Your hit list buck finally shows up...

[LET EM GROW]

Its real late in the season and he finally makes the appearance you've been waiting for. As you get ready to settle in for the shot, all hyped up and excited.. You realize he cast one of his antlers or even both sides(certain its him), or has broke the majority of one side off... Do you still take the shot, and attempt to harvest the buck? After all you've been waiting for this day on what seems an eternity.. or at least a year or 2.. 

Its been bugging me on what I would do. You don't know where the other antler is, and probably don't have permission to look "everywhere" for it. But your efforts are finally paying off.. It sounds greedy in some ways if I pass him, just for wanting his head gear.

Do you wait for your chance at him next year during archery or what have you..?? If both antlers were cast, I would most definitely wait until the following year and hope maybe a different shooter shows up in the mean time. If he was just busted up, I would take him. If he cast one side.. I still think i would harvest him.... What would everyone do??

[Buckstopshere]

I killed a one-antlered buck a few years back and have regretted it ever since. It was a quick shot through trees. I had that buck on a trail cam just a couple days before and it had both antlers. He would have been a real slammer the next year for me or somebody else. 

[Four Season Whitetail's]

Never!  I will take a doe if meat needed.  If he beat me that long and its late season....I will see him next year.   Maybe!

[moog5050]

Broken up (within reason) I would still take him.  Half rack or worse gets a pass.

[grampy]

3 minutes ago, Four Season Whitetails said:

Never!  I will take a doe if meat needed.  If he beat me that long and its late season....I will see him next year.   Maybe!

He gets a pass from me too.  He made #1 on the hit list because of his age and headgear. If he is really busted up, like main beam broken, or has dropped his antlers, I just hope to hunt him next year. He won this year, if I haven't already killed him. If meat is what I want, I'll shoot a nice fat doe instead.

[Robhuntandfish]

I have been chasing a buck on my lease for two years now.  If he was a busted up half rack I would wait.  Cause he has been my nemesis and I would feel like i owe it to the chase to take him as a trophy that he is.  I can always take a doe for meat.  But if he is my number one I want him to be that if/when I get him.  

[LET EM GROW]

Id probably pass him as well, if it were to every happen. Its pretty easy letting deer walk. Just curious as to what people would do.  

MY #2 buck dropped both his sides a few days after season ended. He used to carry until late February early March every year. But this year and last, he dropped right around the New Year holiday. He is 8 or 9 yrs old though. Not sure if that is a factor. 

[ATbuckhunter]

If the deer casted its antler right in front of me, I would shoot and have it glued back on, but if its broken I probably wouldn't. 

[goosifer]

17 minutes ago, LET EM GROW said:

Id probably pass him as well, if it were to every happen. Its pretty easy letting deer walk. Just curious as to what people would do.  

MY #2 buck dropped both his sides a few days after season ended. He used to carry until late February early March every year. But this year and last, he dropped right around the New Year holiday. He is 8 or 9 yrs old though. Not sure if that is a factor. 

Other than age, what could cause a buck to shed its antlers earlier than usual? Lack of nutrients earlier in the season? Abrupt onset of cold weather?

[Steuben Jerry]

12 minutes ago, goosifer said:

Other than age, what could cause a buck to shed its antlers earlier than usual? Lack of nutrients earlier in the season? Abrupt onset of cold weather?

Couldn't find does and had a bad case of blue balls?

[BigVal]

Funny some of you may remember me mentioning chasing a drop tine 11 this season. I had him show the second last day of muzzleloader with half of one side broken off.. I've been chasing him for two seasons now and I passed the shot. ( Mostly because the drop was gone. If I have him on my wall I want to remember him as the drop tine buck) 

[Four Season Whitetail's]

22 minutes ago, goosifer said:

Other than age, what could cause a buck to shed its antlers earlier than usual? Lack of nutrients earlier in the season? Abrupt onset of cold weather?

Hard to say when "Usual" is but stress is most times involved.  Poor food intake and even breeding more does during the fall breeding season will cause early drop,

[Culvercreek hunt club]

2 hours ago, Four Season Whitetails said:

Hard to say when "Usual" is but stress is most times involved.  Poor food intake and even breeding more does during the fall breeding season will cause early drop,

Under your "stress" category, I've seen them drop very early with the stress from a wound. The one was an infected neck/shoulder area from a deep antler gore. 

[genesee_mohican]

I would let him pass and hope he makes it to next fall. It's always more fun to hunt a buck that you know and have had history with.

[Buckmaster7600]

Don't have hit lists or target deer. If he looks to be at or darn near the 200lb mark and has a legal antler I'm killing him.


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[Pygmy]

If you are the kind of hunter who really cares about antlers, it seems kind of silly to shoot a smoker buck when he does not have   his headgear....   I have shot a lot of one horn bucks, but  I  have never trophy hunted whitetails or had a "hit list" buck....

 

[Lawdwaz]

4 minutes ago, Pygmy said:

If you are the kind of hunter who really cares about antlers, it seems kind of silly to shoot a smoker buck when he does not have   his headgear....   I have shot a lot of one horn bucks, but  I  have never trophy hunted whitetails or had a "hit list" buck....

 

Like a PA one horn spiker??   Trophy in EVERY sense of the word. 

Is it or is it not 3" Dan, that'd be the toughest question pre-antler restriction days.  Good times for sure!!

[Lawdwaz]

Dad’s buck from 2016.........he shot it and I finished it with his .308 Kimber. 

The buck if I recall correctly had a broadhead in its neck from an archery season wound. 

When i shot, he flopped over and both sides of his rack popped off!! Blew my mind....... 

 

[Lawdwaz]

Sorry about the sideways pics. 

[rachunter]

I saw this 10 pt. The year before with only one side he was pushing a doe around me for over an hour. Finally my brother walked up and they went on there way. Same tree a year later and he was following a doe perfect broadside shot at 35yrds. If you look at the antler in my hand you can see the damage. He must have gotten hit by a car his back leg was busted and heeled up three inches short. He scored 134 before deductions and up 128 after. The guy that scored him said he would have been in the mid 140’s had there been no damage. A funny thing was after I got down and walked over to him the doe was standing next to him. 

 

[wolc123]

In no case am I not shooting if it is a safe shot and I have a tag.  Ideally, he has cast both and can go on a DMP tag.  That way, I can still use my buck tag on another buck with a 3" or larger antler.   I prefer killing and butchering bucks, because there is always less fat to trim and they take me less time to process.  They taste the same and you can not eat antlers.  The meat is what matters to me and my family.   

Edited January 5, 2018 by wolc123

[gjs4]

We had a nice buck, 3 this yr, living on the farm for most of his hours. He would occasionally jaunt to the south. Not a deer I planned to shoot this yr, especially because he had broke his g3 right after shedding. Nice deer for NY nonetheless. Passed him mid oct and felt great. Later that night the neighbor text saying he was in love with this curved brow buck that showed up on his cams. Ugh. It is what it is, my choice, wild deer....I get it. I tell him ironically I just passed that buck because he had a broken fine and fine of potential for next yr. he told me he probably couldn’t do that but was bummed he broke a tine but he was still a upper 120s 8 at this Pt. He ended up killing a random 2yo that he was all excited about a day or two later so I’m elated this deer should be safe. Doesn’t the jackass shoot him open day of gun with 6 of 9 points and a third of his beam broken off. Just a skull for the shed. Yup it’s legal and he was within this rights.... but what a tard.


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[wolc123]

34 minutes ago, gjs4 said:

We had a nice buck, 3 this yr, living on the farm for most of his hours. He would occasionally jaunt to the south. Not a deer I planned to shoot this yr, especially because he had broke his g3 right after shedding. Nice deer for NY nonetheless. Passed him mid oct and felt great. Later that night the neighbor text saying he was in love with this curved brow buck that showed up on his cams. Ugh. It is what it is, my choice, wild deer....I get it. I tell him ironically I just passed that buck because he had a broken fine and fine of potential for next yr. he told me he probably couldn’t do that but was bummed he broke a tine but he was still a upper 120s 8 at this Pt. He ended up killing a random 2yo that he was all excited about a day or two later so I’m elated this deer should be safe. Doesn’t the jackass shoot him open day of gun with 6 of 9 points and a third of his beam broken off. Just a skull for the shed. Yup it’s legal and he was within this rights.... but what a tard.


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I am sure he is very thankful that you passed that buck.   I know I would be if I was in his shoes.  Thanks for doing the right thing, which more than makes up for the name calling.  

Edited January 6, 2018 by wolc123

[G-Man]

Had a member on here hit a really good buck with archery at my place.. high shoulder.. 3 weeks later im lookijg to fill a doe tag when this enormous deer comes downthe trail behind me. Gets close enough that it doesn't quite look like the slob of a doe I thought it was ..8 yard s away and incan see a patch of hair missing high on its shoulder and can see pedicales scabbed over.. I would bet it was buck member hit... can't say for sure but body was huge and pedicales were very large.. I passed and stopped hunting doe in that area ..he should be a true boomer this year... 

[gjs4]

I am sure he is very thankful that you passed that buck.   I know I would be if I was in his shoes.  Thanks for doing the right thing, which more than makes up for the name calling.  

Thanks for helping with the curve.


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