What would you do?

[JGF@Gratiot]

Last ML season I encountered a real nice shooter buck which came broadside for about 5 minutes just standing there at 75 yds, easily something to put on the wall, but it had shed one of its antlers already. I guessed it at around a 3.5 year old deer, had it had the other side it would have been extremely nice. What do you guys do given this situation? Not that I am trophy hunting, but I harvest enough does to keep me fed, I elected to pass him up in hope that he would be back this year, which he was spotted earlier in the year and he was BIG. Just curious if others have had this dillema and what they did or what you would do given the chance at a mature buck, yet only having a half rack?

[Ken]

interesting mount, if you ask me. Meat would taste exactly the same, however :lol:

[Falk]

Last ML season I encountered a real nice shooter buck which came broadside for about 5 minutes just standing there at 75 yds, easily something to put on the wall, but it had shed one of its antlers already. I guessed it at around a 3.5 year old deer, had it had the other side it would have been extremely nice. What do you guys do given this situation? Not that I am trophy hunting, but I harvest enough does to keep me fed, I elected to pass him up in hope that he would be back this year, which he was spotted earlier in the year and he was BIG. Just curious if others have had this dillema and what they did or what you would do given the chance at a mature buck, yet only having a half rack?
I would have done exactly the same thing that you did.

[Slug Gunner]

I would have made the same choice you did. As you stated, you already had meat in the freezer from a bunch of does you shot. Hopefully you'll get a shot at him next year.

[DoubleDropTineTrouble]

nothing can be hurt by letting him walk. If the family's already fed, i'd do the samething and let him walk.

[duxdog]

yep, he gets a "get out of jail free card".
'

[steve1983]

let him go and he will bigger next year!!!! you did the right thing!!!! i have had to do it to a couple years ago during late bow season!!!

[melvvin]

Yes I think you made the right choice too. Might get a chance at em next year with a full rack and bigger to boot. If you got enough venison it was a good choice to let him walk.

[swampbuck]

we dont have doe permits, He would go in the freezer!

[Armstrong4Life]

we dont have doe permits, He would go in the freezer!

this wouldnt work... he still had a half an antler... we dont have a half buck tag either!

[DANIEL MARK ZAPOLSKI]

if i didn't have a doe tag or meat in the ice box, i would have a gut pile in about 10 minutes. then within the next 2 hours 1 antler bambi would be hanging and skinned out, end of game rack-em.:evilsmile

[Wishn I was fishn]

If he lost one antler the odds are that the second one was ready to drop anyway. Then all you'd have is a shed. I shot a half rack 8 pt when I was a teenager because he was injured and limping. The remaining antler broke off as soon as we started dragging it back to the truck. Unless he was injured you made the right call.;)

[dja05]

Let them go, let them grow. With a full freezer you made the right choice. Maybe not next year but sooner or later your efforts will be rewarded. Oh by the way, if you ever need any help with the herd just let me know, I live in Gratiot Co too:evil:

[duxdog]

LOL, had a 5 on one side walk by me this morning. He gonna be a big un' next year.

[Barry]

He will be a nice deer next year. Just knowing he is still there will motivate you for next year. But shoot him before December.

[QDMAMAN]

end of game rack-em.:evilsmile


Don't you mean 1/2 rak-em?:lol::lol::lol:

[Joe Archer]

If I still need one for the freezer in December, I am going to take that deer and be very very happy!
<----<<<

[Cedar Swamp]

this wouldnt work... he still had a half an antler... we dont have a half buck tag either!

I don't remember reading about this is in the game laws but, since when is it illegal to shoot a buck with a half-rack ?

[dareniott]

I don't remember reading about this is in the game laws but, since when is it illegal to shoot a buck with a half-rack ?
:yeahthat: 4 points ON ONE SIDE.

This just proves that people are worried more about antlers than mature harvests, herd control, etc. It is still a mature deer, and being that it is a deer and if it were in front of me I'd shoot it. If I had a doe permit and the other side fell of I'd shoot it and tag it antlerless:lol:. Boy that would REALLY chap you QDMA'rs A$S wouldn't it if a BIG MATURE buck were tagged as a doe.:rant::lol:

[pzman435]

great choice you got meat in the freezer already, good luck on him this year

[JGF@Gratiot]

Dareniott,
I see your point however, for the later rut I would much rather see a semi-mature deer still running around of this caliber breeding does than all the scraggly other little deer that are often left this time of year since I have seen a ton of spikes and other not so great bucks. I had shot numerous does, so no I was not out there meat hunting, and I wouldn't go so far as to say letting a 3.5 year old walk is really trophy hunting, although in Michigan a 3.5 year old buck is is considered ancient, other states might consider it laughable to call a 3.5 year old deer "mature"

[UP Meat Eater]

That would be one of those situations where I would make the call right then and there.....it's a little tougher to be truly honest from the armchair. If I had meat in the freezer already I would like to think that I would let him go....but sometimes I get trigger happy.

[dareniott]

Dareniott,
I see your point however, for the later rut I would much rather see a semi-mature deer still running around of this caliber breeding does than all the scraggly other little deer that are often left this time of year since I have seen a ton of spikes and other not so great bucks. I had shot numerous does, so no I was not out there meat hunting, and I wouldn't go so far as to say letting a 3.5 year old walk is really trophy hunting, although in Michigan a 3.5 year old buck is is considered ancient, other states might consider it laughable to call a 3.5 year old deer "mature"
AGREED!

It would be unlikely that I would have or ever have a full freezer so I would have shot it. I'm glad you didn't AND that you didn't need to because you had a full freezer. All I'm really saying once again is that I don't care as much about the rack as the deer it's attached to. But i"m glad that your still seeing him and maybe you'll get him next year.

[jr28schalm]

I would have tryed to shoot the horns off. lol

[Bonz 54]

To feed myself or my family it's a bonus to the menu. But I would have let him walk. Something else to remember, is that you didn't educate him that your hunting spot is a "Bad Place" to be. He didn't get shot at there and he MAY decide he likes to be there more often. Next year you may be pleasantly surprised that he is spending more time in your location since he hasn't been pressured there. Good Luck. FRANK

[buck37]

I did the same thing last year. Let a estimated 3.5 yo walk because his rack was broken.

[GOTONE]

I would let him walk and then try to find the other half of his shed

[Trophy Specialist]

One thing to keep in mind for the next time, is that any damaged antler can be repaired by a skilled taxidermist including complete beam replacement. I've done beam replacments before and when the customer picked it up, he couldn't remember or tell which beam was damaged. I even created a full rack once from a trail cam photo and it came out nice. And even if your taxidermist can't or won't do a complex repair job, it can be sent out to a specialist where it can be fixed. There is also a guy I know that specialializes in recreating antlers from photos and does them wholesale.

That being said, there is no reason to pass up a mature buck with damaged or even missing antlers unless you're just in it for record book entries or can't afford the bill for the antler repairs.

[Trophy Specialist]

I'd also like to add that sheds can be easily be mounted up into a shoulder mount or even a European or plaque mount by a good taxidermist. If you have a half rack buck and can find the other missing antler, then the extra cost for getting that mounted would be small.

[bucksnbows]

:yeahthat: 4 points ON ONE SIDE.

This just proves that people are worried more about antlers than mature harvests, herd control, etc. It is still a mature deer, and being that it is a deer and if it were in front of me I'd shoot it. If I had a doe permit and the other side fell of I'd shoot it and tag it antlerless:lol:. Boy that would REALLY chap you QDMA'rs A$S wouldn't it if a BIG MATURE buck were tagged as a doe.:rant::lol:
Killing a mature buck is not herd control. Passing young bucks until they mature while taking the proper amount of does is part of herd control. Letting a 3.5 year old walk means that you might have a buck in an older age class come the following year. Choosing to let if walk because it only has half a rack and a freezer full of meat is the right thing to do. Why be greedy? The hunter did the correct thing QDM minded or not. Not everyone is out to slaughter every deer they see.

[buck37]

One thing to keep in mind for the next time, is that any damaged antler can be repaired by a skilled taxidermist including complete beam replacement. I've done beam replacments before and when the customer picked it up, he couldn't remember or tell which beam was damaged. I even created a full rack once from a trail cam photo and it came out nice. And even if your taxidermist can't or won't do a complex repair job, it can be sent out to a specialist where it can be fixed. There is also a guy I know that specialializes in recreating antlers from photos and does them wholesale.

That being said, there is no reason to pass up a mature buck with damaged or even missing antlers unless you're just in it for record book entries or can't afford the bill for the antler repairs.


I know that this can be done, but personally IMHO I don't like the idea. I want what I shot in the field. If I could have racks re-created or made from a photo, why hunt?

[QDMAMAN]

I would let it walk and hope that darenidiot would get a chance to shoot it in hopes of chapping my a**.:p
Seriously, I would pass on it and target a doe. One thing we have found by observing bucks into the 5.5 yo class is that they are killable, dispite what most Michigan hunters think based on their vast experience with 5.5 yo bucks in Michigan.;)
One thing I would NEVER do is shoot any deer out of spite.

Big T