Hotlist or no?

Tallfeller454

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
May 24, 2017
Messages
219
We have 3 years of history with this guy and he has put on a lot of bone each year. Glad to see him back on the farm!
71df34bee1e98dce6a9b4d900ba3a52b.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
OP
Tallfeller454

Tallfeller454

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
May 24, 2017
Messages
219
He is a 5.5 year old this year but has put on considerable inches the past two years. He is not our biggest deer and would not be the biggest deer I have shot. So I'm thinking of giving him a pass this year.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

bwlacy

WKR
Joined
Feb 11, 2015
Messages
424
Location
West Michigan
You know your area and the bucks you have. If you are considering giving him a pass then that is probably what you should do. I've found that if I have to think about it and talk myself into shooting one that I'm not all that excited once on the ground. I prefer the ones where there is no question, see them, shoot them.
 
OP
Tallfeller454

Tallfeller454

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
May 24, 2017
Messages
219
I agree with you bwlacy if it is a question then I shouldn't shoot. This is him last year you can tell he is putting on some bone each year.
add117113e1c32b4f23db3ff8a5dcbe4.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Joined
Apr 3, 2017
Messages
1,029
Location
Magnolia, Texas
You know your area and the bucks you have. If you are considering giving him a pass then that is probably what you should do. I've found that if I have to think about it and talk myself into shooting one that I'm not all that excited once on the ground. I prefer the ones where there is no question, see them, shoot them.

This is spot on. I totally agree. That's how I like to do it. Try not to pick out any specific deer necessarily but just wait until the moment of truth. If I want to shoot I will.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

elkyinzer

WKR
Joined
Sep 9, 2013
Messages
1,257
Location
Pennslyvania
Literally sitting here shaking my head at the premise of your absurd humblebrag. That would be the buck of a lifetime in the mountains of PA.
 
OP
Tallfeller454

Tallfeller454

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
May 24, 2017
Messages
219
Not bragging at all. I realize how blessed I am to hunt deer like this every year. Having that opportunity makes me want to take full advantage of the quality of deer on our property and give them the chance to reach full potential.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

bwlacy

WKR
Joined
Feb 11, 2015
Messages
424
Location
West Michigan
I agree with you bwlacy if it is a question then I shouldn't shoot. This is him last year you can tell he is putting on some bone each year.
add117113e1c32b4f23db3ff8a5dcbe4.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Looks a lot bigger this year. They always look huge in velvet. Hard to tell body size and age in the first pic. He does have a sway in his back and a long nose. I only hope to be able to grow some older bucks on our ground. Around me if they are over 120 that's a good one. We have to travel to see deer over 140. I'm jealous:D
 
OP
Tallfeller454

Tallfeller454

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
May 24, 2017
Messages
219
8b07d8322d774bc7115afe0f927cae5d.jpg

Positive he is 5.5 and he is a pretty big bodied deer.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

johnsd16

WKR
Joined
Mar 14, 2016
Messages
336
Location
North Idaho
If he's not your biggest then maybe not, but he is pretty big. Depending on the area, how the rut goes for him, then how the winter is, and IF he survives the hunting seasons and roads, there is still no guarantee that he will get bigger at 6.5 yrs. Most wild bucks peak somewhere between 4.5-6.5 in the inches dept. He has a good frame, lots of typical points, some trash and mass. Not sure what you're looking for him to add. He could go either way next year. He could blow up, or he could narrow, add mass and trash and become a mainframe 5x5 or 4x4.

For me, a definate shooter, but he would be my biggest by a wide margin (low 140s gross) as he looks to be 170s gross by the limited pictures.
 

bwlacy

WKR
Joined
Feb 11, 2015
Messages
424
Location
West Michigan
Definite shooter for me also! He would be my biggest and I would shoot him anywhere in the country. I only hope to see one like that in Iowa this fall. The odds of seeing one like that at home are probably worse than winning the lotto.
 

bounds

WKR
Joined
Jul 5, 2012
Messages
413
Location
NW Arkansas
I agree with your decision. If you've got that much history with him, and are consistently putting out bigger deer than him, I'd definitely let him go. He's a great buck for sure, but could be a once in a lifetime type deer if he put on another 20 inches of frame and mass next year. Of course there's no guarantee for that growth, but I would say it's way more likely that he puts on that kind of growth than not from 5 to 6.
 

Hesseltine32

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Feb 24, 2016
Messages
134
Location
Maryland
That's a great buck I would not be able to pass up a 5 year old unless I was hunting something much larger and only got one buck tag . Love to see the buck you plan to hunt.
 
OP
Tallfeller454

Tallfeller454

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
May 24, 2017
Messages
219
6ee1fdb70d56581f19b21aa6d3ffde0e.jpg

Last card pull he has a little more growth.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Osprey

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Mar 6, 2016
Messages
127
In reality only the OP can really answer this question as if hes a shooter or not will vary greatly on where the people who are commenting hunt. If you like to pursue the biggest bucks in your area only YOU or people who hunt around YOUR area know what that is. Personally I set my goal to shoot bucks in the top 10% in the given area I'm hunting. I hunt extremely heavily hunted deer so 3.5yr olds are like 1 in 100 people get one one and a 5.5 is extrememly rare. This comes from actual check in station logs not made up numbers so 3.5yr don't get a pass even if sub 120". A 2.5yr over 110" prob wont get a pass either by me. Several of the 3.5yr+ bucks I've taken have previous wounds from others trying to kill them in the past, thats a good indication of when you are hunting heavily hunted deer. So if you can let em grow and hes not a good buck for your area I wouldn't shoot him if you have several bigger. If not shoot him.

With that said its easier to take a 150" buck on public or by just asking private landowners in Nebraska or Kansas than it is to take a 120" deer in the areas I hunt. Taking a buck of any size doesn't mean anything its where you take it and where it stands compared to others in your area thats the impressive part.

I know of someone who leases land in Texas that doesn't shoot anything under 180" I think its actually part of the lease agreement too and they usually have several 200" deer every year to chase. I've never seen a 200" let alone a 180" whitetail on the hoof however that guy is probably less than avg skill level hunter and really doesn't have a lot of knowledge of how big bucks act he just pays to get access to hunt really good areas. I have another friend that takes a trip every rifle season to hunt with family in the mountains of PA and between him and his dad one of them takes a 100-120" buck every other year which is a difficult task in rifle season in PA on public. They are pretty skilled deer hunters both of them area from PA and have several generations experience hunting those mountains. However the 3.5yr+ bucks back where they live now in the public areas in Northern Indiana which are the areas I hunt still eluded him back to that 1 in 100 statistic. Not saying PA is easier by any means for those PA guys reading.

Set your goals for your area and set them realistically. Nothing is certain if you pass as well he may die from various causes a drought summer EHD outbreak can wipe out your entire older age class in one summer. I lost a big 15pt on public land a few years back just before season because it was hit by a car.
 
Last edited:
Top