RE: Trophy Hunting?
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I have one for the QDM folks, you know there is a 7-8 year old monster 6 point on the property you hunt, 23-24 inches on the inside of the beam with 12-14" tines, he has never had brow tines or he would be a real brute of an 8 point, you also know there is a nice 3.5 year old buck that was a nice basket 8 last season. Now you see a scrub buck that is an easy shot, do you take him to stop him from mating, knowing that the other 2 nice bucks are still on the hoof? Mind you there is a huge amount of does in your area. You are to your knowledge the only person to hunt this area and you can kill 3 bucks a year and 100 doe. Do you cull him or let him walk, knowing he will breed and may get to be a bit larger, but still be a scrub buck passing on his genes?
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If I had three buck tags? Even if I had only one, I would most definately try for the 6 pointer right off!!! That buck you describe is a true trophy due to its rarity. Kind of like the 3 anltered buck I harvested a couple of weeks ago. It is a rare find in the nature of a piebald, albino, ect.
Now, Do I shoot the scrub buck while having 3 tags? Most definately. If I have done my homework, and have seen the same buck, year after year, and no significant growth has occured, I will do my part in removing him from the herd. If I am not 100% sure of it, I let it walk and take my chances that his offspring will load up on minerals and develope their own superior gene pool year after year.