silent...so you' re not particularly selective about the bucks you shoot or are you just that gifted to have such supernatural abilities to field score an animal nearly instantaneously? I really don' t want to shoot a buck from the rut or before that will score under 140 and after the rut I certainly don' t want to go under 130 and that can be very difficult when the blood is a pumpin' . When I first see a buck my eyes go on a supersonic scan of his rack and I try to determine " shoot" or " don' t shoot" but I' ve never had a quick measuring system that I' ve used but this may be useful. I prefer for a buck to be a dink or a monster because I hate the 1.5-3.5 year old bucks that can be somewhere in that gray area.

I can also tell in about a half a second if he' s a shooter.

" so you' re not particularly selective about the bucks you shoot or are you just that gifted to have such supernatural abilities to field score an animal nearly instantaneously?"

Neither. A P&Y score isn' t a measure of a trophy to me, I could care less what it scores, but I' m very selective at times. Hee' s either an old mature buck with a big rack, or he needs another year or two. Pretty simple.

When a buck is an absolute hawg, sure no doubt in the shot...take it. But there exists the potential for one to make an error simply for the fact that a decision to shoot or not to shoot must be made and at that point our human(ness) enters the equation. Ground shrinkage is a very real phenomenon. I' ve been involved in some pretty intense hunting situations that required very quick decisions on whether to shoot or not to shoot. Rattling is a good example...you have a buck crashing through the woods and suddenly entering a shooting lane at 20 yards broadside wired to the gourd and you know he won' t be offering that shot for more than a few moments or so. You scan the rack and are as wired to the gourd as the buck. He looks like a shooter or is he?

Now if a buck is just milling around and I have minutes to judge him then it' s not as much of an issue but when the opportunity is short lived, I think this method will be helpful.

I guess a little bit of both. My little microprocessor works fast or I have good intuition or instinct or I' m a really decisive person I really can' t tell you the answer. It has almost become an involuntary reflex over the years and it is something I don' t give a lot of thought to. I guess I just have it programmed in too my subconscious what I' m looking for. I' d say I am not as picky as you are either wolfen. If I have to think about it real hard it' s a shooter where I would imagine you have it programmed that if you have to think about it real hard it' s not a shooter. It probably stems from the fact that you have a better selection to choose from

No matter what your definition of shooter is (unless its ANY buck) a borderline shooter, in a quick tense situation can be difficult. You gotta be prepared to go with your quick gut feeling and accept the outcome, or take your time deciding and accept that you may miss the chance completely.

THis is my dillema for now, I' m hoping to lean more towards the latter statement, but that' s difficult at times.

silent & wimp...good points. The buck I shot and did not recover last year was one of those instantaneous " holy cow, he' s a shooter" bucks. I even literally quietly whispered that to myself as I brought my release to my d-loop. Then there were those 20+ marginal bucks that I had to really check out and make sure that I wasn' t missing something. Like I said before, I like when they are monsters or little dinks...it limits my stress

I don' t waste any time scoring an animal. I am more concerned with getting within range and making an accurate quick killing shot. Besides, I have never seen a recipe for antlers.

I prefer a nice plump doe, Spike or cow. I hope to draw my bull permit next year though and will work hard to fill the tag . . . but scores are less important than the celebration, success and elation of the hunt.

Dale,

I just Love your method

I have been judging my heads and racks on the wall and I have more 140' s and 150' than I thought[]

I wish it were all true

JUST SHOOT THE DAMN THING !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!






Help, I want to go hunting, Now !!!!!!!!!

Shooter or not?!?!? If that dudes got a rack, ANY rack, I`m shootin!!![]
Around here if you dont shoot it, somebody else will. I wish it didnt have
to be that way but if ya snooze ya lose