RE: Greg H (Hats off to you sir!)
 

I started out wanting a P&Y, any P&Y. Well, that first one through me for a loop so the next year I had to try again, 125" or better. This second season really taught me how to be patient. I had a lot of small bucks come by that I previously would have shot. I had a small 1 1/2 8 pointer come by me 3 days in a row and I drew on him all 3 times. [:-]This was the first 3 days of the season! Our Wi season opens on the 3rd Sat. of Sept. so I told myself that 1) If you shoot that you won't get a P&Y and 2) It's early yet, just relax. I had the urge a couple more times on some other bucks but I held off. That year, during my summer scouting I saw 2 bucks that I'd have shot. On Nov 8th I shot one of them, the smaller one. He grossed 126.5 and netted 125.5. That was close! He's the exact middle one in the bottom row.

For the next few years I shot what ever I thought was P&Y. Some were well over the minumum, some grossed it but netted under. During my 6th year of trophy hunting I shot a buck that I knew just had to be P&Y and he wasn't! Second from left, top row. He was missing a g-3 on one side and had a fork on the g-2 and a split brow tine, both major deductions. With 138" of horn on his head this buck only netted 116 as a 6 pointer. This was a changing point for me. This was a great buck, I'd seen him the year before and he was boss of the area. He dresses at over 220#. This is when I decided that if a buck LOOKED cool enough to me that I wanted to take him I would.

For the next few years when I got my spot in Lake co., Ill (bow only), I had already taken half a dozen or so 125 to 140 8 pointers, I upped my goal to the high 140's. First year I wanted 145+ or a clean 5x5. For the next 3 seasons I eeked it up to 147+ or a clean 5x5. What this did was have me trying for some of the top bucks in my area. In 2006 I saw 3 bucks I would have shot and got a chance at #3 but missed. [:o]I ended that season taking what I thought was a 5x5 but was a weirdo 9 pointer instead (2nd from left bottom row), In 2007 I got a shot at and scored on the #1 buck from 2006. Really weird, 2008 I shot the #1 buck from 2007 but he had went down hill from the year before, but he's still a really cool buck. I am calling these #1 bucks because they were the biggest bucks I'd seen during the season. I know that there are bigger ones out there, I just haven't seen them.

Anyway, this is how I started out and ended up with my goals today.

Thanks for asking.

RE: Greg H (Hats off to you sir!)
 

Thanks Greg, I am trying to get to that point, but I'm still having trouble passing on the real nice 120" bucks that come by. I hunt public ground exclusively so there is no point in the "letting them grow" attitude. Every year I see the 140-150 class bucks but getting close is few and far between. Someday it'll happen.