I Wanna Play too.

[Sparks Shooter]

Here's a more realistic scenario from my hunting experience.

You have a tag where 170" is a realistic top end with an off chance at bigger. On several scouting trips, you haven't seen anything over 170". Its opening morning and you're in the process of hiking to a new glassing spot when you run smack into this guy at under 100 yards. He sees you and is frozen for seconds before he is going to explode into the next county. You're not going to get any other look, this is it. Do you tag out or keep hunting?----SS

 

[twopointdn]

I’m not that picky. A buck like that has never got a pass with my trigger finger. Have fun.

 

[BradA]

Shoot

 

[Shadow]

If it‘s a 170 top unit and bigger is only an off chance, that buck gets a ride home.

 

[Rimrock]

Bang!

 

[BrowningRage]

I'm shootin for sure. He looks to be 170" and is good looking with an inline... not the kind of buck I'd pass in the area you described.

 

[HntHrdr]

He is getting lead for sure, looks around 170, solid frame, okay forks, eye guards and the extra inline on the right, awesome buck!

 

[Tristate]

I keep hunting

 

[easyelk13]

I am done in that unit!

 

[ridgetops]

I want to know what elkass ( bess) would do.

 

[elkassassin]

It Depends ridge!

If I Had Any Of My GrandKids Right There With Me He Might Be In Trouble!

As Far As Me Shooting Him Just To Say:

I Filled My Tag!

I Needed The Meat!

I Filled My Freezer!

I Filled My Tag,Did You Fill Yours?

I've Gotta Get Him On IG Before We Gut Him!

I've Gotta Score Him Before I Gut Him!

And A Book Of Other BS!

That Ain't Gonna Fly With Me!

I want to know what elkass ( bess) would do.

 

[yak4fish]

Tough shot through that sage. Do you shoot him between the eyes or in the buttocks?

 

[ridgetops]

Elkass, so your saying that if you're grandkids are there, then you'll probably shoot it? Would you do it to give them the experience of seeing a deer get harvested?

 

[Sparks Shooter]

Tough shot through that sage. Do you shoot him between the eyes or in the buttocks?

Id set up a steady as possible, turn the power down, and hope for the best when he moves. ----SS

 

[elkassassin]

Some Of Them Have Already Seen That!

Some Of Them Haven't!

I Don't Care If I Ever Take Another Animal Or Not!

But I Sure Wanna See My Kids & GrandKids Get A Chance At Something 1/2 Decent!

I Have More Fun Being With/Hunting With Family & Friends Now Days Than Worrying About What I Might Shoot Or Not Shoot!

My Grand Kids Might Be Young But They Know What A Good Buck Is!

Elkass, so your saying that if you're grandkids are there, then you'll probably shoot it? Would you do it to give them the experience of seeing a deer get harvested?

 

[ridgetops]

Some Of Them Have Already Seen That!

Some Of Them Haven't!

I Don't Care If I Ever Take Another Animal Or Not!

But I Sure Wanna See My Kids & GrandKids Get A Chance At Something 1/2 Decent!

I Have More Fun Being With/Hunting With Family & Friends Now Days Than Worrying About What I Might Shoot Or Not Shoot!

My Grand Kids Might Be Young But They Know What A Good Buck Is!

I respect what you're saying except for that last sentence. According to what you've been preaching all these years, you have never seen a " good buck" on a general season hunt. I really dought your grandkids have either. So to go compare what you're seeing on a premium LE unit to a general season unit is not realistic. That buck pictured is probably in the top 5 percent on most Utah's general season units. I would have shot it if I had seen it this year.

 

[Sparks Shooter]

Here's the rest of the story with this buck.....

I drew a low-tier rifle tag in NV a few years ago and this buck was located while scouting. He was very consistently in the same basin and we saw him several times pre season and watched as he made it through both archery and muzzy seasons. I had hopes for a bigger deer but always had a fondness for this one. When opening day rolled around, I had not seen a better buck and I decided to go take him. Things went as planned until I ran smack into him while sneaking in and blew him out without a good shot opportunity. Frustrated, I moved to another area to give him a few days fully planning on coming back and killing him later. A couple days later, I killed a comparable sized buck in a completely different area that we had never seen while scouting.

A friend and I kept track of this buck for a few years, naming him Lickety Split because of his split G3. He was eventually killed by another hunter before we could get the tag again and I think he ended up in the high 170"s. He kept his same beautiful shape each year growing just a bit and gaining some mass.

Bucks like this are the high-end reality for most of the places I hunt and I'm sure glad I'm too young to remember 'the good old days'. I'm totally thrilled by bucks like this and I have a garage full of them to prove it. Hope I live long enough to fill the new garage being built in my back yard with a bunch more just like him. ---SS

 

[elkassassin]

Hey ridge!

I'm No Belittling That Buck!

He's A Decent Buck!

And If He's Anywhere A PUMPKIN or Two Can See Him He's Dead!

And you're WRONG!

I Never Said I've Never Seen A/Some Good Bucks On General Units!

You Have Heard Me Say:There Ain't Very Many Of Them!

You're Just Not Quite Old Enough ridge To Have Seen With Your Own Eyes Of What It Used to Be Compared To What It Is Today!

PAY CLOSE ATTENTION HERE ridge:

If The Mule Deer Keeps On The Same Path That It's Been Going For Many Decades,It Won't Be Long & A 14" 4 Point Will Be Trophy/Top End!

And When That Happens,You'll Be Right There With Everybody-else Saying: I'd Shoot That Monster 14" Buck The Crack Of Daylight Opening Morning!

When That 14"ER Becomes Top End,Don't Tell Me You Wouldn't Shoot It!

Have You Got Kids/GrandKids That Might Hunt?

I respect what you're saying except for that last sentence. According to what you've been preaching all these years, you have never seen a " good buck" on a general season hunt. I really dought your grandkids have either. So to go compare what you're seeing on a premium LE unit to a general season unit is not realistic. That buck pictured is probably in the top 5 percent on most Utah's general season units. I would have shot it if I had seen it this year.

 

[elkassassin]

NICE Buck There Sparks!

Here's the rest of the story with this buck.....

I drew a low-tier rifle tag in NV a few years ago and this buck was located while scouting. He was very consistently in the same basin and we saw him several times pre season and watched as he made it through both archery and muzzy seasons. I had hopes for a bigger deer but always had a fondness for this one. When opening day rolled around, I had not seen a better buck and I decided to go take him. Things went as planned until I ran smack into him while sneaking in and blew him out without a good shot opportunity. Frustrated, I moved to another area to give him a few days fully planning on coming back and killing him later. A couple days later, I killed a comparable sized buck in a completely different area that we had never seen while scouting.
View attachment 130566
A friend and I kept track of this buck for a few years, naming him Lickety Split because of his split G3. He was eventually killed by another hunter before we could get the tag again and I think he ended up in the high 170"s. He kept his same beautiful shape each year growing just a bit and gaining some mass.

Bucks like this are the high-end reality for most of the places I hunt and I'm sure glad I'm too young to remember 'the good old days'. I'm totally thrilled by bucks like this and I have a garage full of them to prove it. Hope I live long enough to fill the new garage being built in my back yard with a bunch more just like him. ---SS

 

[feddoc]

Boom

 

[Buckfever34]

I see that inline and he’s gettin’ popped.

 

[Rie bread]

Not that the score matters but what does the deer pictured score?

I’m trying Try to get a “general baseline” for quickly guessing in a jump shot situation.

The parts of the scoring I noticed when I quickly first looked at the picture of the deer you harvested before looking away- mass(simply a check mark, not sure how it adds to the score), 4x4, spread. Based off these I’d shoot

Things I noticed with a second look. Fork lengths, G2 length, eye guards. These added I’d for sure shoot but maybe he scores higher than I’m thinking.

I’m try to learn field judging for quick shots due to my hunt style. I took my first 4x4 and had the simple qualification of 4x4. My shot decision was maybe 2 seconds. So now I’m thinking I need to have a quick metric in my mind for quick off hand shots.
Thanks

 

[Joe2Kool]

Crosshairs on him. If he takes a couple steps, then BOOM. If not, keep on him and when he stops, BOOM!

 

[elkassassin]

Hey Rie?

You Could just Have Your Wife Score Them Right Before She Guts Them In The Garage!

Not that the score matters but what does the deer pictured score?

I’m trying Try to get a “general baseline” for quickly guessing in a jump shot situation.

The parts of the scoring I noticed when I quickly first looked at the picture of the deer you harvested before looking away- mass(simply a check mark, not sure how it adds to the score), 4x4, spread. Based off these I’d shoot

Things I noticed with a second look. Fork lengths, G2 length, eye guards. These added I’d for sure shoot but maybe he scores higher than I’m thinking.

I’m try to learn field judging for quick shots due to my hunt style. I took my first 4x4 and had the simple qualification of 4x4. My shot decision was maybe 2 seconds. So now I’m thinking I need to have a quick metric in my mind for quick off hand shots.
Thanks

 

[Rie bread]

Hey Rie?

You Could just Have Your Wife Score Them Right Before She Guts Them In The Garage!

She’s got more discipline than me!! She hunts all year with a bow!

Edit: she let me know I was mistaken with the record breaking status!

 

[elkassassin]

LOL!

She’s got more discipline than me!! She hunts all year with a bow!

Edit: she let me know I was mistaken with the record breaking status!

 

[Stillwater165]

Boom …… I’d be happy with him !

 

[Sparks Shooter]

Not that the score matters but what does the deer pictured score?

I’m trying Try to get a “general baseline” for quickly guessing in a jump shot situation.

The parts of the scoring I noticed when I quickly first looked at the picture of the deer you harvested before looking away- mass(simply a check mark, not sure how it adds to the score), 4x4, spread. Based off these I’d shoot

Things I noticed with a second look. Fork lengths, G2 length, eye guards. These added I’d for sure shoot but maybe he scores higher than I’m thinking.

I’m try to learn field judging for quick shots due to my hunt style. I took my first 4x4 and had the simple qualification of 4x4. My shot decision was maybe 2 seconds. So now I’m thinking I need to have a quick metric in my mind for quick off hand shots.
Thanks

I'm not sure exactly what he scores in the picture. I was told he was 178"ish when he got killed a couple years later. My guess is low 170's gross in the picture. -----SS

 

[Sawabuck]

Let a buck a little better than that go on Peavine this past November.

 

[elkassassin]

What tag Did you Have?

Let a buck a little better than that go on Peavine this past November.

 

[Tikka]

Let a buck a little better than that go on Peavine this past November.

On Peavine, what tag did you have?

 

[buckhorn]

What tag Did you Have?

U tards don't have a clue!
These topics are not always about Utah.
Use your brain tardo

 

[Tikka]

U tards don't have a clue!
These topics are not always about Utah.
Use your brain tardo

I guess a guy can’t ask what tag? Weird…

 

[elkassassin]

Pay No Attention To The Nevada Boy!

I guess a guy can’t ask what tag? Weird…

 

[buckhorn]

Pay No Attention To The Nevada Boy!

Well, now you have a clue.
Keep working on it and you will answer your own question.

 

[buckhorn]

I guess a guy can’t ask what tag? Weird…

Sorry, Tikka no offense to you. My reply was to the other guy.

 

[elkassassin]

Ya!

Don't Ask Tikka!

Somebody That Has Nothing To Do With The Question Won't Like It!

Like It's Some Kind Of GAWD-DAMNED Secret!

 

[buckhorn]

Oh I have plenty to do with the question!
You read all the comments about how the internet and social media has hurt hunting.
I'm sure it's one of the
50 Hell Right things you complain about. Yet you ask someone on a public forum to name a specific location and hunt.
Do you get what I'm saying?

 

[elkassassin]

I Think The P Place You're Thinking Of Is A Different P Place That I'm Thinking Of?

The P Place Me & Tikka Are Thinking Of Isn't No Secret!

But The P Place You're Thinking About Must Be A Real Secret Place?

 

[Tikka]

I Think The P Place You're Thinking Of Is A Different P Place That I'm Thinking Of?

The P Place Me & Tikka Are Thinking Of Isn't No Secret!

But The P Place You're Thinking About Must Be A Real Secret Place?

I think you are correct in what we’re both thinking… I don’t know of any late tag on the Peavine I’m thinking of, unless it’s a sportsman’s tag or governor’s tag… In that case I’m sure a 170 wouldn’t get a second look…

 

[elkassassin]

Hey Tikka?

At Least You didn't Get your Ass Chewed When you Asked The Same Question?

 

[elkassassin]

I've seen A Pic Of The Sportsmans Tag Buck!

But I Haven't Seen Anything On The Governors Buck Yet?

 

[elkassassin]

Sorry buckhorn!

Your Buddy SH Might Be Talking a Different 'P' Than The 'P' Here In Utah!

I'm Only Guessing Though?

 

[buckhorn]

Sorry buckhorn!

Your Buddy SH Might Be Talking a Different 'P' Than The 'P' Here In Utah!

I'm Only Guessing Though?

My point is not that Pevine is a secret, but that these topics are not always about Utah. If this was the Utah forum I might understand the question. But this is the Mule Deer forum and again it's not about Utah.
elkassassin I'm sending you and Tikka a PM with the answer to your question.