Don't pick the fruit before its ripe.......

[Sean B]

.....six years ago I made the decision of holding out for a mature buck. This decision came to me after reading the books and watching the DVDs from the Brothers of the Bow. listening to thier words, I felt that it was a goal that I wanted to set for myself. Knowing that having a crazy personal life and limited time to hunt The past several years made it an even tougher plan to stick to.
I'm fortunate enough to have some pretty good property to hunt including I good hunk of land in an archery only zone. I've also been lucky to have taken some pretty good bucks over the last 35 years with both the wheel and stick bow. All were factors in my decision.

The one particular wood lot near my home in a bow only zone has held some beauties that I've had a tough time getting close too. This year I had high expectations although again, I had limited time to hunt.

Sign in my woods was unusualy sparse this year. However, I did find a set of huge rubs along an open hard wood ridge.
 
 
 
These rubs are all on the same tree!!

[Sean B]

I haven't gotten around to being a trail cam guy, more so for fear of having it stolen, so I Never did get a picture of this buck. The last few years I've gotten glimpses of 140" bucks during the rut, so I was pretty confident that this was made by one of those bucks or thier offspring. It's all really open hard woods, so there's no real cover to hold a good buck so I'm pretty sure they're in there at night to feed on the white oak acorns or cruising the day during the rut.

Anyway, I had this guy come through and had him at 20 yards....
   

[stack]

AND????????????????

[23feetupandhappy]

[Sean B]

I passed.  It was a tough decision, but I held off. I would think about it quite a bit afterwards, questioning my sanity. On one hand, he would be a great buck to take with any weapon, and I didn't have a lot of time to dedicate to this season.  On the other, I have taken a few bucks his size, and I knew there was a bigger buck somewhere in these woods. "A Bird in the Hand..."  I knew if I didn't take a bigger buck it would be hard for others to understand my decision.

Needless to say, I didn't take that bigger buck. I have no regrets or make no apologies. It's gives me more incentive to hunt those woods next season. Hopefully that buck who made the rubs will be back and the 10 in the pic will have another year to grow.  I am by no means a trophy Hunter, this is just a personal goal that I set for myself.  Thanks for taking the time to read this!!

[Mr. fingers]

If your good with you decision then so be it.
But frankly I think you nuts!

[olddogrib]

Oh no, what were you thinking....you have now made it a virtual certainty that you will never have another deer in bow range again, lol!  My personal "rule of thumb" when I switched to trad only many years ago is....if it's old enough to walk it's old enough to die!  Best of luck on your quest, I must eat.

[TxSportsman]

Hunting for meat, and hunting for personal goals can be very different things. You passed on an immature buck at 20 yards, your goal was to shoot a mature buck. I think you are closer to your goal then you were prior to that hunt. Well done and good luck going forward.

When I we had many land owner acquired doe tags, we did the  same thing.  However, when there is a big deer around, it tends to draw crowds of hunters and some not on their best behavior.  Competition gets fierce and takes the adventure out of the hunt.  Now if I could get control of a a couple of square miles of Iowa hunting land, naw, the problem is with owning land of any size is the constant trespassers and night lighters when a big deer is on it.

[Izzy]

I usually  judge deer by close enough or too far but I respect a fella who chooses his own path and is more selective than myself.

     Ill tell you this. Of the deer that Ive passed in my life, I never did regret the decision later on down the line. Nice buck brother and I hope he's "close enough" for you (or me) next year.    

[goingoldskool]

That's a sharp looking Black Widow! !!!!

Best of luck to you and your endeavors with the "big" ones!

Good luck, shoot straight and God bless,

Rodd

[T-Bowhunter]

That's a great Buck!  I hope he makes it until you can have another opportunity at him.

[maineac]

Good on you for sticking to your goal!  I have dreams of a big one and know I must hold out. I have done so on travel trips, and gone home empty handed, no regrets.  At home if I can ever put an expanded zone doe in the freezer early I will join you in such a quest (maybe, I tend to get Eichler fever when a legal deer is in range)

Do what makes it fun for you. If waiting is what does it, then by all means wait!

Good luck next year!

Bisch

[Bernie B.]

When the right deer comes by, you'll know it.  Even though that is one heck of a nice buck, if it didn't seem right then you made the right decision.  You'll always have a picture in your mind of him going by, and hopefully by next year he'll even gain a few more inches.  Nice pictures!    

Bernie

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Well Sean, I think its only a matter of time. Hopefully your work and life will allow more woods time during future seasons.  

That was sure a handsome deer you let walk... at this stage in my hunting career, I would have still been shaking in my tree at that encounter.

[Sean B]

Originally posted by Izzy:
I usually  judge deer by close enough or too far but I respect a fella who chooses his own path and is more selective than myself.

     Ill tell you this. Of the deer that Ive passed in my life, I never did regret the decision later on down the line. Nice buck brother and I hope he's "close enough" for you (or me) next year.      

Thanks for the support guys. Izzy, itd probably be a different story if I saw this guy in the Catskills!!  The 8 that I saw had about the same frame size.

[fmscan]

Sean, good for you, setting your own standards...

[Sean B]

Originally posted by goingoldskool:
That's a sharp looking Black Widow! !!!!

Best of luck to you and your endeavors with the "big" ones!

Good luck, shoot straight and God bless,

Rodd

Thanks Rod, I have a weakness for Widows!!  That's the one the Boys made me for taking the big bear in the '12 BW bear hunt. I broke it in earlier this season with a fat Catskill mountan doe.

[Yellow Dog]

Sean, good call.......You need to save the room in your freezer for that giant you're going to arrow in Quebec