Hill Country Help! (lampasas)

Hey folks. So here is the deal. I am a novice deer hunter to say the least but i have had the pleasure of hunting with some very experienced hunters/friends in south texas and west texas. I have picked up on a lot. I am a good marksman and comfortable with the basics. Anyway, here is my problem... i have been granted access to a piece of property in lampasas which is about 250 acres and has no hunting history at least in the past 10 years. The owner would prefer i not put up any feeders or fixed structures stands so i am respecting his wishes.

I took a doe the other day for the freezer and to still my trigger finger itch while i sort out this aging of hill country bucks. as of now there are really only two that im considering but wanted some input as to what some seasoned hill country hunters think about these bucks im seeing.





this guy was at the top of my hit list until the below deer showed up.





so first of all are these mature/ shootable deer? and what age are they?

I'd call them middle aged.....3.5

I'd say the last one is 4. Sounds like you may not be out there next year so hunt him. He's a great buck

If your happy with one of them......don't worry about others opinions especially if you don't know if you'll be back next year.

thanks guys! not really the answer i was hoping for though. even though i know the neighbor will probably shoot him or someone else will. i just dont think im ok with removing his genetics from the area just yet. even if i never hunt there again. maybe ill see him post rut and make a decision then but sure would be nice if he had a few more offspring. Also, im hopeful a bigger buck starts venturing out and i can catch him on the trial cam or in person. something that isnt borderline!

I wouldn't get hung up on the genetics. You will not affect the herd's genetics by killing any or even all of those bucks (if you somehow could). On a small low fenced place the deer come and go. There is free flow of genes in and out. You cannot cause any noticeable change in that herd. Further, those all appear to be mainframe eight point deer. That is the most common antler configuration. Genetically speaking, a whitetail deer is most likely to be a mainframe 8. There is no sense is letting a solid hill country 8 walk so that he can continue to spread his common genes. If you let him walk and he makes it until next year he will be a year older and possibly a little better. Or the neighbors might kill him tomorrow morning. As the other here have said, if you like him shoot him and be happy. If you don't get excited when you see him let him walk and keep waiting.

Isn't that an antler restricted area (min 13" inside width)? I hunted just east of there on a buddies place a while back.

what county? Lampasas (town) isn't very far from Burnet county ... Lampasas county has AR, Burnet does not. The first two pictures look like the same deer and I am not sure if he will break 13" (AR) if in Lampasas county.

as for age, I would guess based on the poor quality and angle of the pictures, 2.5-3.5 on the first 2 pictures, 3.5ish to maybe 4.5 on the next two deer (but leaning to 3.5).

I'd say middle aged, but the bottom right deer is probably a shooter for that area. If you're a new hunter and have never harvested a buck, either of those 8s in the bottom picture would be a very good first buck. You will not affect area genetics by whacking one deer.

Enjoy that time in the woods seeing beautiful deer.

thanks all! truth is i get excited about every deer and i love pulling the trigger so hunting this little private piece has been a really great experience. testing my patience and forcing me to be thoughtful. another thing that makes me be choosy is that im hunting my buddies ranch in big springs this weekend and supposedly there is a 10 in the 140's with my name on it as well as a south texas hunting opportunity up coming. which leaves me only one tag for hill country. im gonna give it till next week and see if anything else shows up thats better then decide on him.