mauser06

ive always been one that said "if its not there when i kill it, i wont add to it by having broken tines fixed"

exception would be it was there when i shot it and it broke it on its death run/crash etc...

but, I took my widest/biggest buck Saturday(rifle kill) nothing huge...but would be a nice 6pt 15 1/4 or so wide...but it has a busted brow that is about slick (other side is somewhere around 2") and the other antler has a busted g2...busted about 1.5"...the other side is about 6". rack would be nice if it were intact....but it wasnt there when i shot it....

not sure if im really considering it or not...kicking around the idea but i dont know...might but i doubt it..i dont know

just curious what would/have you guys done??? i now see BOTH sides of the argument...it clearly wasnt there when i shot him...but its easy to see that it would be symmetrical and would make it look real nice if it were intact...so i can understand why some guys do have them fixed...just makes them look nice..

(for the sake of argument say its your best bow kill...but nothing huge or a monster..just your first nice one....i just posted here because i know i share the same ideas as many of you fellow bowhunters...just happened i took this buck with a rifle..)

Rory/MO

I'd leave it how it is. I like gnarly stuff anyway

TEmbry

The way I see it, no way. Not my kill to decide with, but I'm not one to add antlers after a kill to make a bigger/more appealing mount. I'll mount a deer just as I find him. I would trade capes for a ruined cape, but antlers aren't changed...unless it broke after the shot and I found the antler tine (like you said).

Although admittedly a stretch, why not add a droptine ora sticker here and there while you are at it? Just the way I see it, doesn't matter one way or the other. It just boils down to how you personally feel about it.

MichaelP

Agreed, if it falls off while he is running to his death...I get it put back on. If it is not there when I kill him then it stays off. How do you know exactly what it looked like, how long etc. One thing is for sure, he looks exactly the way he did when you took him right now and to me that is all that matters. In the end though it goes without saying, your deer, your money and I think it is cool whichever route you go. Congtats on the kill, I did not see the story. Did you post one, and with pics I hope.

GMMAT

I've just been thinking about this Cap'n.

Here's my take (and bear with me).....

Whatever happened to make that buck lose his tines is part of his "legend". I've got one at the taxi right now with a missing G2. How'd it happe? Big fight??? Other??? If you repair that tine....you've taken that story away from him. I don't wanna do that. To me he'd be LESS with the repairs. As-is....he's got some "legend" status.

I couldn't repair it if I didn't find it.

stickersNkickers

I would leave it, JMO!! Can you post pics of the buck?

BowHuntingFool

I'm leaving mine I killed with the Longbow just the way I killed him, he is going on the wall just the way he fell over dead, busted tine!

mauser06

thanx guys! thats the way i feel at heart....

but 1/100th of me says "man that euro would look MUCH better than it does now!"


Jeff, your 100% correct...its part of the story and character of the buck....friday i will have my skull and teeth back....everyone that seen it says it was an old buck on the downhill slide..very well could be...he was a big woods buck that is only heavily hunted opening day of rifle season...could easily been smart enough to evade hunters that 1 day a year and smart enough to stay live the other days hunters were near him...

Michael, it was a rifle kill....went to my buddies camp Saturday...killed my bow buck there LAST year...hunted the rifle opener there this year(didnt fill my buck tag in bow season) seen 25+ deer..only IDed 3 bucks...2 different 4pts and a 8pt..i didnt know the 2.5yo 8 was an 8 till he was spooked by other hunters...buddy killed him across the power line...i opted to head back up saturday...was watchin a ravine when i spotted deer on the other side...6-8 deer...all doe except the last one...a buck! seen its huge body and good spread..put legal points on his head and put one through his heart...

sad to say but i got no good pics of him. battery in the camera was deader than could be. my fault for not checking...no stores around to buy a disposible...only one at camp and bad weather moving in and i didnt have 4wd so i opted to head home....got home and on a saturday evening noone was to be found ANYWHERE....i dont like to let carcasses hang with the skin on long...and wanted to get the hide salted(im having it tanned) so i took some pics of it hanging and of the head and skull when i was done..and will take more when the euro is done Friday....but no good pics...heck, nothing in the pic to judge size from...i just dont like to wait around and have finals this week so time isnt something i got a ton of....i had time saturday night to skin and quarter it...not time to waste waiting for someone to take crappy pics of a stiff gutted deer in the yard...

cant even post the pics i DO have because i cant locate my transfer cord ANYWHERE looked at home a little last night and couldnt find it...said it HAS to be at school....welllll im at school and its not here! lol....dont know where it could be...

wis_rifle_hunter

i would leave it. my uncle had a guy fix his deer's broken tines but he had to sign a waiver that he wont enter it into a contest or a whitetail classic show.i dont know why but i think thats kinda dumb if you ask me

rybohunter

I wouldn't fix any tines that I didn't break or cause to break.