Bad genetics? Pass or Shoot?

I am not a trophy hunter... so I may shoot for the meat depending on my freezer capacity. If I were looking for a trophy, I'd let him walk. I don't think you can tell much about the future of a buck by seeing one photo. Next year, you may know more... if he is the same size then, he may not do much but with no growth pattern, you are probably guessing at best.

 

This looks like my first buck I have ever shot. I got it this year. I was happy. I hunt a small piece of public land with lots of pressure. I had my mind made up for my first buck I would shoot the first chance I had. No regrets.

 

You're in Northern Michigan according to your info. If that is true that is a typical 2.5 for much of that area. I hunt in Clare County along with the UP and have seen enough 2.5's over the years to know that the deer in your picture is nothing more (or less) than an average 2.5yr old deer.

As others have said, you can't control genetics in a truely wild herd. There are too many variables to consider. Also, even if you were in a situation where you could control the genetics it's hard to say at 2.5yr's old what he'll grow into. He won't reach his full potential for another 3 to 4 years.

Shoot or not is your decision but I would be passing and hoping to see him again next year.

 

Pass him....he needs time..Thunderbolt

 

Listen to your dad! He knows what he is talking about. If nothing else, he is your dad an you should do what he says anyways!

 

i would take the shot. im not to picky about my deer. if one walks within range i shoot it (unless its a doe with fawns)

 

It is impossible to improve the quality of a deer heard by culling one or two bucks a year. Think about the sheer number of deer and volume of genetics out there in a 2000 acre area. Some deer have home ranges, some deer get displaced, some deer roam for miles.

 

As everyone else said...pass he has plenty of time to grow. If he still looks bad at 4 1/2 then kill him... I bet you will be surprised the jump he makes in the next two years!

 

Pass for sure. letting those 2.5y/o bucks walk is key in having mature bucks. Food and age are the two factors we can control, genetics shouldn't be in the picture unless you where raising deer in a pen. Why is genetics not really important? Way to many variables that you cant control. Its common for yearling bucks to be displaced, maybe location and available nutrition had an influence on that bucks antler growth for a given year, who knows but in any event playing fortune teller is much riskier then letting the but walk and grow another year.

 

Nuke your land...with deer like that its clear you need to start over. No clue who he breed with, what doe/buck made him, or what other deer have his blood in them. Nuke em all...you dont want the nightmare.

 

Never under estimate mother nature. I had a buck that always showed up around one particular stand site. His 1st and 2nd rack was way bellow average.He diapered the 3rd and 4th season and i completely forgot about him.Only to show up on Oct. 31st. 2012. I harvested him and it was not till i walked up to him and started to gut him that i noticed he was the buck from 4 years ago. He had the same little 2" tail but was pushing out 150+" of antler. Not bad for a scrub that maid it to 5 1/2 yrs old. I would give him a get out of jail free card for a few more years .

 

I think it really depends. If you are itching to shoot your first buck, or first buck with a new bow, go for it. If you are truly looking for trophies and are less concerned about meat I would let him walk. Nothing wrong with a little tag soup to bag a trophy (whatever you consider a trophy) later.

 

This should start a nice flame war...

You CAN influence antler genetics in your area. No, 70% is not controlled by the doe. But you have to do it right. In this case, it will be good to let this deer go another year. I would never judge a buck at 2.5 unless it was super obvious (no brow tines, spike at 2.5, or similar).

It is hard to pass 4.5 year old monster, and 5.5 year old monsters. However, if you do, they will breed more and their offspring will be more inclined to have big racks. If you do this early in your QDM process, pass on the monsters and shoot the older bucks with smaller racks, you will have a noticeable impact.

 

Shoot what you want to, its all about what you hunt for! But he is a young deer so if you think you may want to pass for him to get bigger than I'd pass!

 

Nice 2.5 yr old in my book