Yes I would if I knew he could be something better and IF that happens on private managed land. Say I had a farm and I was working my butt off to produce trophy deer and all the sudden this freak 155" 2.5 year old pops up and I knew he was only 2.5. (and I say 155" cause my biggest deer was 153")... Yes I would let that deer go. On public land idk. see I'm into a deers body size just as much as I am antlers.... I wouldn't know till it happened.
To your credit happyhunter I know what you're saying about the young hunters. In my opinion targeting, hunting, and executing a clean kill on a mature buck takes knowledge and experience. Not talking about Luck. Luck is one of the factors of hunting that trumps all the other laws. I feel you should almost grow into hunting mature bucks. That's how I did it anyway.
A lot of good points from both sides. Obviously you want the best buck you can get. I'm in the middle I've taken a 10 point the same year as a 3point. I do give quite a bit of meat away also. Lucky to hunt private property but I'm not the only one hunting there everyone has different standards.
Most years I can only shoot 1 deer, that makes holding out for a decent buck much easier. I don't go by age it is all about the antlers. Not every buck now has to be the biggest buck ever because honestly I like shooting bucks, I am not passing any buck that is in the 130's.
It's our choice as hunters to let deer grow till they mature, it is different for everyone! mostly it is heard management that people are trying to accomplish!
Why? .....That's easy, because they can. Stop worrying about what everyone else is doing, you'll be a whole lot happier!!
people ask about the age b/c they think that is the key to identifying whether a buck is a shooter or not. Hunters who can't personally identify the traits of a "mature" deer will always ask "how old do you think he is?".
I've been rifle hunting for 14 years and have killed 1 buck that scored 120". I've been bow hunting for 4 years and haven't shot a buck. I've seen plenty of small bucks with my bow but the 120" I killed with my rifle has stopped me from letting an arrow fly. I want to top my current best... But I think I'm going into this year with a little different mindset. I really, really want to get that first buck with my bow. I think I've convinced myself that if a smaller buck presents me a shot, I will most likely take it. I don't have the luxury of managing the deer herd or anything like that. I hunt on a 53 acre parcel of land with extremely heavy hunting pressure all around me. I think I need to temper my expectations a little more.
My hunting scenario may be more unusual but I can't purchase doe tags. I can only get 2 buck tags a year. To be legal, the buck has to have a fork on one antler big enough to "hang a ring on". Ya weird huh. I will say age doesn't matter to me much. I don't have the ability to keep deer on the properties I hunt. Now I'm not saying I'll shoot anything walking in front of me so the next guy can't but I won't pass up an impressive buck because I think he's only 3 years old. And with only being able to get buck tags, we can't shoot does so a lot of young bucks are killed every year as "meat deer" to fill the freezer. Bucks around me don't have the opportunity to mature because of Fish and Game regulations like they do in other parts of the country. Bottom line for me is I want meat in my freezer so if it has to be a young buck to fill it, so be it. I'd be much happier to see one doe and one buck tag a year out here rather than only 2 buck tags. I think it would give a lot more bucks a chance to mature.
I didn't mean to cause such a stir. In no way am I faulting anyone for any decision they make on shooting a deer. I don't care what you shoot. I do however wonder if our younger hunters, and others, are being brain washed by the TV shows harping on taking mature deer. This is my point. I don't have the luxury of hunting several hundred acres. The places I hunt don't really have bedding spots. The bucks I see are passing through. As I said, if I see a buck during gun season, it is very likely he will be seen by someone else. I don't care to shoot a small buck. But I also know that in most cases, that 120" buck I let walk won't make it until the next season. I pass on them, but it is usually in vain. I don't get many encounters with good bucks, but when I do, his age is the last thing on my mind. To those of you that have more land and can let them mature, that's awesome. I hope you kill a monster every year. As for me, I just hope to see something in the 140's or better, or something with an unusual rack.
It's called deer management, u shoot (cull buck) young or old that have bad genetics so u can get those bad genetics out of your deer herd. Then shoot the super old big bucks and leave the younger good bucks so the younger good bucks can produce more quality bucks and get bigger themselves
I try to shoot old bucks because then at the end of the season when I'm eating tag soup I can brag about all the bucks I passed. If I try to shoot any buck and still eat tag soup, I put myself in the position of just being a poor hunter with no excuses, and who doesn't want an excuse.
I happen to be fortunate enough to have places to hunt that have large deer on them. Do I see them all the time? No. A trophy is in the eye of the beholder. Does everyone live in a place to have the chance to kill 5 1/2 year old deer and older? No. I have passed on numerous 3 1/2 and 4 1/2 year old deer due to knowing what they can turn in to. To me it is exciting to see those deer make it from one year to the next, watching them increase antler and body size. When I first started I killed way too many 2 1/2 year old deer in my opinion. Over the last 20 years I've learned what can happen when a deer matures. I also don't care if I eat "tag soup" every year. It is part of the way I've chosen to hunt. My style isn't for everyone. The goal of doing what we all do is to do what makes us happy. I congratulate everyone on the deer they kill. I don't know their circumstances. If they are excited, I'm excited for them.
That's awesome. As I said before, I don't care what anyone else does, I just don't understand the infatuation with age... A big buck is a big buck. The current world record was 3.5, according to someone else... I have tagged 3 bucks in the last 10 years, and that's pretty much my average. We only get one buck a year in Ky. I don't shoot little bucks, and I don't get many encounters with a shooter.
I've been eating tag soup for a couple years now . I wouldn't change a thing though cause I could have killed deer. But our doe population was hurting so we passed does. I had one good encounter with a good buck and he flat out busted me hard. Oh well. tag soup isn't so bad just put ranch dressing on it!
There is some controversy over the age of that Hanson buck. It was aged older than that originally. Many people argue that 3.5 is the beginning of maturity anyway and consider a 3.5 year old buck mature enough to shoot for their management goals. I like seeing old deer, knowing they had a long, full and happy life and bred lots of does. Is that suitable? What if the Hanson buck had been able to breed 30-40 more does in a longer life time? Chances would have been far better that he found a match that was genetically compatible enough with him to throw a few fawns out that had the capacity to beat his max by several inches. If a person is managing an area for larger overall bucks then there's sound reasoning behind letting one that young go. Would I let the Hanson buck go if I honestly thought he was only 3.5? No, I would not. As Doc Holiday said in Tombstone, "My hypocrisy goes only so far." Meaning that I would draw the line between management mindedness and a potential world record deer. I see a potential world record class deer and I honestly think he's 3.5 or older, I'm going to err on the side of opportunity.
