Did i do the right thing?
Alright guys I need some consoling. I ended up having a nice 8 pt come in to my food plot this weekend right at last light and I studied him as much as I could and it was obvious that he was an extremely old deer. Huge body, pot belly, Greyish coat, and when I got him I noticed he was missing many teeth. I would guess him at at least a five year old maybe plus. Although, his rack was really pretty weak compared to some other bucks that i believe I have on my land. I just felt as though I was obligated to take this buck out of my herd for management reasons. I have saw on hunting shows this done but I never thought that I would be put in this situation. Now I am a little disapointed in the fact that my season is done because of the one buck limit in Indiana. I feel as though I would have easily had a chance at a better buck had I held off on him. Did I do the right thing?What would some of you guys have done had you been in my shoes?
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Thanks buddy, Am i definetely agree with you. They are all trophies. All they all put damn good food on the table. I am just ready to get that one buck were all looking for.
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I guess if you have to ask then you shouldn't have shot
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Since you used your only buck tag, I am sure you can be happy that you have a nice trophy on the ground, and really the only mistake you can make is harvesting a deer that isn't fully mature yet.
The only reason that it would have been a real good idea to get him out of the population in that area is to keep him from spreading any more of his genes. If he doesn't have good genetics then I would say that you did an awesome thing for managing your land. If he had pretty good genetics (meaning his rack was once a nice specimen), then maybe it was a bad decision. The funny thing is that most of the time, the older bucks do very little mating during the rut and most of the mating is done by the young deer..pretty much because they are younger, faster and healthier.
Don't worry about it, you have lots of time now to shoot some of the does! Shooting does is a much better management plan than shooting any buck anyway. Go get 'em! ***Just hope a monster doesn't walk out*** lol
The only reason that it would have been a real good idea to get him out of the population in that area is to keep him from spreading any more of his genes. If he doesn't have good genetics then I would say that you did an awesome thing for managing your land. If he had pretty good genetics (meaning his rack was once a nice specimen), then maybe it was a bad decision. The funny thing is that most of the time, the older bucks do very little mating during the rut and most of the mating is done by the young deer..pretty much because they are younger, faster and healthier.
Don't worry about it, you have lots of time now to shoot some of the does! Shooting does is a much better management plan than shooting any buck anyway. Go get 'em! ***Just hope a monster doesn't walk out*** lol
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I think you did right.Remember a bird in hand is worth two in the bush:wink:
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:set1_signs009:
An old wise deer is one of the hardest animals to get into bow range. A huge rack on a younger deer doesn't make it smarter than that old guy. Be proud!
Good job!:darkbeer:
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I agree that you did the right thing as well. That inferior buck wont be breeding your does and the bigger bucks in your area will pass on better genes for the future. I'm sure glad I don't live in a 1 buck state. I'd have to move unless I lived close to another state so I could keep hunting. That would suk.
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I've passed on bucks like that only to regret not taking the easy shot later. Hey you got a mature buck! Congrats! Hang the antlers, show the pics, and be happy.
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If he's that old, that is more the true measure of a trophy than a huge set of antlers....Do the animal justice, and be proud of taking him.
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How about some Pics?
The older bucks mean more to me than some younger, bigger deer.
The older bucks mean more to me than some younger, bigger deer.
I don't think there is ANY question you did the right thing. You did. I believe what you really want to ask is if it's OK for you to feel disapointed that your season is over without a chance to bag a huge racked buck. Of course you should feel disapointed. Every bowhunter I know dreams about the big one so why shouldn't you feel that way? Be proud of yourself for being an ethical hunter who cares more about the deer herd than the trophy on your wall. Sacrifice today will pay dividends tomorrow. I'm happy to be associated with hunters like yourself. Good Job.
Oh, Old Graybeard, do us all a favor and quit posting. I'm not sure if you meant he should have waited for a better deer or he was stupid for asking a question at all but your post was not necessary and your input has no value in this thread.:zip:
Oh, Old Graybeard, do us all a favor and quit posting. I'm not sure if you meant he should have waited for a better deer or he was stupid for asking a question at all but your post was not necessary and your input has no value in this thread.:zip:
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Yes
I would be happy with a deer like that. To relate to a story, albeit both these bucks were taken with rifle, these are my brother's last 2 years. The younger rack on the left is from about a 3.5 year old (we think) and the one on the right is about a 6.5 year old. He was definately on the decline rack and health wise, just a huge deer though in the body. He is way prouder of the older deer because he was a much harder deer to harvest. That old guy was smart, and on more than one occasion busted us from way out and had some of the craftiest movement patterns. Both are great trophies, be proud of your deer. There is always next year for that deer in his prime trophy!
I would be happy with a deer like that. To relate to a story, albeit both these bucks were taken with rifle, these are my brother's last 2 years. The younger rack on the left is from about a 3.5 year old (we think) and the one on the right is about a 6.5 year old. He was definately on the decline rack and health wise, just a huge deer though in the body. He is way prouder of the older deer because he was a much harder deer to harvest. That old guy was smart, and on more than one occasion busted us from way out and had some of the craftiest movement patterns. Both are great trophies, be proud of your deer. There is always next year for that deer in his prime trophy!
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The way you described his teeth I don't think he would have another year in him anyway so one way to look at it is at least he wont go to waist. Also I don't think a buck in this stage of life will impact a herds genetic structure much if at all. He would have lost his status in the pecking order with the younger, stronger bucks running circles around him. You didn't do a bad thing. You might have bagged a bigger one but just look at it this way; the bigger buck you didn't bag should be even bigger next year. So congrats on the one you did bag.
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