Any regrets on letting a deer walk?
01-18-2010, 01:27 PM
#32
Typical Buck
Join Date: May 2005
Location: SE PA
Posts: 657
To answer this question I need to tell a quick story. My first four years of hunting ('01-'04) I harvested a buck every year. It was cool having that streak going, something that not many of my dad's friends had accomplished. In 2005 I had no plans of passing anything up. I had a couple misses with my bow that year and also an encounter with a 130"+ 8pt, that looked like something from the midwest. Long story short I didn't get a buck that year. Once the streak was over, the feeling of "I have to kill a buck" seemed to go away with it.
In 2006 I decided to be more selective, no rigorous requirements just a little more selective. In archery season I passed a nice 9 pt (mainframe 8 with a 3" kicker off his brow) that woulda scored around 90". I didn't really feel any regrets until the season started to wind down, and I realized I probably wasn't going to get a buck...this is where the story gets good...
It was the last day of buck season, in fact, it was the last hour. My dad, cousin, uncle, and I were walking across a huge cornfield (several hundred acres) to put on one last drive before the season closed. As I was walking across the field I remember saying to my Dad...and I quote, "So much for letting little bucks walk, I definitely should have shot that 9pt back in archery." As we were getting set up for the drive I saw my uncle making crazy hand motions. I went ver to him to investigate but by the time I was within a hundred yards he was crouched in a shooting position. I ran to the top of the hill to my left that was blocking my vision. There was a herd of about 12 deer standing in the middle of the cut cornfield we had just walked through (they had gotten pushed and we're deciding which way to go). One of the deer was a big buck, I put my crosshairs on him and fired, he ran to the other side of the herd untouched. I put my crosshairs on him again and fire, this time I actually saw dirt kick up several feet in front of him. I put my crosshairs 3ft above his back and squeeze, he dropped like a rock. My uncle found my shells and paced it off at 188 steps. Was the shot too far to even try with a shotgun, umm yeah. Did I realize it was that far in the heat of the moment, not at all. That shot was nothing short of miraculous. The kicker was that it was on my Dad's birthday, on land that he had hunted for years. The buck was 3.5 grossing over 110". It's safe to say that after my 2006 experience, I cared very little about ending a season without getting a buck, so long as I had more days in the woods that could potentially produce an experience like I just mentioned.
Flash forward to today. I've yet to harvest a buck since the story I just told back in 2006. Do I regret it, not at all!!!! This year I told myself that I would pass any deer (regardless of antler size) that wasn't at least 3.5 yrs old. I ended up passing a buck that would potentially be my biggest (gross around 110") because I believe he is only 2.5. Earlier today I talked to my Dad and he said he got "the cougar" on film last night (named him the cougar because he's got 9 lives). I can't wait to see what this buck looks like next year if he makes it through, it will be worth it and them some.
Moral of the story, set your own goals and stick to them. You won't regret it at all, in fact, you'll find that you can get joy out of much more than just shooting a deer (ex: seeing him again next year).
In 2006 I decided to be more selective, no rigorous requirements just a little more selective. In archery season I passed a nice 9 pt (mainframe 8 with a 3" kicker off his brow) that woulda scored around 90". I didn't really feel any regrets until the season started to wind down, and I realized I probably wasn't going to get a buck...this is where the story gets good...
It was the last day of buck season, in fact, it was the last hour. My dad, cousin, uncle, and I were walking across a huge cornfield (several hundred acres) to put on one last drive before the season closed. As I was walking across the field I remember saying to my Dad...and I quote, "So much for letting little bucks walk, I definitely should have shot that 9pt back in archery." As we were getting set up for the drive I saw my uncle making crazy hand motions. I went ver to him to investigate but by the time I was within a hundred yards he was crouched in a shooting position. I ran to the top of the hill to my left that was blocking my vision. There was a herd of about 12 deer standing in the middle of the cut cornfield we had just walked through (they had gotten pushed and we're deciding which way to go). One of the deer was a big buck, I put my crosshairs on him and fired, he ran to the other side of the herd untouched. I put my crosshairs on him again and fire, this time I actually saw dirt kick up several feet in front of him. I put my crosshairs 3ft above his back and squeeze, he dropped like a rock. My uncle found my shells and paced it off at 188 steps. Was the shot too far to even try with a shotgun, umm yeah. Did I realize it was that far in the heat of the moment, not at all. That shot was nothing short of miraculous. The kicker was that it was on my Dad's birthday, on land that he had hunted for years. The buck was 3.5 grossing over 110". It's safe to say that after my 2006 experience, I cared very little about ending a season without getting a buck, so long as I had more days in the woods that could potentially produce an experience like I just mentioned.
Flash forward to today. I've yet to harvest a buck since the story I just told back in 2006. Do I regret it, not at all!!!! This year I told myself that I would pass any deer (regardless of antler size) that wasn't at least 3.5 yrs old. I ended up passing a buck that would potentially be my biggest (gross around 110") because I believe he is only 2.5. Earlier today I talked to my Dad and he said he got "the cougar" on film last night (named him the cougar because he's got 9 lives). I can't wait to see what this buck looks like next year if he makes it through, it will be worth it and them some.
Moral of the story, set your own goals and stick to them. You won't regret it at all, in fact, you'll find that you can get joy out of much more than just shooting a deer (ex: seeing him again next year).
01-18-2010, 03:17 PM
#34
Fork Horn
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Central Illinois
Posts: 297
I let a lot of deer walk. At times I say to myself why did you not shoot him?, but after thinking about it I never have regrets. I am only 18 and I have passed up quite a few pope and young caliber bucks and being able to say that makes me feel really good as a hunter.
