Could you pass this one up?

[buckee]

All I can say is, you Ohio boys are spoiled rotten if you can pass on deer like that. :yes:

[toddyboman]

YES I would pass that deer. And think you made a good decision by passing him......

[Ohiobucks]

Think those two share some genes Tommy?

Very well could be. Take a look at the buck I passed, compared to the 14 pointer....wide, tall G2's, I think that there is definitely some relation there.

[hutchies]

I would let him go if I was on the lease hunting. Public land he would get an arrow. How old do you think he is? He looks 3.5 from that pic. Another year or 2 and he will grow alot.

[WHISKEYSWAMP]

already have one similar on the wall and the buck I shot last year is much bigger... he'd get the pass from me, at least until late season.

[Tominator]

Very well could be. Take a look at the buck I passed, compared to the 14 pointer....wide, tall G2's, I think that there is definitely some relation there.

Yep. A lot of those bucks down at Michael's share that tall G-2. Reminds me of that one I saw going down the hill behind the pines a few years ago.

[doubledrop]

absolutely, I have let 2 walk pretty close to the same size as that. I am just waiting on the big boy that i know is here somewhere.

[hoosierhunter]

I see so many people saying they wouldn't pass and how lucky you are but what most don't realize is YOU ALL HAVE DEER THAT BIG where you are hunting. You just don't know they are there!(yes I mean everyone too regardless of your state) Trail cams, that are placed correctly, do wonders for keeping track of deer.

[ruttinbuc]

I see so many people saying they wouldn't pass and how lucky you are but what most don't realize is YOU ALL HAVE DEER THAT BIG where you are hunting. You just don't know they are there!(yes I mean everyone too regardless of your state) Trail cams, that are placed correctly, do wonders for keeping track of deer.

Trust me, NJ has some big deer, but they are few and far between. No way can you compare the state to Ohio or any big buck state regardless of where you put a camera.

[Rhino]

Tom, Chris, and Al what the heck! You guys have got it made! None of those deer would be passed out here.

It wasn't that long ago when I would have shot that buck here in MS without a 2nd thought and been real happy. Now days, he's not a buck I would mount & the older I get the pickier I get. I already have pics of some mature bucks bigger than him so I know what's out there. I'll bet Tom does too! The buck criteria on our place has allowed a lot of bucks to grow to maturity now so yes I do sort of have it made compared to the vast majority of other MS hunters. We're going into our 6th year on that criteria now. Matter of fact we upped it a little this year. That buck would make our criteria but just not my personal one. Another + for me is I can spend a lot more time in the woods than the average hunter so I can afford to be a little picky. My attitude is...It's just a matter of time before a wall hanger or 2 walks into range. Till then I'll be patient and picky. If I get an itchy trigger finger there's always does & hogs around to scratch that itch.

[chaseasl]

not with a bow, probably not with a gun

[jbeck]

I see so many people saying they wouldn't pass and how lucky you are but what most don't realize is YOU ALL HAVE DEER THAT BIG where you are hunting. You just don't know they are there!(yes I mean everyone too regardless of your state) Trail cams, that are placed correctly, do wonders for keeping track of deer.

LMBOROF, that is a hoot, I'm telling you I have spent the last 34 years in Penn. hunting, now I'm not talking a hobbie, we are talking on average 60 days in the field and I've seen 2 bucks better than that in my life one was dead. Careful how you classify hunting to those who don't have the opertunities you do. I'm betting your not comint to pa. to trophy hunt anytime soon. You see at a young age I learned that where you hunt is more important than how you hunt. we manage 1,000 acres here in pa with food plots and QDM but you don't hold deer on that here. You need to judge the deer of your area, heck that would be like going to the ranch in S. East montana and waiting for a 30 inch Mule deer.you can wait, but in 15 years one has not come off the ranch. I shot a 8 1/2 yr old buck in montana that score 136 he just needed more feed to be a little better, but I'm not about to pass on him to shoot a 170 inch buck when there hasn't been one like that on the ranch in 15 years.

[wildthing]

wow...that took some real guts to pass on this buck.

[hoosierhunter]

LMBOROF, that is a hoot, I'm telling you I have spent the last 34 years in Penn. hunting, now I'm not talking a hobbie, we are talking on average 60 days in the field and I've seen 2 bucks better than that in my life one was dead. Careful how you classify hunting to those who don't have the opertunities you do. I'm betting your not comint to pa. to trophy hunt anytime soon. You see at a young age I learned that where you hunt is more important than how you hunt. we manage 1,000 acres here in pa with food plots and QDM but you don't hold deer on that here. You need to judge the deer of your area, heck that would be like going to the ranch in S. East montana and waiting for a 30 inch Mule deer.you can wait, but in 15 years one has not come off the ranch. I shot a 8 1/2 yr old buck in montana that score 136 he just needed more feed to be a little better, but I'm not about to pass on him to shoot a 170 inch buck when there hasn't been one like that on the ranch in 15 years.

jbeck-I'm sorry but your flat wrong here. Yes it's important where you hunt, but just as important is HOW. Go hunt anywhere with a bow and smoke cigarettes in your blind and don't sit still and your not killing a yearling! If you manage 1000 acres in PA something is very wrong it your not generating deer like that and HOLDING them on your property(I.E. not enough food, bedding, sanctuary, too much hunting pressure, etc.) I know plenty of people that have hunted all their lives and hunted hard and never killed a big deer, but I can also say that is a self imposed problem in most cases.

[hoosierhunter]

Trust me, NJ has some big deer, but they are few and far between. No way can you compare the state to Ohio or any big buck state regardless of where you put a camera.

All I'm saying is that every state has deer like that and EVERY property has a mature deer that calls that his home area. Just because you don't see him doesn't mean he isn't there........

[unioncountyslayer]

Not down here. He'd be dead...

[ruttinbuc]

All I'm saying is that every state has deer like that and EVERY property has a mature deer that calls that his home area. Just because you don't see him doesn't mean he isn't there........

I can agree there is a dominant buck in every herd, but even to make P&Y minimum here is a stretch. There are some private properties that hold bigger bucks. We have too many people killing bucks long before their prime and a six buck a year chance with all the tags. Big bucks live in the suburbs where you can't get at them. We just got a 150' rule for archery and some of those giants showed up, but for the most part big bucks are where you find them. You would be hard pressed to convince the 170 guys in my hunting club that the giants exist. Some big deer yes. Just not many.

[hoosierhunter]

yeah 170 people and a 6 buck limit would have my head spinning admittedly. I love that fact that you put the 150 limit in. That is gonna do wonders as long as you enforce it.

I cool rule my buddy came up with for certain properties is that you either must shoulder mount the buck you kill or pay a 500 buck penalty along with not being able to hunt the property anymore.

[RangerClay]

Nope I'd shoot him! A deer like that would not last long in our southern tier of NY.

[Ohiobucks]

More pics of the same buck, gives a little more perspective....

[pointing_dogs_rule]

PASS, But then once more I live in Iowa.

good luck to all

the dog

[Rhino]

Enough pics of him Tom...how about some pics of the bucks on the "hit list" besides the one on page 2.

[jbeck]

jbeck-I'm sorry but your flat wrong here. Yes it's important where you hunt, but just as important is HOW. Go hunt anywhere with a bow and smoke cigarettes in your blind and don't sit still and your not killing a yearling! If you manage 1000 acres in PA something is very wrong it your not generating deer like that and HOLDING them on your property(I.E. not enough food, bedding, sanctuary, too much hunting pressure, etc.) I know plenty of people that have hunted all their lives and hunted hard and never killed a big deer, but I can also say that is a self imposed problem in most cases.

Heck we have 14,000 acres in Montana and don't hold deer on that, the neighboring ranch went block management and our numbers dropped unbelievably. You are still limited by your area's and surroundings, around our 1,000 acres there is 17,000 acres of public hunting ground if you don't think deer disperse I'm hear to tell you they do. As for self imposed problems I've shot some good bucks, I'm just telling you that I can go to montana and see 5 bucks a week over 120, I've seen three in pa in 32 years of hunting. you do all you want to and hunt in a high preasure area and your chances of seeing a buck like that are slim, let alone to put a big buck on the ground.

[Tominator]

More pics of the same buck, gives a little more perspective....

Still a good pass Tom.

Based on the deer you already have on the wall, I don't think you'd be happy with that one in the long run.

BTW--Hoosier, Kinda agree with you to an extent, but there are some supspecies of the whitetail that are incapable of growing big bodies and racks.

[hoosierhunter]

BTW--Hoosier, Kinda agree with you to an extent, but there are some supspecies of the whitetail that are incapable of growing big bodies and racks.

True-

This particular buck is gonna fall somewhere around 115-120 inches and I would venture to say that is attainable in darn near every hunting area.

Jbeck-

I would guess that if you have 17,000 of public hunting around you that you and your lease partners are pressuring your land to the same extent that the public ground is and that's why you hold no deer. Heck take 200-300 acres and make it a unhuntable sanctuary for deer in the middle of your lease and I promise that every deer for miles will end up taking refuge in there once season heats up.

You have to admit that something is wrong if your not seeing good deer and you manage 1,000 acres in PA. A lease is only as good as your worst member and my guess is that some of your members are screwing things up for everyone......