I passed on this. Feels good too.

[Ankeny]

I passed on a pretty decent buck opening morning of deer season. He was bedded down 365 yards from me, about 10 degrees downhill, with a 15 mph average cross wind. I sized him up for the longest time. I milled him over and over for what seemed like an eternity and I came up with a spread of 26-28 inches.

When I finally decided not to shoot, I got my digital camera out of my pack(lesson learned from recent antelope hunt). I put the big sneak on him and got close enough to take a pic. The quality is poor but you can get the point. Ain't he purdy?

 

[sewwhat89]

That is one large-bodied muley!!!

You are better than me to pass on him, but I have never hunted muleys.

Good luck on the rest of your season!

Stephen

 

[Buffalobob]

I don't think I have ever passed on a deer that big but I agree that passing on a deer is a good feeling. My most memorable pass was a small yearling doe at 20 yards in a snow storm. It was hard to tell who was the most misearbly cold- me or her. I walked up on her and she stood up from her bed and just looked at me with those big ole brown eyes. I finally pointed the 54 cal percussion cap ML up in the air and pulled the trigger and counted it a good hunt. She was happy not being dead and I was happy that I did not have to drag a small doe 2 miles up hill.
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[oso]

Nice lookin' buck, good job on the pass. Even though with that swayed back and large brisket he needs to be taken out of the gene pool soon. He looks to be as large as he will ever be.

 

[Guest]

good for you.. I like to see respect for the animal in the way you showed it. Just seeing and enjoying somtimes is enough..

that buck apears to be on the down swing he is very mature and if it was last year or the year before there is a good chance he was bigger!

 

[41mag]

I agree with the feeling. The friend I hunt with has some real hoss white tails on their place. WE take one very occaisionally and it is way more fun to put the sneak on them to see just how close you can get. Sometimes my heat gets to ponding way more than if I were working on a shot.

The last deer I took was two years ago. He was a mature typical 8 from East Tx. that went 21" inside, and weighed 180# before we dressed him out. I have since seen several others that would top him in mass and a couple that would best him in spread. and it is a pleasure to know that the only reason we enjoy them is due to the fact we let them walk.

 

[heatseekins]

Im happy to see there a few hunters left with so much respect for the animals.
Hunting and being in the wild is what it's all about. The kill is just a bonus! I have friends that say im nuts to pass up the deer that I have this year. I drew a special mule deer tag here in Idaho and if I don't find the buck I want to take I will still consider it successful. I passed on a picture perfect 170" buck laying underneath a cliff 600yds away. We just sat and watched him while we ate lunch. Sometimes those days are the best..

Good luck,
Glen