Leaving some for seed......

[mwsalter]

Nice photos! I have a few lawn ornaments here in Montana too.

 

[Nodrama43]

wow...what a gorgeous buck.

 

[hanshi]

Wow! That's a fine looking batch of seed in these posts. Juice Jaws, That thing looks dangerous.

 

[mwsalter]

Was out shed hunting today, and found this beauty. We had a mountain lion in the neighborhood. I would have liked to have put a PRB in this guy.

 

[smo]

I would like too put one in that Mountain Lion!

Nice Bucks!

Cool find !

 

[Spikebuck]

I let this one walk by me three times in November. He survived muzzleloader season too. If he walks past me next year I am not going to be so nice...

That's a good one to pass for sure if you're looking for bigger mature bucks. Next year he'll gain in mass...maybe add some to those brow tines. Should be a great 8.

Holding out and growing truly big bucks isn't everyone's cup of tea...and that's OK. I think everyone should shoot what they want that is legal. But if one wants truly mature deer (at least 4.5 yo), they have to let these kind go and just hope for the best. Been doing the same for 15 seasons now. For meat, I can shoot does. For bucks, I will pass many and hunt for truly mature deer. What a person learns about deer by doing more sitting and watching is priceless. On my last hunt this year I had nearly 30 deer in one evening well within shooting distance including two good bucks that needed more time and three yearling bucks. The rest were does and fawns, but I already had meat in the freezer, so didn't shoot anything. I felt great walking out of the woods that evening...probably the best sit I had for the entire season.

 

[Eric Krewson]

I have enough deer in the freezer, the last three times I went hunting I didn't take a gun, that is a first. The rest of the story is I have been having a lot of problems from a hernia repair I keep straining and didn't want to stay home but didn't want to be tempted to shoot a deer I would have to fool with. Strangely had as much fun going through motions of a real hunt as I would have had with a weapon.I saw about 10 deer on these trips, none offered an open sighted flintlock shot as it was late in the evening when they came out. I couldn't have seen my sights if I had taken a rifle.