Just curious here...I wonder how you'd go about scoring a buck like that. In the picture I can't tell which beam on his right side I'd say was the main beam. Since you can only have 4 circumference measurements per side which of the split main beams would you measure?
I definitely think he is closer to 2.5 than anything so probably for the best you didn't get him this year. Maybe next year he will be even better. You're hopefully smarter about his whereabouts now and what didn't work (of course he is smarter too if he ain't dead). Good luck next year. I hope you keep us posted.