I'm with quack! Who could care if they don't know?

It is considered illegal an inhumane!!! You wouldn't cut off a big cat's claws and send it back into the wild would you? It's like cutting off your arms and sending you out in the wild to fend for yourself..... Doesn't seem very promising does it? And if you are not properly educated on how to manage the deer's condition while under tranq then he could die anyway!!! Doesn't make sense or seem very smart to me!!! Seems to be a greedy hunter on a low fence property so why not just do the "Right Thing" and let him walk til next year! He hasn't gotten that big by being dumb I assure you!!! Keep corn out year round, mineral licks, etc... He should feel safe there, have plenty of food and stay in the area!!! Just my $.02!!!

Not only would the deer potentially want to fight another depending on time of year and get injured or worse, but I've personally seen bucks face and take on Bobcats or Coyotes. He would have no defense.

Also you must realize that buck may not be your trophy but could be someone else's. I pass up young bucks but just allowed my 10 year old to take a young 120 class 8 point for his first buck. I now have a hunting buddy for life. FYI he sais he's now waiting for a "old" 10. He passed on a good 9 because he may be a 10 next year.

We always make a point to talk to neighbors and fellow hunters to get on the same page in our area. Sometimes if they know you'll pass on the young ones, they will do the same.

Right, you are making this a defensless buck. Some other buck that he whooped will remember him and definetly give it back. This is a bad idea.

Illegal. If he does it, better not get found out...

Here's the buck in question in early velvet.




My friend also owns a whitetail breeding facility, and is a trained whitetail biologist, so tranq dosage, etc. doesn't really worry me. He saw him full-horned this past Friday morning and was hoping he would b broken up, but he was perfect.

I know nothing about this, but I figure if he's darted and not found, the worse that can happen is he passes out in the bush and wakes up 6 hours later or so like "wth just happened".

This is just an idea he was throwing around on how to keep the "brown down" hunters next door from harvesting him pre-mature.

I would try to shoot part of his antler off if it was me. Other than that he is fair game for anybody else. If the neighbors truly are a "its brown its down" then evidently that deer doesn't cross the fence caue I know i would be shooting it.

If he would be down for 6 hours he wouldn't wake up.

Many times a shot to the antler is just as fatal as a shot to the heart. I have seen it happen before. Guy shot at a deer at long range and he dropped in his tracks. Upon investigation, he had no wounds other than one of the main beams was shot in two.

if that's the case with the facility, better make sure you do it during the right time of year.... had some folks out trying to help re-pen breeder bucks after Rita dropped trees on the pens and it was a cluster.... wouldn't think it, but one out of it's environment stuck with a dart can run himself until he dies from heat exhaustion.

Deer will likely die from the stress of the event.

Thats a lot of trouble to go through to save a deer! But then again, i haven't seen one that nice.

I have often thought about the logistics and legality of darting our spikes and eat tagging them. Just to put to bed our ongoing shoot or dont shoot controversy at our lease.

why let the controversy stop at the lease?....... let 'em walk

You can alter the genetics of the herd housed on your land by introducing breeder bucks or does bred to a breeder buck, but you cannot alter the headgear of a buck? Sounds sort of weird.

I do let them walk. We probably shouldn't get into this one. It will end up looking like that "dadgum ars" thread.

I hear ya.

I'm new here so I hate to start a fire, although it looks like it's been fanned some already, but the idea of removing antlers to make a trophy a non-trophy so your bud can "harvest" it next year just sounds unethical. Ethics shouldn't be so nebulous but apparently it is.
Yeah, I used "harvest" on purpose. Hunting didn't seem to be the right word...

seems a little to crazy, i love deer hunting but this crosses the line. I mean why cant he just enjoy hunting like most of us. If the deer lives he lives, if he doesnt he doesnt, THATS HUNTING! Im sure there are tons of stories on here about the one that got away or whatever. It happens, this is way overboard.

First of all it is illegal to dart a wild deer. Second cutting off his antlers is like sending him to a knife fight without a knife...a death wish, what is going to stop someone from shooting him as a doe or a spike for that matter after you saw the antlers off??? If they catch him they (TPWD) will make a public example out of him and if he is a deer breeder he will loose his license and possibly his hunting license would be suspended also.

It's called wildlife harrassment and is illegal. The deer are property of the state, no matter whose land they're on at the time.

Like doe meat isn't sought after as well. Either way, it could still encounter someones cross hairs.

its still venison

Just shoot him and everyones happy.

Tranq him and write "COW" on his side and leave the antlers alone.

I caught an 8 lbs. bass and put him in my swimming pool so no one else could catch him. Hopefully next year he'll be 10 lbs. so I can mount him.......