Big Half Rack ?
Whitetail Deer
Would you shoot a deer with 90"of antler if all the inches were on one side and the other side was broken off at the base?
A mature deer is a mature deer - so yes probably.
I passed one that was working a scrape and licking branch about 10 yards from my treestand several years ago. He had one side( huge 6 pt with a lot of mass) , the other was broke off about an inch above the pedical. Would have been a huge 12 pt. I just took several pictures of him, because I wanted to see the winner of the fight,lol.
SHOOT! i know a fantastic taxidermist!!!!!
Yes. We've got a 4.5 yr old like that (probably 75") on one side with a stump on the other.
He'll be sausage and steaks if he shows up.
For me it prob depends on if he’s broke or generically like that. If broke prob not. I’m one of those guys that doesn’t believe in altering what he was like when I shot him.
I rattled in an absolute stud in iowa about ten years ago. Giant 5 on one side broken just above his brow tine on the other. He came charging in text book like and offered up a perfect 10 yard shot. It was day one and I had 10. I watched him walk off.
Not for me. Just like I did not shoot the biggest buck of my life when he came by with bloody bases just after shedding both sides
Depends on how hungry I am.
What part of the season is it (early, mid, late)? How many bucks am I allowed to kill on my license? How many deer have I killed?
Yes...and it wouldn't even need to be 90 LOL
Yes...and it wouldn't even need to be 90 LOL
No. Shoot a doe instead if you really need the meat. Let another hunter or yourself shoot him next year if he’s got both sides.
Like this one?
Like this one?
Nope.
Shot a 1 sided buck 20 years ago and still wonder what that buck would have looked like with both sides.
In the long run...
Flushed it/him down the toilet and any chance of finding out.
Sure if you want...these thing are nothing more than home decorations and memories of the hunt....it ain't a court of law and if you want fix it really nobody cares as much as everyones thinks they do...It one thing of you are adding extra points I guess..... but if you are matching to the way God intended it to show this animals beauty and studliness go for it.....so it broke off in a fight.....big deal.. bring back his glory...and relax
or don't bring back his glory and nickname him lefty kinda makes a fun story
No. If I need meat I’ll shoot a doe-I passed a big half rack 2 years in a row now and don’t regret it a bit.
Cull that buck! Don’t want fragile Horn genes going rampant thru the herd.
No. I eat 100% of my deer meat but I have no trouble shooting a doe or mature buck that’s intact. If I’m hunting for meat I’d just assume kill a doe anyways.
Yes, in a heartbeat. I don’t shoot does, and you can’t eat the antlers.
Matt
It’s the same animal, broken or not. So I guess it depends what you’re after.
I’d take him and be delighted to do so.
You don’t shoot does but don’t care about antlers. What do you have against shooting does?
I don't think I'd shoot a 1/2 rack, but I would make that decision in the moment. As for does and bucks, I've found the best tasting deer are 1.5 - 2.5 year old bucks. So, if I was shooting strictly for meat I would pass on does and shoot a young buck.
Before he broke
Before he broke
I had this buck back in 2010. I passed him several times after he broke up. He’s not 200”+ like the theoretical buck Bou asked about though.
APauls,
I don't shoot does for a few reasons. First, I'd like to see the deer population in my area grow, and I think shooting does is counter-productive to that. Second, I can only get one tag per season in my area, so I like to kill the biggest deer I can, mostly for the meat, which is usually a mature buck.
Having said that, I too used to be obsessed with antler size. I've eaten tag soup many times because I didn't kill the monster I was hunting. As I've aged, I've come to appreciate filling a freezer as much as hanging a big rack on my wall. So, I will usually take the first mature buck that gives me the opportunity, regardless of what his rack looks like. Again, that's just me. I don't expect every hunter to feel the same way.
Matt
I would shoot. I love those brawlers and he's still the same caliber of deer. I wouldn't fix anything on the horns. He is what he is when he was killed. I would euro him and put him in the garage with the rest.
GG, your telling us that you hunt strictly for the meat but prefer mature bucks? Why not shoot a smaller younger buck if that’s the case? Haven’t eaten much mature buck before but I can’t imagine that being the preferred meat?
Spike. GG passed all those small 6-7 year old bulls on his recent elk hunt so that he could get a big meaty 8 year old bull. Everyone knows when your hunting for meat big ole herd bulls is where it’s at. Seams he is only a meat hunter when he is lacking animals that are “horn porn” material. I get it though when it comes to elk I turn into a high brow “meat hunter” thats willing to shoot the first bull that comes along. ;) Even bulls with one side missing.
Spike78,
My father considered himself a meat hunter. Yet, nearly every season he managed to kill the biggest buck in camp. When we'd tease him about his "meat hunter" claim, he'd simply say, "If I'm going to kill one for the freezer, I might as well kill the biggest one I can." I guess I inherited a bit of his attitude.
LINK, you seem very experienced at aging bull elk. So tell me, when is a bull considered mature, and how do you know the bull I killed was 8 years old? Look, you can twist this to appear I'm being hypocritical all you want. I've killed plenty of raghorns for the freezer. My hunt this year had a different goal in mind, and I stuck to it. That's a completely different subject than letting a wounded buck walk, then bad-mouthing the shooter of that buck for not passing because his rack was busted.
Matt
GG I’m no elk expert. Don’t have a clue how old your bull was. I’d say they hit maturity at 4-5.
I likely wouldn’t and haven’t. But if one my boys killed him and was happy, I’d be ecstatic for him! Unless GG said otherwise......
I would draw my selfbow, get to full draw, and let the cedar fly.
You can have the broken side 3D printed in mirror image from the good side. You out witted the buck and got him. If he is mature take him
I would pass. We have one currently like that, big old and mature but just doesn't get me excited with half of the head gear
I would pass in the hopes that he breeds as many does as he possibly can in the up and coming breeding season to pass on those good genes and then hope to find him next year with full head gear.
Why not do that with all "big" deer?
There's a park near my house in Louisville Ky. It's only 65 acres of woods but it's totally over populated with deer. There was a buck I would see routinely while I was hiking in those woods. He was missing an eye and therefore the antler on the opposite side didn't grow. Nothing, not even a bur. But his "good" side was something to behold. Perfect main frame 12 point with more mass than any deer I have ever seen. I looked for his "shed" for several years with no luck. He was a big bodied, older animal. I would absolutely have taken that deer.
I only shoot bucks that have 2 antlers totaling 90”
carl the smarba arrow flinging wizard wins!!!
Nope. Hard pass. No regrets either
Yes, then I would take it up to Mitch’s and have him build the other side
