Busted Up

[hortontoter]

This is one of my two target bucks this season. Now that he has broken off a brow I'm thinking of letting him walk if he comes by in range. Am I crazy thinking this way. He may be better next year and then again he may take a slug in gun season. What would you guys do.
9491

[strutndoe]

I'd stick him! My personal requirement for a buck, if he presents a shot and he's bigger than what I've taken in the past or of similar size with a lot of character to the rack, he's down!

[BowGuy2]

Ur loosing maybe 3 inchs of that brow time at the most! Why sacrifice 3 inches and maybe lose him to a gun hunter who wouldn't think twice about shooting him if say let the arrow fly

[forestman]

I`d stick him.

[hortontoter]

You bring up a good point BowGuy2. The score isn't what relly matters to me. He just looked so much more majestic before the brow got broken.

[Stonegod]

Shoot Dick.....then go buy yourself some bondo!!LOL

[BowGuy2]

I agree. I makes him look more perfect. But he is a true stud very nice deer I wouldn't mind have him hanging from my wall. I think if u had a shot and u passed on him u might regret it later. Good luck on getting the one u want on the ground. Maybe a different stud will walk by u befor he does and u can kill the broken guy next year! That's wishful thinking

[bds9]

This is crazy talk. Shoot the deer if you can. To me, it does nothing but add character and tell the tale of the deers life.

[Stonegod]

Dick.......we just talk on the phone....you canceled coming up today to hunt with poor old me because you wanted to take a crack at the bucks on your place.....now get OFF the site and go NAIL that buck!!! Good luck buddy!!!!!.....I'll be waiting for that phone call telling me he's down!!!

[Lord ToneKing]

I'd stick'm. A good taxidermist can fix that brow tine pretty easily if it bothers you that much

[gonehunting 45]

Take him if given the chance

[ghunter]

Man he is a good looking buck. Take him any chance you get. Give me a call when you do and ill come down and help you pull him out.

[teej89]

if you get the chance take em, if a member of the orange army saw him in gun season they'd shoot so fast they wouldn't know he had a missing brow tine, till they got up to him.

GO GET HIM!

[nomad_archer]

now now you worry to much. If you didnt have trail cam pictures of that deer before the broken tine would you still shoot him. I bet my butt you would and so would it. Now go get it done. After being in your challenge team last year I wonder about you. Seems you are making excuses for not shooting :smash: If you would like I can come down and help you with that buck. He is defective see he cant keep his antlers together.

[mrbb]

well I am one to let way too many der walk over the yrs, but to be honest, I'd have a real hard time letting him walk, that broken browe tine to me just makes character
I would for sure shot him I think
its one thing to let deer walk on lands you have some good contorl over, and if that was the case and I knew there were better maybe I could hold off
but ?? if he makes you happy as is, I say shoot him if the chance happens, still a great buck for sure!
but if he makes it ?? he will be bigger next yr! LOL

[jalincol]

pop him. that brow tine will look like new when the taxidermist is done.

[MJH]

That busted brow wouldnt keep me from putting an arrow thru him! You will kick yourself in the butt if some bust him during slug week!!

Mike

[Seeker Bp]

Hmmmmmm.......When the time comes Hortentoter, you will know. I thought I would pass my Ten, but we see that wasnt the case. My head and my heart said smoke his arse!! May the force be with you!! Good Luck to you Sir! Seeker BP

[radicalxl]

Most definetly, shoot him.

[blackbeard]

Are you pulling our legs Dick? Heck yes shoot this buck, what are you...crazy? The broken tine gives him more character!

[MICH]

wow....if you can wait a year, that buck will blow up to 190+???...let him walk....

[OHBooner]

Blow up to 190? He's pushing that now probably! Holy moly!

[hortontoter]

I didn't make this post as a joke. I know this buck would be taken by most guys, the replies proves that. Even my wife said that the broken brow just proves he is being tested for dominance by the other bucks in the area. I guess I just don't like busted up antlers. If I took this deer he would never see a taxidermist. So repairing the antlers is not the issue.

I think Seeker BP is on the right track. I'll make the decision if the opportunity presents itself. And I will admit it will be hard to let him walk.

I only hunt on 10 acres and I know protecting this deer is impossible. But, he didn't get this size by being stupid. I'm sure he has given the slip to many hunters, including myself.

To be honest nomad archer I don't make excuses to not take a deer. I, like most of us, am hoping to one day shoot the buck of a lifetime. To do that you have to let some walk by.

[ghunter]

I say let him walk and wait for ol splitter to mess up.

[hortontoter]

I got a photo of Splitter about a week ago. All points are intact so far, but he is not as impressive as this deer was. Thanks Gary for the offer to help get one out of the woods. I may take you up on the offer someday. That is if I ever kill one.

[Stonegod]

Man he is a good looking buck. Take him any chance you get. Give me a call when you do and ill come down and help you pull him out.

Well which is it shoot him or leave him walk? First you tell him to shoot him now you're telling him to pass on him and wait for splitter? Seeker BP hit it on the head.....when the moment comes Dick will know what to do. But as long as both bucks stay nocturnal......it's a mute point.

[Big_Holla]

Chooot 'em........chooot 'em Toter!!!

[buckeye96]

Not a doubt in my mind. I shoot that buck.

[bds9]

If I took this deer he would never see a taxidermist.

Why wouldn't you mount him?

[nomad_archer]

To be honest nomad archer I don't make excuses to not take a deer. I, like most of us, am hoping to one day shoot the buck of a lifetime. To do that you have to let some walk by.

I get it. I've been in that boat. When I had places to hunt that had larger and older deer I let alot of bucks walk. I dont have those places to hunt anymore but you will know when hes standing in front of you what you want to do. I just had to give you a hard time. And for me that buck would be the buck of a life time.

[ghunter]

Well which is it shoot him or leave him walk? First you tell him to shoot him now you're telling him to pass on him and wait for splitter? Seeker BP hit it on the head.....when the moment comes Dick will know what to do. But as long as both bucks stay nocturnal......it's a mute point.

Personally I would take the shot. But if that's not the one he wants then don't take him.

[blackbeard]

I'd shoot that busted up buck on the first day of the season, he's bigger that anything on my wall! Good luck Dick, hope you get a chance at him, but like you said, they don't get big by being stupid!

[Genesis 9:3]

It's a fine thing to sit on the computer and pontificate... but you'll likely only get one chance at this guy. I passed up a 6pt this year because, for some odd reason, it seemed right... :banghead: and I've been kicking myself ever since.

If you hunt somewhere that has too many buck's as it is and you don't care about getting a buck... if you don't need the meat, and you like to eat tag soup, I suggest you pass it up and invite me out to help you settle your moral delima once and for all :-D

Most of us won't see a buck like that in our lifetime... that's just sick!

[00buck]

i personally would let the air out of him

[ApparitionRob]

Id say if you are blessed with the opportunity, take it!!

[hortontoter]

Why wouldn't you mount him?

I just don't have deer mounted is all. I had one mounted in 1976 and that is the only one I ever had done. I can still tell the story of that buck like it was yesterday. So for me the memories are what count. I'd do what I do with all my bucks. I'd take the skull cap and antlers and hang them over my bunk in my cabin. Then when I lay on my bunk and look up at the antlers on the wall I can just smile and sleep well. Works for me.

[hortontoter]

Lets clarify a couple things. Number one I most likely would take the shot if I had the chance and it was a very very high percentage shot. I'm not one to fling arrows just because the deer is a trophy. When I saw this photo I posted on Tuesday after my card pull I was sick to see he had lost the left brow tine. I watched him grow these antlers since early June and knew I wanted him badly. But, I wanted him in all his glory.

Secondly, I have never been a good judge of antler size. If Mike F can remember, him, Split G2 and I were looking at photos and sheds at the first summer campout I attended. Guys were impressed with the size of some of the sheds and I thought they were just decent sized antlers. I remember Split G2 telling me "we are talking whitetails not moose". I remember telling him that I thought a wide rack would be as wide as the hood of my truck. Now, this was only three years ago. I think my thoughts of a huge whitetail rack still follows this line of thinking.

Thirdly, I try to hunt the best couple of deer I know exist in my hunting area. I'm not saying these are the only bucks I will shoot though. I know that seeing deer on a camera and getting them within shooting distance while on stand are two entirely different scenerios.

Fourthly, not to say that a couple of posters are wrong, but I think this deer falls way short of 190 inches B&C net. My guess would be maybe mid 160's, but I'm no whiz at judging antlers.

I will be on stand as much as possible in hopes that this or my other shooter makes an appearance. Yesterday evening as I sat on stand the anticipation was quite high. Not one deer showed last evening, but just the thought that SOMEDAY my buck of a lifetime will show made me feel my time was well spent.

And lastly eating tag soup is not a big deal to me. I've done it before and odds are I'll do it again this year.

[dkoy85]

I can't believe I even opened this thread.

[Stonegod]

I can't believe I even opened this thread.

.......Why?

[hortontoter]

I can't believe I even opened this thread.

Please elaborate...just a little.

[ghunter]

I guess we will never know what he was thinking.

[ManOfTheFall]

That is one heck of a buck. I'm shooting him with or without that brow tine.