Time is running out and I let this one walk this morning

Hey guys get out there if you can! There weren't a lot of deer moving in the rain this morning, but this buck showed up around 9am. I let him walk while waiting on the "big boy" to show up, but ended up not seeing anything else. I'm going to try again tomorrow, but thought I would share this quick video.

How old do you think he is? (I was thinking 4yrs old and figured he could grow some more)

4.5 for sure

wow what a 7pt

.Pretty 7. Good luck with big boy.

Should I let him walk again tomorrow if he shows? I'm thinking he's a nice buck, but might be more impressive next year. What do you guys think?

Have you shot a buck better than this?

Hehe, no this would be first deer ever. I'm in a bow only county (Grayson) and I usually only hunt pigs. A friend let me borrow his crossbow this season because I've got a lot of big bucks on the property.

Apparently you don't get excited by the sight of deer like most of us do. Of course you should shoot it.

That buck looks mature with an impressive (at least to me) rack. If I'd seen him he would be hanging in the tree outside my cabin

Agree, I would take him

Up to you I guess but if it was me I'd put the smack down on him. A mature deer with that kind of mass and 7 points would be in my freezer and I'd have an awesome euro on the wall. I seriously doubt he'll add any points next year and if he does it would probably be another G3 on that right antler. But ya never really know.

Mature buck. Probably wont get much better. Fire away!

Looks 5.5+...most likely as good as he's gonna get.

Yes Sir, my thoughts as well! No way i'd pass that deer with my bow!

That is an awesome looking old old buck. I bet he is at his peak right now, maybe some kickers next year. But he will not get any taller or wider.

I would be skinning him right if I was you.

Just wonder if an AR county.......Is he 13"? I have several on our place like him but I am afraid they are not wide enough. I think he needs to go for sure.

Terry

ultimately you only have yourself to make happy. You passed once already...

It looks close, but I'll say he makes 13". That's a big deer. I think that makes his rack look smaller.

He will be even better next year!

If you have a lot of better bucks that you are waiting on, I would go ahead and take him out if he is legal there. Let your better ones grow some more and get rid of that old dude.

I would take that deer he is mature.

He'd be hanging on the meat pole, especially with a bow! He has a really cool looking rack, with that mass and the tips almost overlapping.

I'd be proud to hang that big 7 on my wall especially with a bow and first deer.

Ummm

you should without a doubt take him

wow. Shoot him. This whole management thing has new hunters afraid to shoot anything. If you like him, shoot him.

He's heavy and narrow. Hes 4.5, and will be bigger next year. Will he make AR? He is significantly inside his ears?

Grayson County is an AR county

He will make a wonderful first buck, unless you are in an AR county. "There is many a slip between the cup and the lip" in harvesting any deer, especially with a bow. If it is a legal buck, all the best in making an excellent bow shot and retrieving your trophy. In addition to the interesting rack you will have plenty of good venison there to enjoy with your family as you retell the story over the months ahead.

Well I had him at 20 yards today and I let him walk again. He showed up at 1pm straight up and he's definitely close on the AR. His antlers do go outside his ears, but I'm not sure the inside is 13 inches (too hard to tell from my tree stand).

I'm going out with a buddy tomorrow and if he's there again I'll have someone with me to validate before I put an arrow in him.

I don't think he'll make ARs, so he is going to have to die of old age.

Give him a dirt nap without a bedtime story!

He is close on AR minimum, but very mature and close enough that I would be shocked if a GW cited you for an AR violation.

I did it! I passed on the 7pt two days straight and it paid off! Big boy down - Praise Jesus!

It's been a wild day and there's a great story, but I'll have to post more info later. First deer ever and on the last day of the season! Still can't believe it.

now we understand why you passed on the other one. That's a stud.

Now that is absolutely the best first deer I have ever seen anyone take. Nicely done

WOW!!

Congrats on an incredible first buck!

Wow, you must be living right! Big congrats on a buck of a lifetime. Good things come to those who wait.

No doubt

That is a wonderful buck. Was it a bow buck? You might want to get it measured for Pope and Young if it is. Congratulations.
Share the story.

I agree whole heartedly. It can sometimes take the fun out of hunting, unfortunately.... It's all in your outlook, Grasshopper

Yep. And ruined for life now.

Yes, I shot it with a crossbow.

Here's the story I typed up from another thread:

I’ve been a hunter for about 5 years and my time is usually spent hunting hogs and ducks because I don’t own a bow and have a hunting spot in an archery only county (Grayson). I’ve killed a fair amount of hogs on my place, but have always seen a bunch of deer and have joked with my deer hunting buddies about how deer keep eating my hog corn. During our dialogs about them I would show them some of the bucks that had been showing up on my cameras and they’ve always expressed that I’ve got some big deer at my place, so after 2yrs of watching them and getting some extraordinary bucks on camera I decided it was time to try and take one down. Since I don’t own a bow I ended up borrowing a buddy’s crossbow (Tenpoint) and on Sunday Jan 4th the good Lord blessed me with one of the biggest days of my life!

I had hunted 2 days straight (Fri & Sat) by myself in the rain, cold, and wind and during that time I must have prayed a thousand times for God to show me something special (With my life and for a great buck). During that time I saw over 15+ deer and let a large 7pt buck walk both days because I knew he just wasn’t the right one for me. Well on the last day of the season I was accompanied by a good friend who had been hunting for over 20 years (He was going to make sure I didn’t let that 7pt buck walk again). After climbing into to my two man tree stand at 6am he shared with me that if that 7pt point comes in again that I need to decide right now that I’m going to shoot it and my response was “Man, I just don’t know. I honestly think God’s got something big planned today”, so me and my buddy through up one of those game changer prayers and right then and there I knew Jesus had some special planned and all I have to say is he went Big! At about 8am this monster walked in behind some button bucks that we’re sparring a few minutes earlier and the cat and mouse of me getting a perfect shot took about 30 minutes, but when the time was right everything went perfect. I was so excited and my poor buddy almost fell out the tree stand because he was hyperventilating! It was my first ever deer kill, with a crossbow that I only test fired once, on a buck I’ve only seen on camera a few times in 3yrs, on a low fence farm, and on the last day of the hunting season. You just couldn’t make it more perfect.

Thanks again for letting me post these pictures and for allowing me to share a small part of the story that took place that day! Oh and that “Thwack” sound that comes when the arrow hits its target is one of the coolest sounds I’ve ever heard!

How many acres do you have that the deer can get so big without be taken by hunters on other places?

I'm on 200 acres and it's low fenced so they just come and go. That question reminded me of a thread I posted a while back about starting my deer hunting quest. I need to thanks all of those texashuntingforum users who helped me develop some strategies last year at this time. Thanks!

Here's the old topic:
http://texashuntingforum.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/4958152/Re:_My_Buck_Hunting_Quest_Begi#Post4958152

any more pics? congrats. awesome buck

Yes, I have them in the photo section:
http://texashuntingforum.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/5520461/Grayson_County_Buck_Down!#Post5520461

Here's the one I like best:

I remember that thread! Where did you wind up setting up?

And that was your first buck???

Hell of a first buck man! Congrats

very nice!

I kept my stand in same place (section 2) because the other areas were never worked out. The day I shot him it was extremely windy and it seemed like all of the animals were staying in the timber where my stand was located.

Here's an old pic from that thread that shows the location:

ARs though (on the first buck)


That, sir, is an amazing buck. Congratulations to you.