As some of you know, I hunt on a larger "semi-managed" ranch that is family oriented. In this day and age, family oriented ranch and management aren't always easy to obtain or maintain but we do our best and it has worked for almost 30 years. We have taken some very respectable animals (120-150") and seen the average antler size increase over those years, so I guess we are doing something right. We don't have a "no-kill" list, we have an open stand policy during rifle season, etc....we basically just discuss different deer and try to take older deer. This doesn't always happen and as long as the hunter is happy with his trophy, we are happy for them. We have never kicked anyone off for taking a young deer. But enough about that, you came to this post because of the title

In the almost 30 years of hunting this ranch, I have only seen or known of one other true main frame 6x6. It was killed as a 4yo, had a kicker making it a 13pt and scored 149". For our place, this was an exception and scored higher than most of our deer but it was hard to not think about what another year would have done. I know, I know...we all hear "give it another year" and the deer never shows back up and all we are left with is wonder. I don't fault or blame the hunter that took this deer. It was a beautiful animal and a true trophy, but I couldn't help but think about the next year.

Well, last year a new 12 pointer showed up at one of my stands. He was no doubt a young deer and even as a 6x6, wasn't of the quality that many on our place would shoot. I had him at 3 years old and enjoyed watching him on and off throughout the season. Being young, many of the other hunters were able to enjoy his presence as their stands too. We have some deer that will travel over 6-9 sections and we have some deer that like to stay home. This guy just liked to stay home and it didn't bother me a bit since he called my place home more than anywhere else.

So this year I was anxious to see what he did at 4 and he didn't disappoint. While he didn't add much to his G5's, he was able to add pretty much everywhere else. Many times at 4, our older deer tend to push them around but my more mature deer didn't seem to mind him being around. Again, this year he was a "stay at home" deer instead of a traveler and I truly believe that this was one of the main things that kept him alive.

I had plenty of game camera pictures of him and had the pleasure of seeing him at as close as 15 yards while bow hunting. For Christmas, I got a new camera and he decided to come out and pose for the new camera, so figured I would share.

Can't wait to see what he does next year...if I get to see him

Last year

Dang good looking buck!

I sure like thinking what another year will do

Let 'em go and watch 'em grow !!! May be a real beast next season. Good luck.

Hope you're able to give him a couple more years. Fantastic deer.

Thanks everyone and thanks for letting me share


And stx...you know you were shocked he didn't die this year

Beautiful buck. !!

Not nearly as shocked as your were when you took that pic

I had been seeing him all year, so I was shocked all year...but yes, I was shocked when he walked out after regular season

Very nice buck for sure. I hunt on a small low fence place. Two years ago I had a 12 or 13 point buck show up at the feeder still in velvet. Watched him for a long time and could hardly wait for the season to begin. He was a young deer and we don't see many like him on our place. The last time I watched him he seemed to have no fear of the area. Bow season came and I have not seen the buck since so I am quite confident a bow hunter took him.
Hope with your place being so much larger he makes it next year and we will see a very nice buck again.

Nice buck David. Hope he continues to mature and live under your watchful eye. I've got some concerns how much the dry conditions in Concho County will impact next seasons antlers. Hopefully this guy finds a way to keep adding on the mass.

Yup...couple years will do him good...

We have a pretty good sized place but still lose some to the neighbors. This one was seen by a small neighbor but only a couple of times.




Yes sir, isn't looking great out there heading into the spring but been a mild winter for them. Two years ago was a rough year out there and produced two of our biggest deer...hopefully this guy can figure out what they were eating instead of the rest of the herd.




Couple probably will but odds are he will only get one

We only have 320 acres and its low fence, so most if not all of our deer venture off the property from time to time or significant periods of time. Its a tuff decision to make when to take them between too young, never seeing them again, and not ever shooting anything waiting for a sought after buck to be 7 years old etc.

We do manage to carry a few deer into the 5+ age classes but its not an every year thing and many times at 4 or so years old they up and disappear, likely to a neighbor. I shot a typical 12 in 2012, last year my dad shot an 11 point that flip flopped from 11-12 points, we have one on camera for the past 2 years that makes me drool and is 3, but probably 4 years old. He didn't show up from new years till last weekend .... lord I hope he shows back up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pretty buck!

A very nice buck that should only get better. Takes a lot of discipline to let those walk and I hope for you that he becomes a real trophy.

Great buck!

Very nice deer!

Nice buck!!!!

Good looking buck, hope you he shows up next year and is way to tempting

I always let the really nice young ones walk and also a few good mature bucks on the small place I use to hunt in hopes that one day I would see a truly nice big mature buck in the 160 range.
Hopefully I will find a new honey hole soon and start the quest again.

Awesome. I love the discipline displayed but do not fault a hunter's choice. I've let many deer walk over the years on low fence and small leases to which many (almost all) other lease members have said they would have shot and can't believe I passed on the buck of subject pictures. I like watching them, scouting with trailcams and video. I've been real fortunate on current very small lease to have this year 4 different bucks coming through (mostly at night) that all are mature 5+ and estimate each score over 140. I had two different ones within bow range in bow season but no ethical shot (just sickening to replay the video which had clear video angle but I did not have clear arrow shot). anyway no one else on lease has seen any of these bucks. I have them on cameras at literally all different times of a 24 hour day usually one of them comes around about every 3-4 days (no photos at feeders but instead about 50-60 yards out skirting feeders in wood edges). I took my favorite hit list target that I estimate at 7 years old. I have photos of him last 4 years and at that the earliest figured he was all ready 3 yr old. Main frame 8 with palmated main beams, kickers, trash which East Texas would call him a 13 point. This years pics his body was starting to go down and post rut when I took him during a thunderstorm on Dec 28 it was evident he had lost a lot of bodyweight in rut even with the tremendous acorn crop.

I know, I know, show me the pics! Well sorry to be a tease but for this small honeyhole location, I made a pact with partner not to post em up.

Let em walk, watch em grow, and each picture run is like waiting on Christmas morning to see what you got. Hopefully, he makes it through to your next season and it will all be worth it. Now I can't wait to see what 3 other bucks I've identified do. Based on updated TC pics, I know they have made it through the extended season and there are no MLD properties around me. Now let everything rest, recover and get ready for a some hog eradication (they are back) and maybe get in a turkey hunt or two.

Good Luck to all

I agree 100%. I do not fault someone for shooting a deer that I let walk. I have let deer walk that I knew I was an idiot for passing on certain ranches and shot deer that I shouldn't have shot

As long as I have been on this ranch, I have hunted these deer and killed these deer. I let deer walk for the sake of someone else having the chance or hoping they make it. Typically, I pick 3 bucks before the season starts and hunt those bucks. I lose more than I win but I enjoy it. At the end of the season, if my targets have died or moved to another part of the ranch, I will take a good management buck if I can. I will say that I did ask anyone that was going to this stand location not to shoot this particular buck there. If they had shot him at a different stand I would have been upset that he died, but would have been happy for the hunter that took him. A few of the other hunters saw this deer and let him walk and one of them held his son off of it, which to me is a testament to the guys I hunt with.




I remember your 12. I would have a hard time hunting on a smaller place now just because I love running the cameras on different parts of the ranch and hunting different terrain. Even with the size of our ranch, our deer do not stay on us but we have a much greater chance of it.