Should I or Shouldn't I?

Woody Williams · Post by **Woody Williams** » Sat Oct 10, 2009 9:54 pm

.....If you have to ask yourself that question on shooting a deer - don't shoot.

That is what I went through tonight.

I had a decent 8 pointer that would go about 120" or so come out about 45 minutes before get down time and gave me several good 30 yard shot. Nice bodied deer that looked to be 3 1/2. I kept putting the binoculars on him trying to make him bigger.

He hung around until dark+ giving me numerous shots. Should I or shouldn't I?

I finally said to myself ,"No. If you have to ask yourself that question, don't do it." I didn't.

At dark+ he had no intentions of leaving so I lowered my crossbow and bounced it in the bushes and leaves. He just raised his head and looked, even though he was only 30 yards away. I did this a couple more times and he would just raise his head and look. OK... I'll give him the barking dog treatment. I bounced the crossbow and started barking like a dog. He still would not run.

I did that a couple more times and he started just walking off. He never spooked once. I glassed him until he was way down the field and out of sight. I then got down and slipped out the back way.

I think we have this deer on a trail camera picture. if so I'll post it later.

sumner4991 · Post by **sumner4991** » Sat Oct 10, 2009 10:21 pm

I agree . . .I had the same thoughts with that cowhorn last week.

I figured I'd let it go . . .out there somewhere is a hunter that would appreciate the chance of shooting that critter.

Maybe next year.

vixenmaster · Post by **vixenmaster** » Sat Oct 10, 2009 10:25 pm

until i have enough meat in freezer & or canned its 1st come 1st served. need couple more meat deer. then if a decent racked Buck comes by ok, of course if he comes by anytime i will take him

rt2bowhunter · Post by **rt2bowhunter** » Sun Oct 11, 2009 5:14 am

I did the same thing yesterday. Not no 120" deer but a 14" wide tall 8 point. I keep thinking next year. I was on the ground and had him dead to rights at 20yds.Funny thing last year hunting the same place. I remember thinking wait until next year old boy.

wabi · Post by **wabi** » Sun Oct 11, 2009 7:13 am

.....If you have to ask yourself that question on shooting a deer - don't shoot.

Good advice Woody!
I've shot some small racked bucks with no regrets, but I've also passed some I was in doubt about and thankful I passed when I re-played the events in my mind.

dick195252 · Post by **dick195252** » Sun Oct 11, 2009 7:32 am

Its whatever makes you feel good

Mike P · Post by **Mike P** » Sun Oct 11, 2009 8:57 am

Uhhhh, guess how I feel about this.

Woody has just proved what a selfish and uncaring hunter he really is! He knows that buck will be bigger and better next year and that is all he cares about. And to top it all off, I bet he shoots a much bigger buck with a huge rack and flaunts in front of all of us by posting pictures here in the forum.

The nerve of him!

Mike P · Post by **Mike P** » Sun Oct 11, 2009 9:43 am

planter wrote:I really think location and the opportunty to pass on 120 inch class deer is a luxury that most of us don't have.

Exactly!

To Woody it is not a luxury.

From another thread:

Mike P wrote:
The best way to give a grade on how good a buck scores is to grade on the curve. Inches should be assigned to a buck before the first measurement of his rack is taken. Kind of like a handicap system.

In the case of saxman, he gets 125 inches to start. Then his bucks rack measurements are added to the 125.

See how tough it is for him to harvest a 140 under this system.

old fart jim · Post by **old fart jim** » Sun Oct 11, 2009 11:16 am

I strickly trophy hunt, UNTILL THE FIRST ONE GIVES ME A BROADSIDE SHOT, then something happens and the bow just goes off on its own

Woody Williams · Post by **Woody Williams** » Sun Oct 11, 2009 1:56 pm

Mike P wrote:Uhhhh, guess how I feel about this.

Woody has just proved what a selfish and uncaring hunter he really is! He knows that buck will be bigger and better next year and that is all he cares about. And to top it all off, I bet he shoots a much bigger buck with a huge rack and flaunts in front of all of us by posting pictures here in the forum.

The nerve of him!

One can only hope.....

I've passed bucks before and ended up buckless... is "buckless" a word?

Woody Williams · Post by **Woody Williams** » Sun Oct 11, 2009 2:04 pm

I'm guessing it is one of these two bucks. Although we seem to have an abundance of eight pointers.

8 pointer genes runs pretty heavy in the herd around our place. Some probably came from this bad boy 8 pointer that my son got back in 2001.