Buck Hollow Sporting Goods - click or touch to visit their website Midwest Habitat Company

Risk worth the reward? Opinions needed

BDAHMS

BDAHMS

Be here Now
Ok- you all know "Curly" that I have on camera. He is showing up every morning around 8AM and right at dusk on camera right now. But I have made the decision to pass him this year - he added a good amount of inches and non typical junk this year and although he is one of the larger bucks I have on camera- and the most camera friendly buck I have- he has the most potential to become that rare GIANT that one rarely gets an opportunity for Ill post new pics of him later today for those who aren't familiar. But my question is - is the reward of letting him go, worth the risk. He is an obvious shooter- but believe him to be 3.5-4 so he has 2 years left. I shot at him last year but he wasn't a known deer at the time. So- knowing I have other shooters on other properties-would you risk it and let him walk?? I'm not even going to hunt this area this fall if I pass I'm. Am I as crazy as all my friends have been telling me? Only person that seconded my passing him was Bill winke so far HELP!!!

12105786_901099842294_7292682150207484543_n.jpg


12140649_901099862254_1111568612540218032_n.jpg


12074754_901099882214_5888163534509481824_n.jpg


12144784_901099802374_4907178212725419139_n.jpg
 
Last edited:
You're a better man than me if you pass him. I personally wouldn't, but it sounds like since you had a run in with him last year and he's camera friendly that he's definitely killable. From your trail cam pics you have plenty of other deer to chase if you decide to pass. Go with your gut!
 
The old saying goes " you will never kill him when he's 5 if you kill him when he's 3"
It's entirely up to you. It's your tag and it's a wild deer. You may never see him again or he might be on your neighbors wall. That's a chance a fella takes.
I personally wouldn't shoot him if I was in your shoes. That's my only advice.
 
If it's a slam dunk and it was me he will be shot. It's your call on this matter depends if you want to shoot a great deer or a true giant. My attitude is to be as consistent as I can on killing mature deer. All of us on here face the same issue shoot or pass and many times it has to be done in seconds. I wish I could go back in time and shoot all the deer that I let go hoping for a bigger one. Good luck on your decision.
 
There is little doubt in my mind that Mr. Curly is at least a 4 year old deer strictly off his body composition. Curly looks to be a mid 150's main frame, plus all the junk. I would think he's pushing booner? If you can do it I hope you are rewarded!
 
That is a tough call. If curly was big enough last year to let you fling an arrow I'd put him at 4 this year and not 3.5. I actually think he is 4.5 plus but I'm not the one with history. He is a stud and could be a shooter on alot of farms. You also have that other stud on camera. It depends what you are after I guess and if you are Guranteed to hunt the same tracts of land next year?
 
I big piece of the puzzle in my opinion is how likely is it he will be shot by someone else? How large is your property? Is it capable of holding him through all the seasons if it is left completely alone and he sees it as a safe haven? Obviously the Rut will have him out and about, but other than that are you confident he will stay on your ground?

My initial thought is let him go. Since you even dared to ask the question it shows that you won't be completely happy if you shoot him this year. Take the chance.
 
Thanks for the input- As far as hunting this land in the future- I really have 0 chance of losing the rights- Been like family with them for years and I am the only person with hunting rights to all their plots of land (3 different sections) and whom ever I bring can hunt as well.

Only one side of the property gets hunted - early muzzy season and he is just out to fill the freezer. The best bet of Curly NOT making it to next year would be getting poached- there is a road about 400-500 yards away.

the area curly lives in is probably only 8 Acres of timber with a pond in the center surrounded by hundreds of acres of open beans- a finger off that piece leads right to this camera and that is the path he takes regularly. Last year during rut he really kept his does pretty close by and I didn't get him on any other cameras on the property or in the area.

and I have always said when I see people kill big non typicals- "man- that must be nice- just once I would like that chance" I think he gives me that best chance IF that junk blows up next year- ya never know- he may stay the same- but from last year to this year- the frame got a little larger but that junk definitely wasn't all there

Here's to hoping!!!
 
The way I look at it; you can't get great deer if you kill good ones.
I would say he is 4, I would let him walk and see what he does next year. He may be the same but you'll never know if you kill him
 
I passed two bucks two years in a row and the following year they were shot by someone else..............just saying, I am all for passing young deer if you have a chance at other mature bucks, but looking back at it I wish I would have closed the deal on one of them that I had inside of 10 yards!

I totally get where you are coming from, either way you go I wouldn't blame you.
 
If you know that he is a 4 .5 year old buck, you are making the right decision to pass. The magical age is known to be 5.5 years old for a mature buck. We had a buck on our farm the last few years that we knew very well. Probably low 140's as a 3.5 year old, blew up to mid 170's as 4.5 year old, we all decided to pass him to see what he would do when he reached 5.5 years old. We did and then found his sheds. Last year at age 5.5 he only grew couple of inches to 181". My brother messed up on him in archery season. The neighbor who has a well known show on Outdoor Channel killed him with her bow. You never know what will happen, but it made for a great few years of talking, planning and scouting to try and kill him. Curly looks to be upper 40's to 50's type buck. Just think what he could turn into next year.....

Good luck on whatever you end up deciding.
 
Last edited:
I don't have a hard time passing up bucks hoping they make it another year knowing what their potential could be. I'd pass on 150's all day long with the hopes of getting a chance at one of them later as 180. Sure I'd be disappointed if another hunter killed him or get hits by a car, but just going out each time hoping, thinking he's there and might be 180 class buck is enough for me to feel good about passing him now. I'd rather have one 180" deer hanging on the wall verses 4 or 5 150 deer.
 
Tough call for sure, and totally up to you (with a little bit up to him!). I know I have passed a few bucks that any of my brothers/dad/grandpa would shoot in a heartbeat, thinking they were too young or had more potential. Sometimes they were just out of my comfort range, so that helped. Since 2012 I've basically started the season hunting for one buck in particular, even tho I never get pics until late October/early November. Ended up shooting a different one that year, but held out 2013 and 2014 and ate my tags. First had pics of him in 2011. Last year he was still around, probably at age 7.5, and I was sure he would be killed in 2011 (heck, I wouldn't have thought twice about shooting him in 2011!). Rack was roughly the same all years, until last year the tines were about half as long. There is average hunting pressure all around the farm. So, they can and likely will make it thru (this is something I have to tell myself all year long!). I don't usually hear when a neighbor gets one that I have passed, so if they disappear, I typically never know what happened to them. And this has probably happened several times. This buck looks mature enough to shoot, but is he fully at his potential? Who knows. There is definitely a "risk" if you don't hunt him, but there may also be a big reward for letting him go another year...or two...or three...etc. One thing is for sure, he won't get any bigger if you kill him this year.
 
Everyone has given great points but Iowavf stated it best IMO " rather have 1 180" than 4 150"'s" So like everyone else is saying, what would you rather have. If it were me and I was disappointed with passing and having him shot as a 150 that you would have been happy shooting, I wouldn't be that much more disappointed with another 140", which sounds doable on your ground? That being said, let him go as a good deer and know you helped create a great deer. If you shoot him yourself, all the better, if your neighbors shoot him, tell them they owe you one!
 
Pass him if you are confident in the age. If you shoot him now you will always wonder what he could have been. From what I have seen it is about 50/50 chance when we have let a stellar deer go that they improve next year
 
If you have large enough property to hold him,,and others to choose from,,pass. I will never have that luxury. Neighbors around me shoot yearlings. A big pay- for- hunt outfit, across the road,,with out of state hunters,, who think a two yr old is a Monster,,so I can say,,if I see a 4 yr old,,he very likely will NOT make it another year. Question is how did he make it this far? Yes,,I am,,in Iowa..Land of the Giants..
 
Lots of great posts and advice. I think you are the only one who can REALLY answer what is most important to you.
Personally, I only have a only taken a few deer 5.5 and older but they are probably my most prized trophies. I have many more 140's and 150's that are mostly 3.5 & 4.5's. Still enjoyed the all of those hunts but am getting to where I want to shoot older bucks, hopefully sporting booner headgear.:D One of my buddies I hunt with is the same and the couple others are satisfied with 140's or better. But our kids get a pass to take what works for them and I am just as happy with the yearling buck my 11 year old shot last year as the 130' and 140's my older daughters took out. Lots of different goals with all I spend time in the woods but I get it.
I have also had where we "passed" on deer such as curly and never seen again, or as last year when some sneaky slime snuck in and took a booner which really stinks, but at least we got the pleasure of watching him grow (at least that's what I tell myself to keep my blood pressure down).
Whatever you decide, best wishes and hope all works out for you and "curly".
 
Take a really good picture of him from the stand this year. If you never see him again at least you will have a cool memory of your hunt. Of course if you don't want to be reminded of it if you never see him again then you can always delete it.
 
I get the feeling from your original post that you want to pass him but other people are telling you not to. If your goal is to shoot a giant, I think you should pass on him - especially if you have other good bucks to target this fall. It sounds like he has fairly good odds of making it through this season as long as he doesn't get poached.

My vote - pass on him. Good luck this fall!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom