D.Parsons

If I pass A buck 1 time He will be passed the rest of the season!!
If you are going to kill him with another weapon what was the use passing him in the first place?Like has been said before you will never have big bucks if you kill the younger ones that are stock for the next year!!

pjhunts

I too hunt a lot of public ground, but still pass on immature bucks, I look for 3.5 and older. I get so tired of hearing guys say "If I don't shoot him somebody else will", first of all, Who cares? Why lower your standards to the next guys? Secondly, Being choosy makes me work a lot harder at getting a big one, spend a lot more time looking for spots overlooked by others and hunting in any condition, the worse, the better! There are a good number of mature deer on public ground, you just can't be as lazy as the next guy. Put your time and effort in and you will be rewarded, maybe not every year, but it will happen.

rybohunter

I pass on smaller/younger bucks for several reasons. 1. I've shot more than my share,it doesn'texcite me to kill one anymore. 2. I can shoot lots of does for meat. 3. Because there are bigger bucks around my areas, so I can wait on something nice.

I can't control whether or not a buck I pass gets shot, I don't understand shooting it just so no one else does or because someone else would. That seems rather selfish to me.
I also hope that I wouldn't lower my standards at the end of the season, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't, but haven't truly been faced with that decision.


PS-I bet this makes about 8 pages, maybe 10 depending on who gets involved

mudd_dawg

i went three years at one point with out shooting a buck.Id rather wait a life time for that one buck of a life time.if i shoot any buck just to shoot a buck then i know there will never be a chance of a life time buck. At the end of the day for me atleast its not about what i am hunting but " THE HUNT ITS SELF "
well that and some meat in my tummy.. i am a bit spoiled tho i do have over 300 acre's here at home and another 265 acre's up the road that nobody but me hunts

stoneman

I think I hate you now.

takedownfreak123

I will shoot any buck with a rack on state land because I no if a don't some one will. I like to leave does for seed but if it is a old doe I will also take it. I am not a horn hunter at all. I can see maybe if you have tons of property but when you have 50 acres the deer aren't to going to stay there forever. Get them wallow you can.

livbucks

I try to grow my standards. I have taken many "scumbag" bucks in the past and now hold out for something more mature. If it impresses me in the stand, I will consider taking it. I like the long days spent trying and hold onto my buck tag like priceless gold. I know that once it is spent, my year is over, and that is the part that bothers me the most. I don't base my standards on B&C score, just if it impresses me enough at the moment to end my year over it. I find myself never even picking up the bow on the majority of bucks that walk past.
If someone else shootsa buck I just passed on, I would congratulate him. It has to start somewhere.

IL_ray_phillips

I usually set my standards on a minimum 3/1/2 year old deer with 8
points and good mass. I hunt an area of low pressure where everybody
practices good mgmt. Almost everyone. I enjoy passing on the young bucks and studying them as they come by. ITake a camera and take some pics of them 2/1/2 year old 120 inch deer I pass on to put with the
mount when I shoot it a couple years down the road.

Greg / MO

I've passed several marginal "shooters" over the recent years (110-120"), and -- yes, I have had to talk to myself pretty hard to keep from lowering my standards when things get really, really tough in late December and early January. So far, I've managed to do it -- but it is hard, because as much as I love wrapping my hands around the bases of another record-book buck, I also just really enjoy shooting deer, period.

JLmoore1956

Can't say whether I would have passed him up or not. Never shot a whitetail buck. So I would definitely have to think real hard about shooting. A doe is nice in the freezer also and like others said taste better. But I will say, I am no calculator that can figure 110, 130, or 200. If it comes along and it looks like one I would like to shoot, then I will, if it isnt, like a spike or one i can assess is younger, than I will let it walk. Guess one day I will have to make that choice..... but i won't shot just to shoot a buck. Trouble where I am is if it has antlers spikes or other wise it gets shot. Some folks still dont want to shoot does and haven't figure out about bucks becoming bigger bucks if you pass on them. But like I say, if it comes along and looks like I want to shoot it, I will.[8D]