I dont do any management, if i hadn't filled any tags yet I would definitely shoot him be it the first or last day of season, i would love to shoot a nice buck some day but my first concern is feeding my family. Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk
He in on Private land but there are hunters on three sides of my hunting spot. That is why I am in the situation on this buck that I would love to let walk to shoot him next year but I know the others will shoot him on sight! This fella is my #1 target for this year! http://s634.photobucket.com/albums/uu65/dawg007/Trail Camera Videos/?action=view¤t=021-1.mp4
Culling is crap and management is crap, IMO...that buck does have potential to be something wild, and I would try and see just that, jussayn!
I'd let him walk for sure. Actually, I ate tag soup last year on one much larger than that. It's all personal, but personally, I don't belive in shooting smaller deer, even late in the season. Just keep him around and watch him grow over the next couple years. I have one I've been watching since '09. He's not a 9 pointer but not quite ready yet, still too narrow.
I had a deer that looked similar when he was 1.5, and this year he is really cool looking at 4.5. I tried to upload the picture, but it says it is too big. Not real savvy on that part yet. Shoot whatever makes you happy, if there is doubt, usually it is a good idea to not shoot and let him get bigger.
Taking a buck out of the heard as a management buck just doesn't add up for me. Think about this... his dad could have been a 190 class 5x5, and that buck could bride the gap to pass along those genetics with the right doe. I used to live on a deer farm and we had a seven year old 130 class six pointer breed all the does every year. Most of his fawns grew into giant 4x4s and 5x5s including a big typical 6x6 that produced a 160 class rack at 4 years old. In 6 years of breeding this buck he never produced a buck with a 3x3 frame like his. I am no expert on genetics I just think a healthy deer herd is most important. Focus on shooting dry does and older bucks.
So many people get wrapped-up in buck genetics. It takes two to tango, and some research has shown that the mother has a statistically larger impact on antler development than the father. Most people tend to forget about that. I'd take age structure over genetics anyday. Leave that little boy alone.
^^^ I understand the fact that it takes up a tag, but if you really want to build a big buck herd then sometimes you have to cull bucks. I don't know if this is an option in other states, but here in Texas you can ask the government for special "culling tags" or a slaughter permit that allows you to kill a much higher amount of does per season and a few extra bucks per season. That has completely transformed our herd into a bigger buck group. To answer your question, that deer looks pretty young, obviously only 1 1/2 or 2 years old. Let him grow a few more years, and if he still has a crappy rack then, whack him!
