Sweet Droptine Slug.....

Founder

Founder Since 1999
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11,432
This droptine buck is sweet!

Hypothetical question of the day............
You're in an area where you're hunting resident deer, but the canyon is filled with heavy dark timber and while there aren't a lot of people getting down in the canyon and hunting hard, there are people driving the road on the ridge above the canyon everyday....numerous trucks and ATV's each day. You saw the droptine buck the night before the opener on a sage slope about half way off the top. It's now day 5 of a 7 day hunt.
The lower buck steps out of the timber into the sage just before dark at 200 yards. Do you take him? Or hold out the next 2 days for the droptine buck?



I added a very nice Photo Tour the other day filled with pics that Mike Jensen shared with us. Take a few moments and check them out. Good eyecandy for the off-season.
See the Photo Tours Here


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Brian Latturner
MonsterMuleys.com
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Love the extras and what a nice brow tine and dropper. I would say sitting here at the computer that I would pass and see what happens for the last two days and hope I could sleep that night!!!
 
I wouldn't shoot that baby even on the last day. Too young and the ground shrinkage would be terrible. I would hold out or go home empty.
 
LAST EDITED ON Jan-28-14 AT 04:44PM (MST)[p]If I haven't seen him for 5 days he's either gone or went nocturnal considering the traffic. I gladly drop the 2nd buck, no regrets. This happens to me all the time with elk and it's only worked out once.
 
I would love to have the droptine buck, but with only two days left in the hunt I would probably shoot the second buck. I would then come back the following year and hope to play round 2 with the droptine buck.
 
I want to shake the hand of anyone that honest to goodness would not shoot the second buck in that scenerio. 5 days is no picnic.
 
i would honestly want to wait those last two days for that drop tine buck, might be a mistake but a hell of a hunt and story if you find him again last day

Goat
 
>I want to shake the hand
>of anyone that honest to
>goodness would not shoot the
>second buck in that scenerio.
>5 days is no picnic.
>


A thin horned, 3 y.o, 165 buck? Uh yeah, I'd pass. I'd rather expend all resources chasing a stud with a drop tine than an immature buck.
 
Hold out. Especially since he came out of cover on the fourth evening. Real pretty buck, even without the drop tine. "Thanks for sharing".
 
I wouldnt pass on the 5th day what I would shoot on the 7th day..ill be honest haha









Smoked a bit..Turbo lit..and that was it..
 
General tag: I'd shoot the youngster on the 5th day.

LE tag: Hold out to the bitter end since it takes decades to get the tag and a guy should "go big or go home" (without).

Zeke

PS: I made venison kabobs last night for my youngest daughter's birthday party (24). Damnation, They were delicious!
 
Places and people i've hunted with thru the years, i don't know how they would do it but i'd shake their hand if they chose to take Number 2 in that situation and i'd also understand if they passed.

Me, no telling what i'd do. i've passed quite a few that were as good or even bigger, holding out, but i might shoot him as well. #2 buck is a pretty good buck these days...i just don't know but would love having the opportunity!!

Joey


"It's all about knowing what your firearms practical limitations are and combining that with your own personal limitations!"
 
Well this hits close to home. I shot a buck in the 80's from Idaho. I drew the unit 45 tag on the first year they added a rut hunt. They give 15 tags and I had one of them. I held out for 10 days seeing many great bucks. My friend that drew with me shot a 31 inch pig the day before. I tried to talk him out of shooting because its ears were almost as wide as the horns. Under the tape he had 29 and 1/2 inch ears. I had always assumed that a mature (4 point) buck had 26 inch ears. Must have read it from one of Kurt's books. So here I was back out there the next day and here is this buck standing 500 yards away with 5-6 inches of horn out each side of his ears. I thought he was 35 plus wide. So the trusty 25-06 did the job. And I was shocked to see my once in a life time big buck tag was being put on a 28 inch wide buck that had 21 inch ears.

9711don_deer.jpg


Then a bunch of years later my son and I found the drop tine buck. we both had tags and both had 25-06s lined up on him. I told him to shoot. When he didn't after about a minute I started to tell him if he didn't shoot I was going to his gun went off and the buck went down.

7873devon_buck.jpg


So for a young me the 2nd buck would go down. For me today I would hold out for the drop tine buck.

DZ
 
LAST EDITED ON Jan-30-14 AT 01:55AM (MST)[p]Nothing wrong with that 2nd buck. I'd take him in a heart beat.

Eldorado
 
Like Zeke said, depends on the unit. The units I hunt here in CO every year, that 2nd buck would have his rack on my wall and the meat would be in my freezer.
On an excellent unit, I would wait. didn't wait 10+ years to shoot a buck that I have multiple ones in similar size already under my belt.



Mntman

"Hunting is where you prove yourself"


Let me guess, you drive a 1 ton with oak trees for smoke stacks, 12" lift kit and 40" tires to pull a single place lawn mower trailer?
 
after 5 days that second buck would be in trouble.

"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
>[Font][Font color = "green"]Life member of
>the MM green signature club.[font/]
 
Very tough decision. You know if you shot the second buck, you would see the drop-tine buck moments later, or on the packout..

If he stepped out at last light, you might not be able to tell much about his age. Seeing that wide frame in relation to body size, I'd probably whack him and have to deal with ground shrinkage lol. But it wouldn't be the first time that's happened!
 
that second buck looks a lot like the one I shot this year. I really struggled at the time because I too was looking for a better buck but I have no regrets.

5817dscn8651_-_copy.jpg




There's always next year
 
>>I want to shake the hand
>>of anyone that honest to
>>goodness would not shoot the
>>second buck in that scenerio.
>>5 days is no picnic.
>>
>
>
>A thin horned, 3 y.o, 165
>buck? Uh yeah, I'd
>pass. I'd rather expend all
>resources chasing a stud with
>a drop tine than an
>immature buck.

I think you better look at that buck a bit closer!
That buck is prob push 30 and more like 180.


On another note. I was in a similar situation this year. I had found a 200 inch 4x5 this year I stalked into bow range once. I had climbed 700 vertical feet in 40 mins. Light fading and the buck was out of bow range at 120 yards. I waited and watched as he fed toward me with a small spike. Light was getting dim and pushing legal shooting light. I waited for them to get behind brush and crept behind some trees up another 20 yards. By this time he was 60 yards away. I peeked around the tree I was behind and the goofy looking spike pinned me. He was 30 yards behind the big boy. I hurried peaked around the other side and drew back on the big one settled my pin and he turned and bolted. I could have flung the arrow but it was very marginal shot. And opted not to risk wounding him. I managed to find him again and he tricked me ( long story) anyway that was the last time I seen him. I searched for 3 weeks for him. I searched during muzz seaso for half the hunt and figured I better move on. I found a nice group of bucks with 2 170 ish bucks and hunted them during rest of muzz I missed one of the 170 bucks 2nd to last day. And couldn't find them again. I don't regret abandoning the 200 inches as I looked everywhere I could think of.
I didn't hear of anyone killing him and I hope to find him this year.
So ya after 5 days I would prob dump that 180 buck after not finding the dropper. At least on gen seasons anyway! Not on le!
 
>Hold out. ! How many time
>have you shot the first
>buck and the big one
>jumps up behind him


That's never happened to me. Not once.
 
He is a very nice buck, and definitely worthy of 2 more days. I'd be happy with #2, and tickled to death with #1, but since I rarely kill Mr Big, #2 's taking a dirt nap.
 
I have a rule I tell all my hunting partners/clients. If your willing to shoot him on the last day you better shoot him now. No guarantees in hunting. You may never see either buck again. My own personal past has had me passing bucks to hold out for larger ones I've spotted, and end with me saying dang it. I'd been happy with the one I passed. My decision would be made before I got to this point. Hunting unit and bucks seen with time to hunt all factored in before hand. Knowing how I am, I'd prob be eating tag soup and saying that one would have looked good on the wall"

Happy Hunting
PSC_Thompson
 

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