Of wondering what a deer you shot would look like next season? Now don't get me wrong, I do not regret shooting anything and am 100% happy and satisfied with what I have shot... However, I just always wonder... What would he look like "next" year Anyone else?
I've done that at times... but generally when I shoot them, I'm happy with how he'll look next fall on my wall. :D
Yup... once or twice. Never regretted shooting a buck, but have thought, "If I had let him go one more year, I wonder how much more __________ would he have?" The one I got last fall is a prime example. Nice spread, symmetrical as heck, decent tine length, but mass was lacking. Pretty as all get out, but I still thought about what he would've been in '09...
Every deer I shoot I wonder that. I never regret killing one, but there is always that "hmmmmm" feeling. I guess it comes from finding a lot of sheds from the same bucks over the years and seeing how they change. Good question.
No... I've gone the other route and passed on bucks I wished I hadn't. I've under-guesstimated only to find out later they made the cut. I also tend to get hooked on one really good buck and have passed on other good bucks. Tim
Guilty as he11, your honor :d But I'm happy to report that my rehabilitation is coming along, nicely. Last year, I learned the art of passing on lessor bucks. Here's to hoping that good karma comes back my way, this year
I think it is natural to wonder what they would have looked like, but then I gotta remind myself, the older they get the smarter they get and the less chance I would have of seeing them......I just shoot the dumb small ones.......
Until you poised the question I never thought of it... To me, if I pull the trigger or let the arrow fly I'm committed and happy with the end result... Filling another tag, weather it's meat for the freezer or the for my wall. Of course I have thought about if I waited another 10-15 minutes would the bigger deer be coming around the corner next? I sure wish I had a crystal ball!!!
I've been guilty of this too Tim. One that really comes to mind for me was a 10 point that I was positive was an 8 point. I saw him at about 60 yards and he was coming straight at me and should eventually come by at 12 yards broadside I figured. He did exactly what I thought he'd do. I never got off of my seat being I was positive he was a 120"-125" 8 point. Guess what, he was a 130"-132" 10 point but It was too late to do anything, I couldn't move!! Bad mistake on my part, I was 17 years old at the time and It was my 1st year hunting mature bucks only. Any deer I see buck or doe, my buts off of the seat just In case now ever since then. Lesson learned! Back when I was 14 years old I shot a button buck with huge buttons on Thanksgiving. That BB dressed out at 90lbs, I've always wondered what he would of turned In to.
I think I always wonder what a buck would look like with an extra year or two of growth on him. However, I never had any regrets of shooting until this past season. It was early morning, maybe 5 mins of good shooting light, and I see buck making his way to a known buck bedding area. I had watched a big 10 the morning before do the same thing, but was 30 yards out of position. I adjusted my stand location in hopes of him returning the next morning and figured this was it. Come to find out it was a GREAT 2 1/2 year old 10 which scored 122". Can you imagine what he would have been as a 4 1/2yo?
I have never thought that way. When I see a buck where I hunt, it is generally the first and last time. I rarely have ever seen the same buck twice. I have to make a decision, and usually that decision has to be made very quickly.
There's only one deer of mine that I think about what it would look like if I had given it one more year. It was borderline p&y, and by far the biggest deer I had shot at the time, so I was still happy, but if I had given it one more year it probably would have scored in the 140's. My dad shot a deer a couple years ago that scored 192 5/8" and that is the main one that I wonder what it would be if it had more time. It was aged at 4 1/2, and still had a couple years of antler growth left. It had a 24 1/2" spread also. However, I don't think any hunter in their right frame of mind would have let it walk.
It's just the opposite for me.... I look at him and say, "man, I bet you were a rag head last year" :d
No not really. The only one that comes to mind is actually this past seasons. Because he was so wierd & stuff, I did wonder what he might have looked like with another year. I don't care or wonder what any buck I see or pass up will look like in the future. I hunt for the present & the bucks that are existing NOW, not those that may be alive in a year or 2.
