We have several 2 and 3 year old bucks on camera but nothing amazing, at least yet. We keep getting this 4x2 on camera over and over again. He likes apples and gets on camera on all corners of the property. Will that side come back to match next year or will he be a fork on that side for now on? Thoughts would be to try to target him late season after I (hopefully) get my buck (for the contest) in Oct Nov
I can’t speculate as to whether or not his right side will match his left next year or in years to come. There are quite a few hunters on here that would be thrilled to kill him and there are many that wouldn’t even reach for their bow if they saw him coming. Me personally? I’d shoot him and be proud to do so. When I first started participating in the contest I let some bucks walk that I’d have been happy to shoot thinking I could put more points on the board. Hey, if I didn’t kill a bigger one I could always kill one of my smaller bucks, right? You already know how that ended for me. No buck on the scorecard at all. If I see a buck that I’d be happy with I’ll shoot him, post him on the scorecard and I won’t give a second thought to what anyone else thinks about it. In my opinion, when it comes to hunting it’s all about what you want to do, not what you think others will think of you when you do it. Provided it’s legal, of course.
no idea, I don't have enough data to know he was a small basket last year, and as I type I remember I did have a 2x1 a year or two ago, where the spike side was really tall and kind of flattened. I don't think I saved any pictures of that little buck but I saw him from stand a bunch.
as long as its legal..... in the Missouri County I hunt we do have an antler restriction and several years ago while hiking back out of the woods I came across a mature 3x3 that had been hit by a car, made it to a dry creek bed in our property and laid down waiting to die. I shot him because his back end up open, could smell it, and he was just going to get eaten alive by coyotes that night. He technically was not a legal deer as a 3x3 but I would wager he was at least 5 years old - probably more. Old mature deer, his euro in on the wall of our cabin to this day. -- circled in red
I've seen several bucks through the years that have gone "backward" in antler development one year only to spring forward the next. And I've also seen the opposite. IMO it's impossible to predict what may happen to a deer's rack as they age. There are just too many factors that can't be controlled or predicted in the wild. Drought, winter weather conditions, injuries, food sources, etc. For me, it's never really been about the size of the rack so much as it is about the age and history with the deer. I'll be chasing an 8-year-old buck this fall that probably won't score 120 inches. But that certainly isn't going to deter me from trying to shoot him!
Very personal question that only you can answer to shoot or not. I've seen the same thing with deer antlers changing from year to year. Very hard to tell what he might do from year to year. For me I would shoot him if I didn't have any other options that were better. If I did have better deer, I would definitely pass just see what he might become. Never know. More and more as I getting more seasoned as a hunter, just enjoy shooting deer. Of course if I stumble into a big one, I'm going to give it my full attention. Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk
If he is that big in mid-July, he will be bigger by the time he sheds and season opens. Personally, I would kill him for the simple fact that you don't often see antler configurations like that in white-tails. Uneven racks like that occur more often in mule deer, so I would probably pass him if he was mulie. But, I like weird racks and I cannot lie.
Public ground; heck yeah, on opening day. After that for me, it comes down to how the season has gone, cameras, what the sign looks like and the tag situation. He comes up to 30 yards, I’m likely sending it whether public or private. I don’t have enough on the wall to get picky just yet and it’s not that important to me. Way I see it, I stick his skull on the wall and get to tell the story while chompin on his backstrap…win win. Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
Don’t know what he could turn into, I’ve had wonky bucks that go back to normal frame the following year. When I decide to shoot a deer it’s situational and how I feel in that moment. If I get fired up I shoot em. I try not to go after specific deer, even tho I do get wrapped up into that from time to time.
I'm probably shooting that deer because he's mature and unique. You'll always remember that 6 pointer! Sent from my SM-S918U using Tapatalk
That joker came my way I’m letting the arrow fly, I’ve shot bigger bucks and smaller bucks. I’d be happy with that one.
I want to say I would pass it but in the moment an arrow would be launched I think. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
@trial153 may be a bit over the top on this one, but I kind of agree. If you are asking, that means you are a hunter that is at least thinking about being discretionary on what you shoot. So I am approaching this with that in mind. That deer looks kind of young to me. 2.5 - 3.5. He's got a really nice rack for that age, regardless of malformity. Next year, even if the one side is lower than the other, should score pretty nice. Like 20-40" better than he is now. Not knowing what your previous history is (maybe you have multiple 140s on the wall?) where you hunt, public./private, etc - taking into the fact you are considering being discretionary- I would let him walk. He might go 120 this year as a young buck, he could easily go 140+ next year.
