This year I moved my stand with in a 100 yards of my feeder so that when I take my kids hunting they can see the deer easier. Last year it was at 200 yards. Well... with a fixed 10 power scope I got a little buck fever and shot a 3 1/2 year old ten point two weeks ago. I have been hunting hard since the opening weekend of bow season and this year has been slow for me. I usually try to hold out for a mature buck but I have not seen many bucks this year of that caliber. Friday evening two weeks ago I left work early to hit the stand and didn't expect to see much. About 4:45 a nice 2 1/2 year old 10 point came out but you could tell it was young as its neck looked like a doe's neck and was real pencil horned but great potential and high racked. So as I was looking at him through my scope I just so happen to catch something in the corner of my eye coming out from behind the feeder. As I turned my rifle toward the feeder I see a big bodied nice 10 point coming to the feeder straight toward me. Well my heart started pumping hard and I had to have him. I didn't even wait for him to turn broad side I aimed right for his chest and boom it dropped in its tracks! I was pumped! So I walked down to the feeder where he was laying and got a little disappointed as he had a little ground shrinkage and was younger than I thought. Where we hunt on the family land a policy we try to go by on shooting a buck is make sure that you would mount him before you shoot. Another words make sure he is a mature buck. Anyway not down playing the buck he is a good deer for the area and he got my heart pumping which is what hunting is all about for me. I just wished I would of took more time to look before I shot and gave him another year. Sorry for the long read here is a pic of him I plan to get a little creative with the euro mount with some drift wood and getting the skull camo dipped.

looks good man.. post updates when your done!

Still a nice deer.

Buck fever has gotten the best of all of us at times....

nice deer, it's happened to all of us, don't sweat it!

Congrats on a nice buck! Very nice euro also. I would invest in a pair of binos

This^^

I use binos and have still had the fever get the better of me.

Its a nice deer congrats. If he got you excited that's the important part, there is always next year.

Looking thru the scope with the crosshairs on a buck always get my blood pumping a bit more than thru the binos.

Even worse when they are walking away... I shot the puniest little 8pt I have ever killed in my entire life in the back of the neck walking away.... If he would have just stood there I probably wouldn't have shot him, but looking thorugh the scope and walking away was more than I could take!

Thank you. The sad thing is I had my binoculars next to me and usually use them to determine if it is a shooter buck. This time I just so happen to have my gun out looking at the other ten point and just reacted to fast when that buck came out. Lesson learned for me though.

Thanks everyone else for the kind words also.

I guided a hunter once who had passed on a very nice 8 point. We changed blinds and the last morning the same buck came in. I told him he was upper 140's to low 150's and if he liked him he better kill him. He sat looking at the buck thru his binos. After about 20 minutes the buck turned and headed for the brush moving quickly. The guy paniced and got his rifle on him as I tried to grunt him to a stop. High winds kept him from hearing, so I yelled. When the buck stopped the guy shot so fast and jerked his shot he hit the ground to right of the deer causing the bullet to richotted back into/under the deers shoulder. Had it on video. The buck jumped back and the did not know what happened. The buck limped/trotted off looking around and I yelled to stop him again telling the guy to reload and shoot again. He shot and had buck fever so bad he aimed where he was looking- at his antlers. Shoot the mainbeam tip off the buck. Buck left in hurry then! Buck fever is tough on almost everybody but this guy got it really bad. I have gotten just as bad when guiding also. If I ever loose that feeling it will be time to quit.

He's a nice looking buck. We have the same policy at our place. You shoot it, you mount it. Seems to work well. Excluding funky horned deer of course.

Yep it's a good buck and one less mouth to feed. Congrats

Congrats on your buck

For what it's worth... When I follow these two rules I haven’t found myself disappointed with ground shrinkage.

If I need to think about if he's a shooter before killing him he's not the one.

When a buck is in clear view and I find myself reaching for my binos instead of my rifle he's not the one.

good buck, its your place shoot what you want, let the others manage everyone else

Skipper first off nice deer regardless, glad the buck got your heart going

I pretty much had the same thing happen to me this year.
About to get in my stand and through a small hole in the brush, I see only the head of a wide deer staring at me about 60 yards away. Get in the stand and he is about to go under the neighbors fence, he turns his head around, I have to make a split second decision and I took him.

Felt terrible when I walked up to him and saw how young he was, right at 19" inside spread, either a super 2.5 or a nice 3.5.

After the seasons over, I usually end up kicking myself in the rear for letting a nice mature one walk. I hold off waiting for the Muy Grande and ending up with Nada