Call me suspicious but I find it kind of convenient the buck in question is exactly the length of the cut off. Are you sure if someone else laid a tape to it that it would be exactly 3 inches and not 3 1/8th? Funny thing about antlers is that they are rarely completely straight and the measurement on the curved surface can vary depending on where the tape is laid. That is why major trophies close to world record status are always scored by a panel.
Now if both deer are completely legal and properly tagged, no problem. But you cannot look at your original post and come to that conclusion. I'd say you got lucky because that 3 inch spike could have very easily been 3 1/4 and then we're talking a different matter. Lesson learned. Check your target very, very carefully. 1/4 of on inch can make a big difference. Just a suggestion but if you commonly have deer at 200 yards and can look at them for 10 minutes before shooting you should invest in a good spotting scope. A 36X scope will let you see a 3 inch spike at that range. and therefore eliminate this from happening again.
Last edited by flags; 12-25-2013 at 08:39 AM.