Judas Jenny RR! You take the cake! You can hardly tell from that first picture that the deer even has horns and now you're going to tell the guy that watched the deer in person at his place for 2 or 3 years that he's wrong

I believe yer talking about left from the bucks perspective, if so it actually does... Look the left beam again... it takes a sharp jog at the point where it looks like there should be a brow tine.

I actually thought about letting him walk again. But very early in the season the guy that build my house hunted that stand with his son and took a shot at him. He never misses but he did that day. I had to take a shot if I ever had one or else he might not be there for me next time.

OK now I really want to know if thats the same deer or not. I just assumed it was since it was the only buck around that size I ever saw near that stand. I was able to find two more pictures I had backed up on the internet and a better one of the kill. I cant tell but maybe someone with more experience can.

So, does he eat any better after 2 years? Many people, myself included, hunt primarily for meat. I've got no problem if you want to look for a big buck or pass on a buck for several years unil he meets some arbitrary standard, but if a man wants to shoot a young buck for tasty meat, that is cool too. The each his own according to his own needs and desires.

really nice. congrats

Congrats on a very nice Buck. Think you just answered your own question with this post. To each their own and welcome to the forum.

People kill small bucks for various reasons, some of which include:
1) They hunt for meat, not antlers.
2) They have limited time to hunt, sometimes a small buck is all they see.
3) They are gun hunters that hunt once a year to get in the outdoors but once the temperature gets too low they say, "Next deer that comes out, I'm shooting, then going back to camp and have a few beers.

This year during bow season I saw 20 or so small bucks (for my standards) and passed on them all. The only does I saw were being actively chased by bucks or had fawns so I elected to pass them.

Personally, if I'm not hunting my urban spot, I hold off for deer over 120" and prefer 130". I like to see bucks mature and get bigger. Now though, I don't get worked up by someone who shoots a small buck. If they are proud of their buck, then I am happy for them. If they whine about not seeing big bucks and shoot two small bucks a year then I'll give my thoughts. I hate when people post a small buck they shot and talk about how proud they are and then someone tells them they should have let it walk because its too small.

That is a dandy buck though and one to be quite proud of, he'd be a trophy in anyones book! Just be so sure you have just one big buck roaming around. We have a lot of good bucks where I hunt in Illinois and I run a lot of cameras. This year we took two 130" bucks and neither was on any of our trail cameras. You might have a buck who is camera shy and smart, we have a 180" buck that we've seen with our own eyes many times but he has never made it on a camera, it baffles me because we run a good amount of cameras too!

The answer?? Well, it lies in the multitude of reasons we all hunt. Not everyone wants a "trophy". Some merely want a "deer" and some vittles for the family. Some want to see those big antlers and hope they can take them home, along with the great meat.

Me, I prefer hanging horn on the wall over steaks (they start to smell after about 2-3 weeks!), but it matters not to me what anyone else decides to shoot, long as it's legal.

I've always wondered how so many hunters claim to of watched a certain buck from the age of 1 1/2. I have had trail cameras for years and never have I been able to say with certainty that I watched them from 1 1/2 years of age. Now, I do believe once they reach 2 1/2, they become more recognizable with more noticeable antler growth. Just my thought and congrats on the awesome buck.

If you just want meat why not kill does? Usally people have too many of them anyways. I get 4 doe tags every year and still dont fill those because I couldnt even give that much meat away. I usually end up eating on deer the entire year and run out around the next season.