I never knew letting a deer walk because he was to young would be so hard. I currently have trail cam photos of a 17 point with double droptines that will score in the low 160's, and he's only 3. Its a small ranch with alot of oilfield traffic. I cant get myself to shoot it because he could end up making book in 2 or 3 years, but im afraid someone else wouldnt pass him up. Oh the sacrifices we make for the better good.

I wouldn't have made myself suffer in such a way....
Who's better good is it for? The deer is going to get shot someday anyway....the good for bragging rights?

I know your thoughts but if you are on small tract, what is the chance it will live another two years

i feel your pain it's so hard watching that deer walk through your area and then worrying all through out the season someone dropped him but then if you get the chance to take him in a few years then you can see the reason you passed him

You made the right call regardless of if you get another chance or not. However most would not have passed on the chance.

What makes it the right call? Please explain?

when you or someone else shoots him in two years and he scored 180 youll be glad you passed him up.

Low 160's and you pass..... Hmmmm I smell

on my brothers lease been passin up a couple low 160's and a few 150's and it's low fence it's all about wanting to wait and hope it pays off when you nail that 180 or 170

Saw this on someone's tag line but I think it's appropriate here.

IF you shoot a deer because you're afraid the neighbor might, then you are that neighbor.

I'm all for let'em grow up, but if that deer does it for you let the wind out of him. I get the feeling you would not enjoy it near as much as some might because you already have that doubt in your mind.

After reading the info on here about South Texas bucks and their mortality rate, there is very little guarantee that he will live 2 more years even if hunting was removed as one of the elimination factors. Being hit by a truck, drought, predators, and poachers are all factors that could remove him from the property, plus others that I failed to mention. If you are good with your decision, then so be it. But he may be gone even before you can get back to your lease.

Know a man that leases 7000 or so acres. One of his hands that work for him ran over a buck that scored over 175 a couple of weeks ago. Leasor had been watching the buck for a while. Hand that ran over the deer claimed he was going less than 20 MPH down the dirt road when he hit him. Trucks are equipped with GPS that tells all of the particulars. They looked at the data and the hand was correct. He was going 15 MPH and the deer more or less ran into the truck rather than the truck running over the deer or so says the hand. No real reason to doubt him.

Weird stuff happens. Wish I had the chance to be put in such a spot.

Your a good man for letting him go, but if he made my heart jump into my throat as I was looking at him....

id have taking him... im not into making hunting some kind of science project....

I am all for letting them grow and shooting mature deer, but if a three year old does it for me, I will take him without hesitation. The ranch I hunt is around 7500 acres. I have let many deer go that we never see again. Always a tough decision.

The real question is up to you, Do you or can you pull the trigger on this deer? For me, I have seen several nice deer over the last 10 years or so. I generally live by this rule, when I am hunting, if a deer walks in and I have to think about pulling the trigger, then I let that deer walk. If he comes in and I automatically say to myself "shooter", then that deer gets shot and I am happy. If you second guess yourself that deer is meant to walk.

Hell i dont care what you do, i personaly would shoot him being that are place isnt big enough to expect him to stay.

I just want to see the pictures you have.

matt

On our place.....he would be dead!! We hunt a small tract with quite a bit of hunting pressure around us. When one shows up like that...he is DRT!! Would love to see some pics!!

What county do you hunt, and do you protein feed, that would help me determine my answer. If its West Texas alot of it depends on rain, who is to say if we have a real dry spring that he will still be this big? Good luck on making your decision, I think if you can wait you should.

Happens to us all the time.

if I was your neighbor, I would be "that" neighbor. I fully support letting them grow up, but my rule is that if it's nicer than what I have on the wall, I add it to the wall. A 160 double drop would go on the wall, and following my own rule, I might never get to shoot another buck again.

Seriously, I've never seen a deer with a drop tine. A double drop is a once in a lifetime deer.

Usually the deer you have been fortunate to kill in the past will let you know if you want to kill this buck now.

I would shot him the first chance I got and never look back.

I still want to see pictures

Well said.

To me breeder bucks and breeding pens are science projects, trying to let the deer atain age isnt.