There is a fine line between deer hunting and the point it becomes managing a herd of woods goats.

Good to be on a 8 or better program, but when you start manipulating genetics, and judging potential, etc, you become a cattle farmer. Lost is the original tradition of deer hunting. Under your program, I would let him go, but I would also be off the beaten path, out of the box stands and in the woods hunting scrapes & rubs.

Just try to draw yourself a line- at what point do you lose the traditional deer hunting feeling and become a cattle farmer, or a Russian genetics scientist.

I hunt on a private 230 acre plot where only 2 people hunt. We have no box stands or management program I only kill mature bucks because we are lucky enough to have a good population of deer. I see no reason to kill deer that are not mature WHERE I HUNT! Everything is relative. I am not sure what you are getting at.

I'd say go ahead and shoot him. Hes got decent genetics but in the sense of how many points he has, he will most likely never be more that a 7. So the choice is really up to you but i'd honestly take him, hes a nice looking mature deer. And hopefully hes already bread some offspring for you to see next year or the year after.

Picture might be deceiving, but he looks to be barely #200.

He's not even heavy enough. See what he does for another year.

I killed one a week ago today that went 250 lbs on the hoof, and was a 7 point with thick antlers. Surrounded by agric & acorns. We know he is older than 3 yrs, but I wouldn't let them cut the jawbone skin to confirm true age. Hopefully the taxid. kept the jaw bone.

I cant see where missing a browtine matters. If he's big enuff with it, hes big enuf without it. He's at least 41/2 and as big as he's gonna get. If u got bigger, wwait on one of them, i dont think what we think matters, thats a gametime decision.

If your confident that you dont have neighboring people shooting smaller deer, then no reason to kill this one now. It's a good deer obviously but like others have said it will be much better in time. So guess it just has to do with if you think a neighboor will pop it first before it blooms. Just my opinion!

BUT they do not hunt close often nor do I worry about that to much. If they kill him they kill him nothing I can do about it.

I was just more thinking about if he is declining yet...

I see that deer as 4.5+ also and probably expressing 80-90% of his potential. He'll never be significantly better than that. Shooting that deer is exactly what good deer management allows you to do. He's a cull rather than a trophy but still a nice deer and you have done a great job giving him time to show his best potential and now its time to take him out. What a load of crap about 'only' 200#, but 200# is plenty big enough. Sometimes you have to filter through the ridiculous to find good input.

He looks to be at least 4.5 yrs. Notice the sway of his back and the drop in his chest area. Probly 200 plus lbs. He might get another point or two next year.

Me

Last year..

200lb deer where I hunt is a BIG deer...

I killed an 8 point earlier this year that was 198lbs and it doesn't look as big as this one.

Now last year I had this man on camera in the same spot but yet to see him this year...

gee let me think....ok.....SHOOT HIM!

this in my opinion is a shooter you can tell his back is slooped and his anleters are tall and it looks like he weighs alot. I would take this deer.

Its a mature deer. Probably the best it will get. Shoot it and make sausage.

Let him walk if there is no threat of somebody else killing him. He still has another year of growth before he planes out and begins to decline. If there is a threat of somebody else shooting him, then i would take him out because he is still a very nice buck.

it's hard to tell since the pics are at night and shadows might be involved but the rack does look basically the same in both pics. Only difference is the left side in one, no brow tine but I think the other point on the left antler is just liked up with the rest of it in the lower pic.

I personally do not think the deer in the 2012 pic is the same as any of the 2011 pics. Notice how the G3 crabclaw on the 12 pics is closeer to the tip of main beam. that being said: 2012 buck is a shooter in terms of being mature (back sway, sagging brisket). I would drop the hammer and be proud of that buck anywhere from South LA to North Ms or AL.

me

2011

me

same deer?

I think this is the deer from last year I was meaning to post!

I do believe the last pics from 2011 are the same deer in yout original 2012 pics. The biggest thing that makes me believe its the same deer is the distinct crabclaw at the tip of his left beam. Again, I would take this buck and be very proud; no doubt. Good luck.