You just have to keep reminding yourself that some of them WILL make it. As has been mentioned, if you snuff them out you are guaranteed one less potential good buck to hunt for future YEARS. Besides, what kind of satisfaction does an experienced guy get from killing a basket racked year and a half old deer.
Couldn't have said it better.
It really doesn't matter where you hunt....or how much pressure there is. Some WILL make it. If you shoot him, there's a 100% chance he won't grow into the buck you'd like to see. All you can do is let him walk, and keep hunting for what you want. Also, try and educate the folks around you the best you can. There will always be the people that will shoot anything with a couple inches of horn....so they can have their bragging rights. Nothing you can do about them. You can only control your actions.
I don't live or hunt in big buck central....so the chances of seeing a bruiser are much slimmer than what some of you folks have. Heck some folks on this board regularly pass up bucks that I will probably never see where I hunt. But there are some nice bucks around every year. And I'm hunting for one of them...no less. I guess the bottom line for me is....I'm not gonna shoot a buck that doesn't do something for me. I'd rather shoot a doe or two or three. I think it comes with maturing as a hunter. I can remember when shooting a forkhorn pumped me up higher than a kite. Now, I enjoy watching him walk. And yes I've had nice basket rack bucks walk out of sight after passing them up, and get popped as well. But at least I know I did my part.
I think ultimately it comes down to what YOU as the hunter want and would be proud to harvest.
I wish the states that I hunt would adopt antler restrictions of some sort...or at least cut down on the # of bucks that can be legally harvested per year. That would help alot overall. Until then...I'll keep passing them up.
