later, after passing deer they would have shot if the limit hadn't been changed. As far as me passing the 4.5 yr old, Id hate to kill him and then have a sure enough giant step out later in the season. I had that happen last year in fact. I tried every way imaginable to get my wife to shoot him and she wouldn't do it. As far as I know that deer is still walking.
The reason they are in good supply is that I don't kill them or let them be killed until they are mature. I don't own enough land here to hold deer all season long and some of them do indeed wander off and get killed on adjoining properties but I cant help that. There was 4 bucks killed in 3 days on the properties that join me, only one of which was a mature deer. I hate it but it happens!

 

[AXL78]

Huntaholic, I would certainly admit if I killed a deer after the limit change that was a good one. Would it be fair to assume it was because of the limit change? I don't know if that comment was directed at me or not, but I'm not crying at the limit change. I've never shot 3. As far as the 4.5 year old, you could have shot him with no harm done and still had your 'monster" buck tag with the 3 buck limit. You have older age bucks is what I'm getting at, and from the information you've provided it sounds like the herd you are hunting can handle the harvest pressure of 3 bucks, so why limit yourself to 2?

 

[Food Plot 101]

I have passed the usual number of 2.5 yo bucks, but 2 of them were 10pt. and very stupid and I don't predict them to last through the end of the year. I did have an "on the trigger" moment, wrong handed shot at about a 120" 3.5 yo 8pt. It was awful tempting but i'm happy with my decision. I'll be willing to bet alot of us that have had that 3rd buck tag at then end of previous seasons will also have that second tag this and future years, and I'm ok with that. I haven't had but a few encounters with many studs this year, but with the 2 i did my gun misfired on one and I missed a giant in IL. :)

 

[Huntaholic]

Huntaholic, I would certainly admit if I killed a deer after the limit change that was a good one. Would it be fair to assume it was because of the limit change? I don't know if that comment was directed at me or not, but I'm not crying at the limit change. I've never shot 3. As far as the 4.5 year old, you could have shot him with no harm done and still had your 'monster" buck tag with the 3 buck limit. You have older age bucks is what I'm getting at, and from the information you've provided it sounds like the herd you are hunting can handle the harvest pressure of 3 bucks, so why limit yourself to 2?

It wasn't directed at you, sorry if it came across that way. Ive already killed one buck this year. If I hadn't, trust me that 10 would have been dead.

 

[Brisco Darlin]

I've passed a lot of gas in the stand.

 

[hitek7]

Here are a few that I have passed with a gun...

 

[hitek7]

A couple more...

 

[Prowler]

Passed several 1.5 - 3.5 yr olds that I would've passed anyway. Only had one mature deer in bow range and he was missing most of his left beam. 2 more mature deer have been out of bow range.

 

[KENBOB10]

I'm fittin to throw the bull crap flag on a few of these posts.

 

[Brisco Darlin]

I'm fittin to throw the bull crap flag on a few of these posts.

:P just cause you pass all them 180 class booners.

 

[easy45]

Same standards as always, I've passed on 4 good bucks that were at least 3.5, was is a high end 2.5. I'll take a 3.5 if he is huge but other than that it's got to be 4.5+ for me. I actually passed on a 3.5 year old 20" wide 8 this morning.


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[easy45]

I few we have passed

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[szuliman1]

I believe I would have reached out and touch the one with the doe looks muture to me.

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[duckriver]

I believe I would have reached out and touch the one with the doe looks muture to me.

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I agree. Look at the body on that joker.

I've passed the usual 2 year olds. This is the second year of letting 3 year olds walk. Have seen a mature one yet this year but I haven't lost faith. Passed 3 really good 3 year olds that will be dandys next year

 

[huntinkev]

I have passed a couple 4 pointers and a 6 point. I shot a spike.

The 2 buck limit has not affected my decisions at all.

 

[easy45]

I believe I would have reached out and touch the one with the doe looks muture to me.

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Well I'm not the one that passed him but yea I might would have shot that one, he said it ended up coming right by him and he was confident it was 3.5 and I trust his judgment.


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