When deciding to take a buck or not?

I see a lot of posts where guys are saying they have seen a deer for a few years and they are deciding whether or not to shoot him or let him go for another year. Is this thought process mainly for large tracts of land? I ask because I will be hunting on a small bit of land with others hunting properties around me. If you were hunting 20 acres or under would this even cross your mind whether or not to take out some of these bucks as I am sure they are passing in front of other hunters as well.

One of the places I hunt on has about 100 acres that you can hunt. The neighbors all hunt their lands. Saying such, the 2 of us that hunt the property will let young bucks walk. Some we will see again the following year, some we don't.

only if you have a conversation with the adjoining properties owners/hunters within a couple of miles as to what their shooting criteria is on deer ...

Thats what I figured. I hope to discuss a management plan at some point but just found the land so it wont be this year.

I hunted on 54 acres of land until this year. I let this buck walk for 3 years. My thought, if it was meant to be, it will happen. It was hard watching him jump the fence. Sometimes it pays off and as Bbear said, "sometimes not."

Dont pass anything on opener that you wouldnt pass on final day of season. Thats wisdom.

We hunt 320 acres and are trying to shoot mature (4.5 YO+) deer. We know full well that the deer come and go. I shot my best buck, a typical 12 after watching him for 3 years. We have had many more that we watched for a couple years never to see again. I keep hoping some will reappear in a few years as bruins! Its hunting you never know what will step out.

If your happy with him now bust him, if you want to see what he will look like next year you will never know. I have found that after hunting and shooting deer for a few years it became much easier to let them walk. There was no appeal to shooting another 2.5YO 8pt over a doe so I quit.

I shoot what I like when I see it. Age is a key factor and if I see the buck regularly on TC or in person. If he is newby, mature and I like him then I will shoot him. If not then I keep hunting. I used to worry about letting bucks go, but no so much anymore. If I pass on them and they make it till next year then great. If not then the bucks he that made it one more year will be a year older and bigger.

If I have to study him with the binoculars, he gets to walk. Unless looking at a potential cull buck.

When I had a lease I was management minded. Now that I have to use a day lease I take the first legal animal that puts meat in the freezer. When I get back on a lease I'll be happy to start letting the smaller ones walk!