I don't pass deer up..........don't have that luxury. Doubt I would even if I did.
I have killed four 1 1/2 yr old bucks in the last 3 years..........and one 3 1/2 yr old.........between my brothers, my dad and I over the years I couldn't even count.
My harvest this year was a 4 pt....a 6 pt......a mature doe and a 6 month old doe.
I am an equal opportunity hunter
I never really understood this logic. What makes a big buck special??.........because he is DIFFERENT then the usual tailgate decoration right?? That is why a 120 class buck is a jaw dropper someplaces and in other places you might get asked why you didn't let him walk.
If you let all the younger bucks walk then the woods will be plentiful with bigger, mature bucks........just like they are now with smaller bucks. So shooting a larger buck in that area will no longer be as special as before when they were only seen once in a blue moon.
Don't you all think to yourself when you watch hunting shows that have BIG bucks walking by one after one all day that it wouldn't be as special to take one of those bucks?? Why would it??........if you miss him another one will be by in an hour.........What a challenge
I enjoy deer hunting for what it is. It is VERY tough to even get a deer in most places I hunt.
If I sat around and waited for a bruiser every year it's possibe I may never pull a trigger again. No thanks. The year I killed the 3 1/2 yr old 13 pointer SUCKED!!!! He was practically the only deer I saw all year and I hunted my nads off. I would take a year like this year over that one ANY day of the week.
I took my two bucks to a guy for european mounts this year and he has TONS of private land his family owns and hunts for ever and ever. They have stands set up all over their food plots and he has MONSTER bucks all over his walls. He hunted for 2 days this archery season and killed a 160" brute. Last time I saw him he showed me pics of his brothers and dad's bucks.......ALL HUGE deer. So they basically grow big bucks and shoot them whenever they feel like they are "Big Enough" for the wall.........WOW, what an exciting challenge
Killing a BIG buck is a lot more special IMO when he was probably the ONLY one on the hill............not the closest one in the food plot [:'(]