Don't know what I was thinking

[Jogeephus]

I spent much of the day processing deer meat but had to go out and feed the girls. While I was at one place, I got a feeling I would finally get a shot at a nice trophy buck I've been hunting for two years. I slipped down to a stand overlooking a 12 acre food plot planted in clover. Got in the stand at 4:30 and began waiting. By 5:00, I had 8 does standing within 100 yards of me. Around 5:15 the does started looking to the west. At 5:30, he steps out and I must say he was dang impressive with a heavy rack with 10 good points on him. Rack was tall, at least 20" over his head but his spread was only about 16 inches inside. He stood there sniffing at the does then began following a few around. Began chasing one right towards me then she turned and headed south and he just stopped broadside and just looked around. The whole tiime I had him in my sights - but I didn't shoot. I kept thinking, I got cha but for some reason I didn't want to kill him. Figured we could use some more of those genes in our deer herd and besides, I think I would get more satisfaction seeing one of the kids that hunt our place get him. Knowing he was mine seemed enough at the time. But I still can't believe I let him walk. :shock:

 

[Mahoney Pursley Ranch]

Takes a good man to let one like that walk on, good for you Jo.

 

[3waycross]

Takes a good man to let one like that walk on, good for you Jo.

Or maybe like a lot of us you're just gettin old and the killing just doesn't mean as much as it used to. No shame either way.

 

[Fly-guy]

Jogeephus you must be more of a gentleman than my son and I were last weekend! We didn't let these two walk. The one on the right is a 5x6 and the other one is a
3x4.

 

[Fly-guy]

As I was saying, "the one on the right ----

 

[Jogeephus]

Those are some nice bucks. The one on the right is similar to the one I've been hunting. Sure would like to see the look on my son's face if he were to bag one like that. I doubt we could get his head through the door - my son's that is. :lol:

 

[mnmtranching]

Yeah 8) As hunters grow older it gets easier to pass on deer. I wonder how many times, the biggest buck I see on a hunt is 1 st day. Then I settle for something smaller toward the end of a season. :roll:

I know most of you realize it. But that yearling buck, most likely has the genetics of that trophy old guy. All he needs, is to be able to grow up.

 

[dun]

Yeah 8) As hunters grow older it gets easier to pass on deer. I wonder how many times, the biggest buck I see on a hunt is 1 st day. Then I settle for something smaller toward the end of a season. :roll:

I know most of you realize it. But that yearling buck, most likely has the genetics of that trophy old guy. All he needs, is to be able to grow up.

That's the reason I only shoot old bucks. Shot one a couple of years ago that didn;t have anything for horns and only one tooth. I knew he was old and figured he'ld contributed all that he had to the following generations.
The old guys eat just as well as the young ones when they're ground!

 

[Northern Rancher]

I had a 160-165 inch 5x4 at ten yards in muzzie season up here-had a dead rest but I passed on him. He was a real good deer-webbed beams so he would have all four mass measurements over 6 inches. We have 100 days of deer season here and quite often I don't shoot a buck till the last couple days-if you tag out you are done hunting and we can't have that. There's a big 7x6 that I'mjust hoping makes a mistake during the rut was -30 here today but the bucks are rutting hard.

 

[Stepper]

Joe,

I was going to offer to take you deer hunting with me this fall and take turns holding the light while the other done the shoothing. But after reading this story i am going to have to rethink things now. 8)

 

[Jogeephus]

Stepper, I don't want you to get the impression that I have gone and got my ears pierced and have turned into a tree huggin vegetarian prairie fairy wearing daffodils in my hat, cause I ain't done done it. :lol: Just couldn't take that one. Had some two friends, who some people might consider poor, who asked me to get them some deer meat. They said they would take all the deer meat I could bring them AND even said they would clean them. WELL NOW, I like these folks and like the way they think. Our deer ratio is probably at least 10:1. With 8 does on me and 4 rounds in the gun, I almost fulfilled their wishes but I must have pulled a bit on the fourth shot cause it appears that one got away. So, I can still get into the mode when neccessary. ;-) Besides, two of these does definitely needed culling cause they were rather pop-eyed. ;-)

 

[mnmtranching]

Joe,

I was going to offer to take you deer hunting with me this fall and take turns holding the light while the other done the shoothing. But after reading this story i am going to have to rethink things now. 8)

I would still consider Joe for holding the light, maybe not take turns. :|

 

[Stepper]

Joe,

I was going to offer to take you deer hunting with me this fall and take turns holding the light while the other done the shoothing. But after reading this story i am going to have to rethink things now. 8)

I would still consider Joe for holding the light, maybe not take turns. :|

:lol: Yeah, i guess that might work, if he would promise not to turn the light off when i started shoothing !

 

[Jogeephus]

Joe,

I was going to offer to take you deer hunting with me this fall and take turns holding the light while the other done the shoothing. But after reading this story i am going to have to rethink things now. 8)

I would still consider Joe for holding the light, maybe not take turns. :|

:lol: Yeah, i guess that might work, if he would promise not to turn the light off when i started shoothing !

Now you are asking for tooooo much. Once you get the general idea of where the deer is standing you ought to be able to hit it with that belt fed weapon your getting for Christmas. Besides, if you've been good Santa is supposed to get you a pair of those 3gen night vision gogles as well. So lets keep it sporting why don't we. :lol:

 

[Stepper]

Man alive ! If Santa brings me all of thoes toys for Christmas i am going to be one happy fella ! :lol: Maybe i can kill a deer then.