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Chosing one ...

I would go in and hang the stands on your next day off. Do what you have to do and leave it alone till its time to hunt. You clearly already left your scent around while checking cams before you even knew he was around. He didn't head for the next county then. Only problem I see is if it's only 10 acres he might not even be around during the rut. Your best chance I believe is early season tho it sounds like he is nocturnal at the moment.
 
Would a ground blind be more beneficial than a tree stand? Maybe keeping a little lower profile would help. I don't know how open the timber is if the act of climbing a tree would be an issue.
 
I think I'm with bowtech on this. I'd get in and get your set ups in olace. During the rain or right before a storm. I'd leave them until right before season and check them. If you can get on him early that could be the ticket. If not just set up on the travel corridor come rut.
 
isu22andy said:
Nope do not own the ground . The ground I hunt has no cover. Worried about setting a stand so close to his bedding area and spooking him out of there with my scent ... Does a guy wait till the combine runs ? Also won't have much of a shot because it's straight down since the tree is in the fence line and there's only 4-6 feet of grass before the corn ...
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Buy the first 6-12 rows of corn and run them over to widen your shot area! Probably not much corn in those rows anyway since deer eat it all. :D Sounds like you're gonna be right on the trail...anything a little farther away to give you a better angle?

As far as going after one buck, I say it's up to what makes the hunter happy. If you get disappointed easily by not getting a deer, then I'd say have some other options, at least for later in the season. A lot of people pass good deer (bucks and does) early, waiting for "the one", and then end up shooting something "lesser" near the end before it's too late.

I've had one buck on camera every year but one since 2011 that I'd love to get. I basically started each year thinking that was "the one" I was after. A couple years there has been another deer or two that I'd probably have shot given the chance, and one of those years I did take another buck due to having my wife with me and it being neat to have the chance to have her experience that with me. Had him on camera several times in August/September thru October. Even saw him from the stand a couple times while waiting for "the one" to show, without shot opportunities. Got to see him chasing a doe like crazy thru the corn one morning. Saw him one evening about an hour before my closest encounter with "the one". He came by my wife an I about 10 days later and got an arrow. Slightly regretted not holding out for "the one" (especially after the close encounter), but I still smile while thinking of the hunt with my wife that resulted in the buck I did get. Haven't got anything for a few years now as I don't rely on the meat to feed my family, so I can "afford" to eat my tag(s). "The one" is now pushing 9-10 years I'm guessing (if he's still alive), and last year's antlers had lost a lot of height. I found myself wondering in the stand last year if I'd even shoot him, not really because of the shorter tines, but because he is an old deer now that has obviously been good at the "game". Almost think it would be bittersweet to get him after all these years.

Anyway, your answer might be in your first post. Something you haven't shot before (actually all live deer fit that description :)) that you'd really like to get. Nothing wrong with an empty tag at the end. Nothing wrong with filling it on a "lesser" deer the first day.
 
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I have done it and been successful in 2008,2013,2015 so yes it can work out but don't expect to be successful every year!So I was Successful 3 out of 8 years that gives me a 37% success ratio.Could be worse.
 
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Update ... Disclaimer : For those of you that know me on here, please do not run wild around the town with these pictures on here, thats the last thing I need going around with how many people hunt the same ground I do and the permission others have around it...I refused to send this picture to anyone until now. You know who you are and dont know how much this deer would mean to me If I ever have the opportunity to take it, coming from a guy whose been chasing whitetails for 10 years now (going on 5 with a bow) and yet to get one even close to being put on the wall...

That said, good and bad news... Good news, I decided to post the trail cam pics of the deer I was after, bad news is I decided to this only because he broke off his 3rd main beam and I dont think I am going to take this deer for the hopes he lives next year.

Never hunted this farm for the sole fact is there is nothing there.... but heard a rumor of a giant spotted so I decided to hang a cam, after a week the card pull yielded nothing, I forgot about it then two weeks later took the cam down but for the heck of it decided to check the card when this guy showed up.....

IW1.JPG

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Instantly had the shakes, made this thread, I went back to the property and put up 2 more cameras hung my stand and trimmed my lanes.... 2 weeks later Got him out of velvet looking oh so good, this started the obsession where I started mapping the ground driving around at night trying to figure out where he was , sitting on the road with the binos till dark, checking cameras in the rain to be scent free ect....
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October rolls around I finally get my east wind and hop up in my stand , see a few does, few scrubs, but never saw the big boy, climbed down pulled my card and raced home to check it when I found this .
IW4.JPG IW5.JPG

The last beam is long gone, still trying to wrap my head around this as the only other 2 bucks on the camera are both basket rack 1-2 year olds..The only thing I can think of is hit by a car....

So that leaves the debate will he live... or should I take him, Im leaning on letting him live to see If I can find his sheds and go after him another year.

Anyway just had some free time, thought I would update you all on the one I called "the one" . And for you all wondering , yes I was crushed like a 16 year old girl stood up on prom night and had to drown in the sorrows of a few busch lights. :D
 
That sucks man! :( They always seem to break off the cool stuff. I would bet he broke it off fighting or rubbing, but I guess it could have been a car. It sounds like he has a good chance of making it, so if you maintain your decision to pass him, he'll be a good one next year as well.
 
You have to let him go. I believe you leave them how you shot them, so I would never fix broken tines or anything along those lines. I can speak from some experience as a buck I was really excited for had this happen. I waited for the perfect day and went in after him an he came by as planned, missing his entire side after the brow. Talk about bummed. I had to pass him 4 times that fall. Kicker was I actually found the antler after the season 150 yrs from where I passed him first. But I feel it was the right choice
 
That does stink when you was wanting so bad to arrow him. Deer with beams and points like that are sitting ducks to get them broken during fighting and rubbing trees I`ve seen many of them like that. Hopefully next year the beam will be stronger.
 
Oct-Lull said:
You have to let him go. I believe you leave them how you shot them, so I would never fix broken tines or anything along those lines. I can speak from some experience as a buck I was really excited for had this happen. I waited for the perfect day and went in after him an he came by as planned, missing his entire side after the brow. Talk about bummed. I had to pass him 4 times that fall. Kicker was I actually found the antler after the season 150 yrs from where I passed him first. But I feel it was the right choice
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Couldn't agree more . Having a taxi fix the beam is not even an option , probably not gonna be easy to find either ha .
 
Cool buck for sure. Kinda surprised he didn't break the drop off with the rest of that beam. Maybe he'll still be around and bigger next year, or at least stay the same and not break it off.
 
My take is this; yes he lost a lot of character when he busted that off, but he still has lots of it left and he appears to have a slob of a body. If you have other deer to chase then chase those and forget about this one until after season when you start looking for his sheds. However if you don't I would hunt this deer. You never know if he will survive or won't and he is extremely unique and possibly a once in a lifetime buck. The 20 inches of antler he broke off doesn't change that. And also since you have picture of what exactly he had before you will always know what the deer actually had up top.
But if your gut/heart/head is telling you to pass him then follow that instinct.
 
I haven't killed a buck since 2012 , passed plenty . I love hunting cant say I would regret any deer I have passed I honestly feel proud of my self letting a 140-150 inch deer walk that I would just not be happy with. People put a lot of pressure on there selves to live up to expectation to friends and family. I show picture of deer I passed and people say I am crazy to me at the end of the Day I always have the memory in my mind. I believe you got to be happy with what you harvest and if your killing just because you want to fill a tag I just don't agree with that philosophy . Hunting don't always mean killing.. I say go big or go home.. The feeling you are going to get when it all comes together going feel pretty sweet accomplishing your goal..
 
It is a grind for sure, have done thisnon one occasion and was lucky enough to close the deal. Drove me crazy all year but man it was fun. Saw the deer on 5 different occasions and he finally made a mistake and I killed him at 8 yards. Cameras kept me informed he was still around which kept me motivated, otherwise I think it would have been tough

Kratz
 
Jbohn said:
I haven't killed a buck since 2012 , passed plenty . I love hunting cant say I would regret any deer I have passed I honestly feel proud of my self letting a 140-150 inch deer walk that I would just not be happy with. People put a lot of pressure on there selves to live up to expectation to friends and family. I show picture of deer I passed and people say I am crazy to me at the end of the Day I always have the memory in my mind. I believe you got to be happy with what you harvest and if your killing just because you want to fill a tag I just don't agree with that philosophy . Hunting don't always mean killing.. I say go big or go home.. The feeling you are going to get when it all comes together going feel pretty sweet accomplishing your goal..
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Couldn't agree more with this.
 
cool looking deer! and I agree on passing him- wouldnt even be a hard choice to make. Now you get the fun wait of wondering what he looks like next year:) dont worry- im sure time wont go slow or anything- especially after season ends
 
Daver said:
It really depends on you and your goals...I have known people that will target just one or two deer and if they get them they are happy and if they don't, they are still happy. Happy to have had the chance to chase a giant. I have also known people that were freaking out, and I do mean freaking out, by the middle of November if they haven't connected on Mr. Big.

Do what makes you happy and only you can answer that. I know that I went through a period years ago where I was determined to shoot a Booner, and only a Booner. Well guess what...after about 5 years of that I decided that I was OK with shooting a sub-Booner every year or so. :) (Note - it didn't help my case that I was then hunting an area where Booners were exceptionally rare, as in...there weren't any. :))

So if you have a nice one on cam and you really want him AND you won't be miserable if you don't get him...I say go for it.
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Words of wisdom right here! I have came to the conclusion, due to pressure, I will likely not get a shot at a Booner unless he travels from miles away and I am lucky to be in the right spot at exactly the right moment. Pressure is so great and the deer in our area are well educated. I have ,earned to be pleased with a 150+.

Totally agree with Daver in saying go for it and just make sure you enjoy the ride. You may very well end up taking a quality deer either way.
 


He lives, 2 shot gun seasons a late muzzy and a bow season the only thing he lost was an eye and a drop tine. Was waiting for someone to say that so and so's uncles cousins brother shot one with a busted up rack and a dropper with a giant body during shotgun season but it never happened. Thought Id throw the camera back out 2 weeks ago with a bucket of corn and low and behold he lives. Downhill slide or uphill for next year ? Unfortunately I dont think Ill be able to find his sheds as the bedding ground is a definite no go ! Cant wait for them velvet pics!
 
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