Here is the whole story about this deer and where I hunt... The spot is at the back end of a 2 1/2 acre lot that is connected to a bunch of lots ranging from 1 to 10 acres. All of these connect to a 100+ acre park that cannot be hunted. My stand sits along a major travel route. The herd that lives in this area has about 30 deer. 4 - 5 of these are very nice bucks. There is a trophy 8 pointer, 2 - 10 pointers, a very nice 9 pointer, and Spiderman (the buck in the video). I know of one other (there are probably more) bow hunter who also hunts and he sits about 1000 yards from where my stand is. He's a good friend and we have an agreement that if either of us shoots Spiderman, the other gets a call to help in the recovery process. I live in the outer ring of the metro area (Twin Cities, MN) and there are several busy roads around where all these deer live. 4 years ago, a truly impressive 10 pointer was killed on the road 4 blocks from my house. So, there is always the chance that any deer I target here can be removed via the grill of a vehicle...another bow hunter, etc. This adds to my dilemma. While I would love for this buck to spread its seed for another couple years - I really have no way of knowing if it will survive anyway. So, now that you know the whole story...what would YOU do? I...don't know what I'm going to do until I do it.
How many 3+ year old bucks have you shot? If you've got a wall full it might make sense to pass him. If you haven't shot any, then it would be foolish not to shoot.
This will be my second year deer hunting. I caught the bug last year (at the ripe old age of 47) and have become completely obsessed with bow hunting. I'm a life-long fisherman but bow hunting has taken over as my #1 obsession. I got a nice mature 8 pointer last year in this same spot. 40 minutes after I shot it, a monster 10 pointer walked right by my stand... So what you're saying is...I would be a moron to pass this buck if I get the chance.
Cool deer...I agree he's probably 3.5 ish...On private might pass, but public he gets shot...too bad though as he's got potential to be a real great deer in another year or two
