This guy has been hanging around one area but in the last week has been traveling all over the property. He is my favorite and I have been watching him all summer. My question is, shoot or not shoot? I have been suggested to giving him another year but that would be very hard to do if he walked up on me.
SHOOT!
I agree that he would be much better in a year or two but outside of a controlled environment, I don’t know that I could pass him up. I doubt many neighbors would give it a second thought if he hopped the fence.
Curious at what age you/others would guess that buck to be? Muzzle looks aged and got a pretty good belly hanging down there. 5? He probably would be a little bigger in 1-2 years but honestly couldn't pass him up for the same reasons mentioned.
My friend who told me to wait thinks it is 3 1/2. I was thinking older but I am not near an expert. He looks really aged to me as well.
I would kill that deer at the first opportunity. He’s a great deer, and you never know what might happen to him. He could get a wild hair and leave the property, get killed by coyotes, get hit by a car, whatever. I get the whole “he needs another year” argument, but that mindset often sucks the fun out of hunting for me. Just being honest. If he gets your heart racing, kill that sucker and don’t worry about what anybody else thinks.
