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Good to see him again…

For me killing him is a small part of it. I just love to see if they stay and how he changes. If i have a chance at him fine. I may see him next yr and decide i dont want him to die, it has happened before
We're on the same page.
For me, "killing" a particular buck is just the icing on the cake.
The "cake" is the totality of the hunt, the pursuit, often spanning over years, rather than the short-term thinking of many who measure success by a single morning or evening's "hunt".

Right now, what I'm most looking forward to between now and turkey season, is the multi-day "journey" of seeking, of looking for, a particular "dead head" of a 7 1/2-yr-old buck I had hoped either I or someone I know would "harvest" during the 2021 season.

I'm near certain he died in late October 2021 of an arrow wound, but his "dead head" and remains have not been found, at least to my knowledge. Unfortunately, odds are high this particular buck found himself in a flood-stage creek, then quickly washed into the TN River. That is currently my best guess as to why we didn't find him.

This particular buck likely wouldn't have even made the list of those who value antler score much higher than age & history. But then, that's most probably why multiple hunters (including myself) eagerly gave him a pass when he was younger. He was just a rather average mainframe 8 (for his age class), but at 6 1/2 yrs old, he exploded in mass, and became a unique trophy for a variety of reasons, at least to me. I unsuccessfully tried to kill him specifically in 2020, and he was again #1 on my list for 2021 when he became a very rare 7 1/2-yr-old buck. Very rare in Tennessee.
 
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For me killing him is a small part of it. I just love to see if they stay and how he changes. If i have a chance at him fine. I may see him next yr and decide i dont want him to die, it has happened before
Nice to have that choice. Sorry but I couldn't resist. East Tennessee Plateau you don't see many shooters and when you do you have to make your mind up fast!
 
Nice to have that choice. Sorry but I couldn't resist. East Tennessee Plateau you don't see many shooters and when you do you have to make your mind up fast!
I ceratinly understand, but not resisting is why you dont have many shooters in the area. Not pointing a finger at you, but those mindsets become a self fulfilling prophecy of sorts. I do think anyone should shoot the deer they desire if its truely what they want, but so many shoot because they think its dead either way and they usually find a way to survive even on my most pressured farms
 
I ceratinly understand, but not resisting is why you dont have many shooters in the area. Not pointing a finger at you, but those mindsets become a self fulfilling prophecy of sorts. I do think anyone should shoot the deer they desire if its truely what they want, but so many shoot because they think its dead either way and they usually find a way to survive even on my most pressured farms

If you are lucky you might see 2-3 bucks per year where I hunt. I have passed smaller bucks but shooters are different to each individual and each region. Would love to think I would have the opportunity to pass a buck like that one.
 

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