HuntingNet.com Forums - One of the hardest decisions I've made as a hunter

This afternoon I was off work and decided to head to the stand for alittle while. I was later than what I wanted to be getting into the stand but I figured I'd give it a shot. I was settled in and ready to go about 4:45. Sitting on a fencerow, under a few oaks on the edge of a hay field. They LOVE to feed on the oaks. It's the first time I had hunted this stand personally, it's usually occupied by one of my fellow hunters. It's responsiblefor a few of the deer we have killed out there this year. It was really windy and the air was pretty cool. I sat there until about 5:30, and then the wind died down. I decided I was going to try todo a little calling. I had placed a couple Scent Bombs near my stand, withthe closest one on a barb in the barb wire fence I was sitting over. I pull out the true talker and the can. I would flipthe can a few times, then give some grunts, i did this about 3 times within about 5-10mins.I start to sit down and I look across the field and a see a deer that appeared out of no where comming right at me,almostasif it was on a string. About 200yds away I could tell it had a rack.I lifted my binoculars and my jaw dropped as I set my eyes on him. I raised my bow and got ready.He's still trotting at me, head on.He gets to 40 yds and slows up. Now he's just walking.30yds, 25yds, at this point I'm saying to myself, turn, turn, please turn. HeKEEPS comming andnever turns. He's at 10yds, almost directly under me and he gives me somewhat of a shot,severe quartering to. I at thispoint was at fulldraw, I just coouldn't take that shot. I slowly ease down. He walks right up to the fence andshoves his nose RIGHT into that scent bomb and knocks it off onto my side. He starts trying to get his rack through the fence toget to the scent. At this pointI'm looking at him through the slats in my climber. After about2-3 mins of this he decides he's hadenough.He turns around, walks off in a different direction, still offering no suitable shot. He was once at about 22 yds and if I would have taken the shot I would have been shooting right behind the hip for it to exit decent. I had to let down again,I just had to smile as he walked away. There was nothing I could have done, I tried grunting, giving him some "maaahs" as he waswalking away. Nothing, he just would turn his head.It was definately a good experience, I was shaking like a leaf. This was by far the biggest deer I've seenon stand,in the woods, or just alive period. AS he walkedback across the field I studied him through the binoculars. He was aclean, solid 10pt. His G2's couldn't have been less than 11inches. I would have guesstimated him atleast mid 130's.

He was just...simply amazing.I came to full draw 4 times througout the whole deal only to decide they weren't the right shots totake. The 10 yard quartering to, I thought I could make but I really didn't want to take a chance at wounding such a magnificent deer.

I feel thatI made the "ethical" decisions, and decisions that showed me thatIam starting to mature as a hunter.

Just thought I would share a goodexperience with you guys.