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Would you shoot this on public or let him grow?

If I had trail cam pics of the deer and had time to identify him, I wouldn't shoot him. That buck coming with only a side view, chasing a doe or on the move I can see where I might mess up and shoot him. I would like to see what that deer is at 5.5 yr old. Maybe you can put eyes on him during season and decide then. Good luck.
 
TheLBLman said:
I will also say that, but add, assuming you've never killed an older, larger antlered buck than that one.
If you have, why kill off the best stock?

And if the answer is venison for the table, why not take a doe, or simply the 1st buck you encounter, rather than target this specific one?
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Good question.... I have actually never harvested a whitetail buck. I'm a self taught out West hunter, mainly mule deer and elk. Made more than my share of early mistakes out there... Just seeking honest advice on how those with more experience would approach a deer like this in TN since this is a very new arena for me. I knew I would get a mixed bag of answers, and am trying to sort out what I want to do if I get an opportunity on this or a similar deer. Thanks again to everyone who weighed in. Also very interesting perspective on your initial post. Thank you for that.
 
To echo and emphasize what SKI said, we all go through a journey as deer hunters. What we might shoot when we start out and what we might shoot today can be very different for different reasons. Just have fun and do what makes you happy.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Here is a pic of my first buck and my biggest buck, side by side. I hunted 5 years before ever killing my first deer and to say I was proud of that deer would be an understatement. And as you can see, I had that first one mounted! I only have a few mounted, but I have a tub of racks from small bucks that I killed in my early years and don't regret any of them. I've become much more selective, but that doesn't diminish my first deer in any way.

It's also worth noting, both are middle TN deer. My first deer was killed on private, largest on public.

1st and biggest bucks.webp
 
Andy S. said:
Generally speaking, my age/antler standards that I impose on myself do not change, regardless of public/private. I'd MUCH RATHER someone else kill him and be ecstatic with him, than you or I kill him just because we're worried someone else might. If you're happy with him, blast away. Good luck this season!
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I agree with this. I would regret it as soon as I pulled the trigger so he would walk. I hate that feeling of regret after taking a life. But that's just where I am in MY journey. Good luck whatever you decide 👍🏻
 
Depends on how many days you get to hunt to kill a buck.

Personally, I want to kill the oldest deer possible that I think I have around a 50% chance of accomplishing in 15 hunts or so...

That works out to 3.5yos on highly pressured properties where virtually no deer survive to 4.5

On my own farms where harvest is limited, I'm often holding out for 5.5yos.

That buck is an exceptional 2.5yo, so he gets a pass from me every day, public or private. But that's just me... I'd rather shoot a fat doe than a 2.5yo buck, regardless of antlers... not being a snob, but I don't waste my time hunting properties that a 2.5yo is the best I could ever hope for in 15 hunts.
 
At this point in my hunting journey I would not shoot that buck based off his age. But if I had never killed a whitetail buck I would likely kill him without thinking twice...only you can truly answer whats right for you. Hopefully the bigger, more mature 8pt shows up and you get him and then get to chase this guy next year. And lastly, no matter what people tell you, just because you let a buck walk, that does not mean someone else is going to get the oppurtunity kill him....good luck hunting!
 
Andy S. said:
Generally speaking, my age/antler standards that I impose on myself do not change, regardless of public/private. I'd MUCH RATHER someone else kill him and be ecstatic with him, than you or I kill him just because we're worried someone else might. If you're happy with him, blast away. Good luck this season!
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Exactly this!!
 
To me, at this point in MY hunting journey, these are also my sentiments.

DoubleRidge said:
At this point in my hunting journey I would not shoot that buck based off his age.
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Once I began using age as the first criteria defining "shooter" vs "non-shooter",
it became much easier for me to "let walk" those top-end 2 1/2 & 3 1/2-yr-old bucks.

DoubleRidge said:
But if I had never killed a whitetail buck I would likely kill him without thinking twice...only you can truly answer whats right for you.
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Exactly
DoubleRidge said:
Hopefully the bigger, more mature 8pt shows up and you get him and then get to chase this guy next year.
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That would be the perfect outcome.
DoubleRidge said:
And lastly, no matter what people tell you, just because you let a buck walk, that does not mean someone else is going to get the opportunity kill him....good luck hunting!
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Very true.
And shooting a buck even you question whether you want to shoot, mainly just to keep someone else from shooting him, is that a good reason?

Again, just generally speaking, public lands vs. private lands, I've seen very little difference TN statewide as to whether a top-end 2 1/2 to 3 1/2-yr-olc buck survives when I give him a pass. My "rule of thumb" is @ 50% will survive. Late season, it's higher odds than that, early season, lower odds.
 
Pilchard said:
I would bet that more than 90% hunters on public land are shooting at this deer.
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To what extent that could be true, I suspect 90% of those same hunters would never see that particular deer. This may become even more the case if this buck is 3 1/2 rather than 2 1/2.

There are reasons why ANY buck lives to 2 1/2 or 3 1/2 without being killed (or poached) in the prior year.

In the case of this particular buck, he should have been above average antlered for his age LAST year, not just this year. Yet he survived the hunters, and is now more hunter wary than a year ago.
 
Andy S. said:
Generally speaking, my age/antler standards that I impose on myself do not change, regardless of public/private. I'd MUCH RATHER someone else kill him and be ecstatic with him, than you or I kill him just because we're worried someone else might. If you're happy with him, blast away. Good luck this season!
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So well put Andy!

This is how I feel now. But honestly it took me a while to get there. Years ago I would've shot him for sure. But now that I've been hunting my local public for 6 years, ive come to know that way more bucks make it through a season than I used to think. So at this point in my journey I'd let him walk.
 
TNBrent said:
Good question.... I have actually never harvested a whitetail buck. I'm a self taught out West hunter, mainly mule deer and elk. Made more than my share of early mistakes out there... Just seeking honest advice on how those with more experience would approach a deer like this in TN since this is a very new arena for me. I knew I would get a mixed bag of answers, and am trying to sort out what I want to do if I get an opportunity on this or a similar deer. Thanks again to everyone who weighed in. Also very interesting perspective on your initial post. Thank you for that.
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I will revise my answer based on your most recent post. If you've never killed a whitetail buck, then heck yes buddy, shoot this guy if he walks out!
 
TNBrent said:
Ahh the pitfalls of public land hunting: Young deer with great potential, but I'm worried about his chances on public this season. If someone is going to take him this year I would like it to be me, but I'd like him even more in 2025 or 6... I also have a mature 8 in the area that is my primary target this year. I would love to let this younger deer walk but don't want to hear a shot 5 minutes after I let him pass.... If he came under your stand on public would you let him grow or take him?
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Inside the ears, I'm letting him walk. If I shoot him, there is a 100% chance he doesn't survive the year. If I let him walk, he has a chance... but just a chance. I might even let him "Bust" me to generate a little fear in hopes that he is more weary this year, increasing his survival
 
Pilchard said:
I would bet that more than 90% hunters on public land are shooting at this deer.
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I agree, it is a lot easier to give them a pass when looking at a pic than in person. Hard antlers going through the woods most are going to see all those points and gladly give him a ground check. Especially in thick cover. You can always long arm him in the pictures if you feel like he needs to look bigger.
 

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