Would you take this Buck?

[Stensethfan]

My honest opinion would be to shoot that buck.  I think of it like this: I have been hunting long hours each year for the last 10 years now and only have seen one deer larger than that on the hoof and I was able to shoot him and put him on the wall.  That was in my second year of hunting.  Not until last year did I even see anything close to that and I missed him at 22 yds.  so if it is going to be 7-8 years between every deer like that I get to see in the woods I am going to have to shoot.  I do not have my own land so I have to take what I can get.  Not to mention I think a lot of people watch to many TV shows filmed on ranches that are 30,000 plus acres and think that if you let then walk until they are 5 plus years old they will all be 150+ inch bucks.  That is never going to be the case in all of our hunting places even if everyone didn't shoot anything under 5 years old.  There are too many predators, cars, and mother nature factors that limit that.  I think hunters should shoot the deer no matter the size as long as it feels good to them.  If you are a trophy hunter more power to you, if you enjoy a little venison each year, great.  If you want to line the interior of the garage with 6 point racks, awesome!  I just hope that my wife shoots her first deer this year with her bow no matter the size.  I know she is going to be pumped and I cannot wait to see the look on her face when it happens!   

[NDGUY]

NO.... 2 more years and he's a great buck

[smokey bear]

shoot the doe's and watch the bucks grow. that buck would score low and very far from a trophy. spend your hard earned $ on a mount you can really be proud of. if that buck went 120 green scored i would be suprised.

[Big E]

That's a tough one. My rule is if I shoot it then I have to get a shoulder mount. Don't worry about what we say at all. If you think it's a trophy and want it on the wall then shoot him. But if you'd just shoot it and throw the rack on the work bench or in a closet......then I'd suggest letting him go. My guess is 2 1/2 years and 120-125.

[DroptineDC18]

I would pass.  He is a nice young deer and being only an 8, probably wouldn't even make 125.  I don't remember who posted it but I think the 8 points outside the ears for taking a deer rule is obsolete.  With many people practicing QDM, it is very easy to get yearling bucks and 2 1/2 year olds that are 8 points or more and outside the ears.  These are not mature deer.  I have made this mistake, in 2005 I shot an 11 point with a drop tine, had palmated beams, and 16 inches wide.  Sounds like a mature deer. He even ended up scoring 140 and some change.  Well I was wrong, he was only 2 1/2.  I felt bad for taking this deer because of the future potential he would have created.  I won't make that mistake again.  Now they have to be for sure 4 1/2 or older.  I do understand where people are coming from though when they do not have the opportunity to let these bucks grow or else the neighbors will shoot them.  I have been there, its not fun.

[younghunt13]

if i had a good  i would take him in a heart beat because it is food on the table and it is a good size deer.

[mathews4ever]

I wouldn't hesitate to zip an arrow through that trophy.

[22lex]

I would pass.  He is a nice young deer and being only an 8, probably wouldn't even make 125.  I don't remember who posted it but I think the 8 points outside the ears for taking a deer rule is obsolete.  With many people practicing QDM, it is very easy to get yearling bucks and 2 1/2 year olds that are 8 points or more and outside the ears.  These are not mature deer.  I have made this mistake, in 2005 I shot an 11 point with a drop tine, had palmated beams, and 16 inches wide.  Sounds like a mature deer. He even ended up scoring 140 and some change.  Well I was wrong, he was only 2 1/2.  I felt bad for taking this deer because of the future potential he would have created.  I won't make that mistake again.  Now they have to be for sure 4 1/2 or older.  I do understand where people are coming from though when they do not have the opportunity to let these bucks grow or else the neighbors will shoot them.  I have been there, its not fun.

I agree with you DC9 on the year thing. I rattled in a buck a couple years back that from a distance looked like a respectable ten point. As he came closer it was evident that his body was too small to be a mature deer, but he had about a 15-18'' spread, and all his tines were around 6" (excluding the 1's).

What I do disagree with is that I would put an arrow through the 140" deer you shot with the palmated beams. More often than not my experiences with deer are usually split second, or reaction thinking. If I'm seeing a mainframe ten with a droptine it's going to take a dirtnap immediately, or about ten minutes of dinking around my stand for me to size him up not to shoot him. I think you made the right decision.....

Just my .02 cents.

[DroptineDC18]

I know what you mean 22lex, but I just felt bad because this deer was not fully mature yet.   I did respect that deer and put him on the wall.  I think that buck could have been a magazine buck one day.  And I revoked that potential.

[jb2643]

id let him walk........i passed up bigger bucks then that this year because i know my land has five bucks that score 170 or more. but if it was your first deer or buck id maybe think about it. its a nice buck for a first one!

[jnyman]

I would take it havent even seen a buck in 3 years all does all the time plus ive never actually shot a buck so would be my first and i dont want the neighbors to take it lol 

[Crazy4Outdoors]

I was glad to see "younghunt13 " (Reply #35 to this post) say that he would take him if he had a good shot.  It's so nice to see the young ones get to shoot at anything, regardless of size.  We try to let the smaller bucks go but we let all of the kids shoot at any deer, big or small - it's their choice.  I personally would have a hard time not shooting at that buck, but I might have to pass it up -- because the next one I shoot needs to be bigger than the ones my hubby has on the wall -- and this one wouldn't do it -- ha!!  Bragging rights, ya know!

[TMT]

It is a good looking deer.
Shoot him.