So, the gentleman I'm leasing from (essentially) and I have a conversation during bow season (and this conversation continues into rifle season) about a certain deer that, until today, I had seen twice during bow season and 4 times during rifle. We both agreed that this deer was young and we should let him walk. Well, I get a text tonight, with picture, and he let his daughter harvest this said deer. I'm ticked off like could not believe. This gentleman believes that I'm the "nice guy" of the lease for some reason, but he's got another thing coming> I had 3 independent wildlife biologists study 20+ pics of this buck and they all came to the same conclusion... He's 3.5yrs old. Even posted a couple pics on here and everyone came to the same conclusion... he's 3.5. I'm griping on here because I found this lease on this forum and I had thought we were all on-board with a management goal for this place but this makes me think I shouldn't let a decent young buck pass. If this were to happen on my personal ranch... I can't say what I would do. He fills my feeders, and his brother is the gentleman who originally posted this lease on this forum and I hope his brother sees this. Absolute BS in my opinion. Young deer with potential... we agree to let it walk... then he tells his daughter to shoot it. WTF?

Well Chris, at least he didn't take out your front grill Kidding

Did you have this in writing???

Roy, i only have it in "writing" via text.

No picture? Could it be a joke?

and from the biologists.

He texted me saying "well im sorry if you were saving this buck, but he's definitely mature". But during the rut when the bucks are all swelled, they all look fairly "mature". If I woulda known that he was going to be "that neighbor", this buck woulda been dead during bow season. I had a fear that another certain neighbor would get him, but we decided to take that chance. Never figured that this guy would allow it to be harvested. It just kills me. It's the "young 11" I showed you at dinner that night.

it's no joke.

Sorry to hear about that. Its a shame people can't stick to their word and exercise self-control. I'd also just contact both the land owner and his brother and let them know exactly how you feel.

Daughters can talk their dads into dang near anything that's hunting related.

I would be pissed too, but it is his land and no matter what he says to you, he can do whatever he wants and nothing matters if it wasn't written down. If you are this pissed then I would not sign on for next year, and tell as many people as you can about you're experience so that people trying to do legit management won't lease from the guy. Sorry this happened to you man, I would have taken that buck in a heart beat.

Dang... He was nice but could have become a real stud. He should of stuck to his word.

does the smile on the young ladys face make up for the buck any? What if that buck would of died tommrow from the drought? Its hard to manage property if everyone thinks they can slack off on the rules. im sorry for you having to have this problem

it's not even his land. He's basically a middle man for the land owner. He finds someone to lease a place, takes a section for himself and leases the rest. His take as a middle-man is a section to hunt himself. He claims to want management minded hunters, but then does this. When he told me he was :definitely mature" I told him to crack that jaw open and look at the big ol ridges on the teeth then get back to me about the buck's "maturity". I've always been a very strict harvester of deer and to see this... makes me sick.

Yeah I remember now

+1 on the smile!

Bad citation for sure, sry for your loss

don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful deer. If it weren't for my connections with biologists and posting pics on here for opinions, I would have killed this deer in October. However, I know better. I will, however, say that I'm glad his daughter got it as opposed to others, but c'mon, what kind of example is he setting? I've passed a particular 3-beam buck 3 times because I know his son wants him and he has no particular merrit to me at his current age and I would like someone to harvest it that could truly appreciate it, but i tell ya... if i see him again... he's dead. I've been uncharacteristically nice to this gentleman and the line has been drawn.

yea, thats what happens these days, you try to be nice and help people out, follow the rules and people always take it for granted. I hope your boy slams that 3 beam buck. Best of luck to ya buddy

congratulations to the young lady on her buck....

Lots of water on this place (8 locations on a total of 4,200 acres, of which I hunt 3,600).

I have nothing against the lady, honesly, I'm glad that she, of all people, got the buck... it's the pappa I'm ticked off at.

Antlers sure do make some folks do strange things.

I would just learn from this and move on. Yea it would have been a good buck in the future but a young lady got her a trophy.

Learn what? That I shouldn't pass a decent young buck? I would feel terrible if I had shot that deer.

Or learn that a man's word doesn't mean a darn thing? That sure isn't how I was raised...