Spot on.

I've done it once and only once. About 7 or 8 years ago on my land I looked at a huge buck with a really, really, nice rack. No idea how old he was but I put the scope on him. Then I thought how much of a shame it would be to eat and mount the best of the breed. I let him walk and have never regretted it. I never saw him again and have no idea whether anyone else shot him.

More than likely he stayed nocturnal until Mother Nature took care of him.

Gotta disagree a bit on this one with you...hunting is hunting whether HF or LF if you let deer walk there are no guarantees that they will be there next year on either place. I will agree the odds are in your favor if it is HF though, but rut and post rut mortalities are higher inside the HF than on a LF. The big difference in the HF and LF place is the hunter....you can manage the hunter better behind a HF. If the management of the hunter were the same on HF or LF the issue of letting bucks walk would not even exist. Agree?

Ok....I noticed someone has beat me to it but I thought it important to say again....


You say you have trail cam pics but you dont post one...I say

Jasb,

This is the best response I have seen on this. I read many of these posts and it is obvious everyone always responds based on their situation. If I saw a double drop he hits the ground as soon as I can get the crosshairs on him and squeeze the trigger.

I wish everyone that hunted was willing to let'em walk until they were 4 1/2+ but that simply does not happen so if I see one that justifies the wall he goes down...funny because I have found I get more selective as the size of the Antlers on the wall increase those 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 year old bucks get a pass. Unfortunately athough I pass on them others on my lease are still at the place where they will take'em and the heard does not reach its potential...but who am I to judge them when 5 years ago I would have taken the same bucks....

To each his own as long as it is legal.

good luck on your deer, regardless of whether or not you shoot it this year.


as for deer walking and living in a HF< and you don't have to worry about it.... I've found way more dead deer on HF places that I've hunted than LF places, and I've only been on two HF leases, and probably 6 or 7 LF leases.

Uhhh... It gets easier to let big deer walk the more big deer you see..

It's all about situation... If it's a co op, HF or large acreage...

Here you go then guys. I hunted this ranch for management purposes this past weekend and took some pics of some trail cam pics of him. Actually saw him on Sunday morning and evening. Absolutely amazing deer. Unfortunately tho, he has broken his left drop/

And this ranch is not "small" by some standards, just DoubleDrop14's. It's 3k acres low fence and surrounded by farmland one all but on side.

ive let plenty of deer walk on our place, to never be seen again.

even in a high fence, its not a guaranteed thing like ya'll are making it sound

I had one this year that I was considering shooting. But he broke one of his brow tines. I'll get him next year.

High Fence is still a pen, dont care if its 45,000 acres, it is still a 45,000 acre pen.

M16 you shoulda nailed that sucker, browtine or not!

and I'll hunt the hell outta a 45k acre pen

Taxidermist can fix broke horns, may not be original but will do the job. 3.5 yr old deer is a pretty old deer in West Texas. I say shoot what you want no regrets.

Me too

Great, me not. Im kinda like Boone and Crockett............. I frown on pen hunting.

thats fine, me, dustin, amos and M16 will all be sitting around a fire drinking a cold one whilst admiring what good managment and selectiveness can do in the form of nice mature bucks hanging from the gamepole while ya'll are out fighting the masses trying to keep a fork horn from getting whacked.

There wont be any masses on my place.

I will be sitting around a fire drinking a sweet tea looking at what free range and fair chase look like.

Lets see. He could get hit by some of that oil field traffic and die.

He could get a leg caught in a fence and die.

He could get in a fight with another buck and die or just get hurt and get eaten by coyotes. Still dead.

He could just lay down and die.

Whatever floats your boat, but me, I'm busting him.

That is an awesome deer thanks for posting up photos of him because a lot of times that doesn't happen.

I agree with Bobby B as well, you just never know he could never look like that again or just die. As far as having the will to not shoot him just to see what he will be is, well, beyond me. I hope to see a post of him laying at your feet next year, if that is when you plan on shooting him.

Dont pass up the one on the first day that you would shoot on the last day....that chance may not arrive....I do agree with letting them walk but, each is his own....