Mike: A little while back in a blog you had a picture of a buck that
scored in the 120s and asking if the average hunter would kill him. Well here is my answer to that question.
He’s a basic 8 with a couple stickers. Here in Pa. I do not pass on a buck of this size with either bow or rifle and it doesn’t matter if it is early archery season or the last day of rifle season. The fact is that here in Pa., as well as most public land anywhere in the USA, he is a shooter to 95% of the deer hunters I know.
He is not my largest buck by a long shot but I killed him while
hunting with my son and two longtime friends from our camp. We had back straps for dinner followed by Crown Royal next to the fireplace last night and slept in this morning.–Terry “Big Daddy” Murphy
Thanks Big Daddy and way to go.
Who else would have shot this buck…or would you have passed?
I’m shooting him first or last day. I would pass if I had already taken one bigger in the same year.
Shooter all day everyday. I am in west michigan and have a bigger one on the wall . Hell I shot a scrub buck last Thursday for the freezer. I meat hunt and also like horns but u gotta remember tv hunting and real life hunting are very different. That buck is what me and my buddies would call a thunder buck.
Nice buck. He’s a shooter in my area of the country for sure. Hope to kill one here soon! Things are picking up around here
Public land… no doubt, I’m shooting. Congrats!
First of all congratulations on a truly good public land whitetail. A great buck for your situation you should be proud of. I hunt public ground in Indiana and at this time would pass that buck, but only because I have a chance to get a crack at some bigger ones. That’s my situation. If a 140 comes by me in a couple of weeks, I’m shooting him. Today….not yet. If I was hunting your area and that is big for that area and I know it….he’s getting a meat missile! Great job on a nice buck and don’t let anybody tell you different! Your choice is the perfect one for you!
Being from Southern Illinois and hunting private managed land we pass on deer in the 120 range but I’m sure If I lived somewhere else like PA I would have shot it. Great deer for that area. Congrats.
I’m with jjas I wouldn’t shoot this buck either due to having larger bucks on my wall. However I certainly wouldn’t knock anyone for shooting this deer as I know people who’ve hunted their whole lives without taking one this big. I hear so many people say that I had to shoot him because I was hunting public ground, and on public ground if I didn’t shoot him then someone else would. I don’t think that’s always the case, I’ve passed plenty of young bucks on public land and the next year they were larger just as I had suspected. Granted 80% of decent 3 year old bucks on public land will be killed and not passed, but if you don’t pass them then you’ll never see the 4-6 yr old stud public land bucks that are out there. That being said Big Daddy congrats this is definitely a very nice deer and meat in the freezer beats tag soup! A 120’s deer is a respectable animal on public or private ground bud.
He’s a fine deer but I would pass. I’ve got deer very similar to him on the wall and don’t see a reason to kill another. I eat a lot of tags because of it, but that’s fine with me.
Having said that, I agree that buck is a shooter to most hunters and I wouldn’t dare question anyone taking a buck like that. He is a great buck!
Congrats to BD on a successful hunt.
Good buck. Congrats! That kicker off the left g2 is cool. Surprised his right g2 is broken up this early in the season. I would have killed him no questions asked in archery season.