To shoot or not to shoot?
Today I was faced with a decision. About 15 minutes before the close of legal hunting hours I spied a buck coming thru the thick vines. I put my binoculars on him and at first I could only tell he had six points. Here in western PA we have 4 point per side antler restrictions. After a few minutes I could determine that the buck had another tiny point on each antler. Now without a tape rule there's no way I could tell if that point was a legal inch or longer. Finally the buck comes out into the open and I had clear view. I still could not tell! I thought to myself that surely if I could see it from where I was (10 yards away) then it would have to be an inch... I had a perfect broadside shot several times but I couldn't bring myself to pull the trigger. Another thing that bothered me is that the buck had an injured left front shoulder/leg. So I pondered the 'shoot or not to shoot' dilemma for 10 more minutes until finally another deer busted me from down the hill behind me. This 6 or 8 point will live for another day....