What bucks do you pass on?

I only go to one place now, and it's minimum 5 years, so almost every buck.

Lots of variables.

How many acres are you hunting?

What’s around you?

Who is around you?

Are they on the same type management you are?

Are you shooting deer for antler size or deer age?

I see this topic come up a lot and you have a lot of variables that go into the answer.

Why are you hunting?
How many acres are you hunting?
What are your neighbors shooting?

The only people who I disagree with are the “if it’s brown it’s down” hunters. I hunted with a guy who viewed bag limits as a suggestion and I didn’t understand it.

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I see this topic come up a lot and you have a lot of variables that go into the answer. Why are you hunting? How many acres are you hunting? What are your neighbors shooting? The only people who I disagree with are the “if it’s brown it’s down” hunters. I hunted with a guy who viewed bag limits as a suggestion and I didn’t understand it.

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I also think it has to do with where you’re at in your hunting career also. How long you have hunting, how any mature deer you have killed, kids getting of age to hunt and taking their first deer.

I have no problem passing on bucks because I’ve been very blessed to get the chance to watch and kill lots of great bucks. That wasn’t the case 20 years ago . As I’ve matured as a hunter the bucks I shot got older and bigger.

This is the deer I shot this year and passed him on him last year. This pic is from last year and he was mature probably 5 last year.



Year before as an 8 point.




8 point 2023 120’s 4 years old
10 point 2024 130’s 5 years old
10 point 2025 156 2/8 6 years old

I could be off my a year but feel pretty confident on the ages.

We have a general rule at our camp that it has to be 8pt or bigger with about a bigger than 14” spread. It’s loosely enforced, but generally I try to let the young ones walk.

When I was in high school, we had hardly any big bucks on the property because me, my brothers, and cousins all shot anything that moved I moved away for college and came back to having much nicer bucks on the property after everyone else managed it better.

As a result, I killed the biggest deer ever killed on our property the year I moved back from college. Managing is difficult if not everyone buys in, but it’s worth it.

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5 year old and up I’m looking for one buck every season. I’ll shoot two if I find another good one. I’ll shoot a mature cull type buck, but mainly I’m looking for a 130”+ buck. Years ago, I had a small 4 point come by with a leg holding on by a thread. I killed him and heard at the skinning rack that another club member had shot him a few days earlier. I didn’t stay in that club. I didn’t want to be in a club where members shot year old bucks.

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I love a mature management buck. Shot a big 7 a 3 or 4 years ago and let all my big deer walk. They scored better but he was older.

Depends on the day.

Trophies(150 or better) have to be 6 at our place in south texas. We’ll shoot some scrub bucks if they are 4 and not showing potential.

This deer is a 4 year old in South Texas. I sent this deer to a lot of people and they said shoot him he’s trash. They also thought he was a 3 year old.

I will not shoot this deer until he’s 7 or I may shoot him at all. I’ve seen deer make such big jumps from 4 to 5, 5 to 6 and 6 to 7.

I’ve never been able to track one that 100% no doubt, most are 50/50 on exact age




I want to add unless you’re hunting a place littered with 150’s shooting deer with no brows, means you make grilled cheese sandwiches after midnight.