Are you so sure this buck doesn't have a little more age on him than you are guessing?

You know, you're not the first person to say that. I showed the pic to one of my neighbors and he says an easy 6.5, maybe even 7.5. But last year I would have sworn he was 4.5. I've never been good at aging on the hoof, so I just count up the years I've seen them and guess from there.

this is him last year. yeah, i know. pretty big difference. ive been able to ID him because of the notch in his left ear. here he just looks young to me.

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I have always sided with letting a buck get to 6 or 7 yrs of age. A few bad things could happen if you let him go. He could move during the rut and someone could kill him. A poacher could kill him. He could get hit by a vehicle. He could die from the rigors of the rut. He could stay the same antler size next year. If we get into a drought he could go downhill. What bothers me from this pic is that it appears as if is his right antler/skull has had damage in the past and causing that side to grow at an angle. If that is a permanent damage he could pull or break that side out of his skull during the rut this year. That could greatly effect how that antler grows and looks in the future. Only a couple of good things can happen if he makes it another year. He can continue breed and pass on his genetics. He can get much larger antler wise.
The thing that would make me want to hunt a deer like this is the challenge. If I could get a chance at him this year I would make the decision at that exact point. That challenge of hunting one deer makes that deer a trophy to me more than antler score.
Good luck and if you do get him...

the way I feel about it.


take him if you can


I have let a lot of very nice 5 1/2 year old bucks walk, most I never saw again, a few that I did shrunk considerably in antler size due to drought conditions.

I can see that this buck has a lot of other bucks around him. He may fight and break off points. If he still has a "perfect rack" when you see him this year then take him. There is always the possibility of "hit by a car"; another hunters bullet, natural causes, etc. Just hunt this year and make your decision while your watching him through your sights!

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^THIS^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Just don't shoot a hole in your fertilizer wagon when you start shaking

Yes. And good luck

If I knew he was 5.5 and believed there was very little chance of him getting shot by another hunter, I would probably give him another year to breed and hopefully grow some more. 10 years ago that wouldn't be the case. That being said, he's put together a pretty unique rack this year, which he may not do again. If you like the way he looks and would treasure having him on the wall to admire for the rest of your life, by all means go after him.

Like STX said, I think it's a ton of fun targeting that one special deer.

awesome buck, definitely mature and very unique, like someone said above, unless there are much "better" targets out there, i would take him at the first chance.

good luck and keep us posted

I'd probably wait another 4-5 years and see who he grows into...on second thought....PUT HIM ON THE GROUND NOW!!!!!!

had a confab with the two other bowhunters in my area and they both agreed that i should try to take him now. so I'll definitely try my best and post if i can get lucky. the reason they said i should i never thought of before, but i guess it makes sense....they said this year should be the year because of the younger bucks i also have here. they stated if he's still around next year, he'll run them off, and could possibly do it this year. i hadnt thought about it that way, but i guess it makes sense. along with the fact that his rack may not be as good next year if he's actually peaking now. the two young ones that stay around here are gonna be really good bucks as well so I'm going to start planning for them now.

to be honest, i haven't shot a buck in 10 years, so my level of excitement is through the roof. I've had chances, just passed on them for different reasons. after hearing y'alls opinions, i feel good knowing he should be harvested this year. thanks guys.

Hell I'm excited for you now. Hunt hard amigo, and keep us posted!

... IDK how much pressure is around you, I don't how long deer live in your area. Idk how big your place is... I know that he is mature, I think he could easily already be 6-1/2 but I also think one pic is not enough to really say. Go look at the studies that talk about buck survivability... a lot can happen and he is real big so a real big target....

If he offers, i'd take it. Who knows you may never get a shot at him...

if he is a personal best I would take him. you can always wait a few more years and start targeting your next one after you put this one on the wall

after reviewing the pic, I think I would just take him

I would not wait..he's mature and has trash..and if he's 5.5 I would not risk losing him for the few extra inches he MIFGT add. Go shoot him asap...and good luck.

It also depends on what you feed him ... I wouldn't expect 20 -30 inches of growth unless you feed a lot of protein on either a high fence or a very large property.

not sure what a fence or property size has to do with antler growth on a specific buck from year to year...

i saw a LF buck on 200 acres add 25-30ish inches without protein or a tall fence. its genetics and groceries.

SHOOOOOOT

yay

X2

just to mention again. EVERY 180 inch buck was a 160 inch buck at some point. Sure it is hard to pass that deer but what if he is a 180 in the making? just food for thought