What Would You Do?

[clintb]

Oh, I have already let him walk. Just talking about the visiting hunters? Hard to tell them to let a deer walk bigger than they have ever taken.

No its not, tell them straight up. If you see him let him go. Pretty simple

[GarGuy]

Very Easy Queston. Not to many deer will give you a chance to get to watch them mature and maybe harvest as a trophy one day. Put him off limets and tell them good luck. The more a hunter get to see what passing a deer like that can do will only make others understand why we do what we do. Good luck on what ever you decide

I find myself agreeing with you often. I really like this deer. He has wow factor when he walks in even at 4.5. This year should be a big jump and he may get the drop tine back. Hope he dont get whacked. He has been off limits all year so I guess we will just keep it that way.

I also have a stud of a ten in the same spot that is4.5 also. He is safe though...he shed his antlers last week.

[TUCO]

He has been off limits all year so I guess we will just keep it that way.

Good call.....

Sounds like you have taken a shine to this buck & believe he has a lot of potential.

Making him off limits seems like the right thing to do; especially at at 4.5 years old.

I'm sure your friends will understand why.

I look foward to seeing pre-season trail cam pics of him next year; with a bigger frame and a drop....

[Joe H]

With the broken tines I wouldnt shoot.

[GarGuy]

Good call.....

Sounds like you have taken a shine to this buck & believe he has a lot of potential.

Making him off limits seems like the right thing to do; especially at at 4.5 years old.

I'm sure your friends will understand why.

I look foward to seeing pre-season trail cam pics of him next year; with a bigger frame and a drop....

Well Ill get em! I have never seen a deer like a camera as much as he does. Thats one reason Im partial to him, I have seen thousands of pics of him over the past three years.

I bet his daddy was that mid 50s 8pt I killed a few years back. had the same brows except longer.

[txdukklr]

me personally . . . . I'd roll the dice

he's added enough to see what he does next year. Sucks if someone else gets him this year but if he makes it he'll be a much nicer deer next year.

[Montec man]

At 4.5 he would get a pass from me. If he's survived that long on small acreage, he will should make it another year.

[Encinal]

Easy to tell people hunting for free what they can't shoot. Beggars can't be choosers.

[JSF]

Never kill a deer just to keep someone else from doin it

[Coach W]

Very Easy Queston. Not to many deer will give you a chance to get to watch them mature and maybe harvest as a trophy one day. Put him off limets and tell them good luck. The more a hunter get to see what passing a deer like that can do will only make others understand why we do what we do. Good luck on what ever you decide

Nailed it.

[GarGuy]

me personally . . . . I'd roll the dice

he's added enough to see what he does next year. Sucks if someone else gets him this year but if he makes it he'll be a much nicer deer next year.

Yep , Gonna roll the dice. The rut is done here and the pressure is almost over. I talked to my neighbors on both sides. Neither have ever seen him. I see him all the dang timne. I have created santuaries on several of our places. He just loves to hang out in one of them.

[GarGuy]

I just ran across this old thread from 2012. I did pass that deer and watched him for 6 more years. He blew up and was a giant at 8.5. Unfortunately we were not able to kill him but a I hear a luck hunter took him in the Dcnf. Ill find pics to show what age can do.

[GarGuy]

Here he was in 2018 at 9.5. His best year.

[Big Lee]

Dang!! He was a stud!! Whoever took him should be extremely proud!

[Radar]

Steve you always have some nice bucks to watch. I have never been able to watch a deer grow past 5 years, the best one was last year and he was a 10 point that made it to 5. The neighbor girl killed it last year and she was 9 years old, I was real happy for her.

I think I get more satisfaction watching one mature out, and I do not even care if I get a chance to kill it.