Simple question really..... What is the biggest buck that has ever come your way while you were hunting, given you a legitimate shot opportunity, and you decided to let him live to see another day?
120 ish, and I didn't think he was that big when I didn't shoot, and then was kicking myself for NOT shooting him.
a ~120" 8 pointer two years ago. The same buck was shot a couple days later. He was a three year old that could have really ballooned into a monster if given another year.
Every year I let two to three walk by that would go in the low 120s... They get much bigger than that though and they don't walk on by, they leave running!
130-ish ten pointer last year. I had just killed a 14 pointer about a week earlier so I was being picky.
I let a deer in Kansas walk two years ago that was mid 30's... no idea he was that big until it was too late. As far as a deer that I recognized probably mid 20's.
I've ;et several 120'ish deer walk, over the last few years, waiting one that nice 140'ish buck to come along. Unfortunately, I'm yet to have a GOOD opportunity at that old bruiser....
148 class buck that I passed on twice. I misjudged him badly as he was a very uneven buck from side to side. I figured him mid 130's. It was early in the season so I was being real picky. Tyler had seen him also and thought he would be lucky to go in the mid 130s so he fooled both of us. Tyler found his sheds. I regretted passing him as Tyler found his one shed by his very dead body the next spring. Tyler passed on a 140 class buck. He was working on another buck that was quite a bit bigger and had a funky side. He did get the bigger buck in range a couple times. The one time the buck was fighting with another buck and he had no shot. The other time another buck was walking beside him inbetween Tyler and him so no shot. Tyler had no regret passing the one buck. Sadly a couple doorknobs decided to blind a tower stand right in the buck's bedding area that fall for rifle season. That was the last Tyler saw him or any of the other bucks that used that bedding area. It was too bad as that was the first year Tyler scouted and hunt by himself with no help from me in that area. He put a lot of time into that buck !! Tim
Ditto. Still kicking myself too. Happened fairly quick but not that quick where I should have recognized quicker. Not even sure what I was thinking. Oh well.
