Thanks guys for all the comments, well most of them. Lol.

The hunt in itself is different things, to different people.

For those wondering why I didn't shoot him? I didn't shoot him for a number of reasons. Here are a few.

A. I shoot a longbow, and was hunting with a rifle that day. A rifle just doesn't "crank my tractor" shooting deer. I use a rifle to thin the doe population.
B. Though there is a greater percentage of me never seeing him again rather than seeing him, I'd rather my daughter shoot him.
C. This is property I have worked on, and managed since I was old enough to walk. I'm sure I actually crawled on a lot of the ground.
D. Although he may not get much bigger if he makes it next year, he sure isn't going to get any bigger if I shoot him now.
E. I got him on film, and basically, though it's not 100%, he would have been a dead deer, if, I had chose to shoot him.
etc. etc.



Just having the opportunity to see him was a Blessing. But how many of you have actually watched a big deer and how they react to their environment? There is a lot to be learned. You can't learn much with him dead on the ground. Much like some of you have learned by not shooting the first deer that comes out, you often get to see more deer and bigger deer.


Regardless, it is one of the biggest deer I have seen on the property, for any good length of time. Definitely bigger than anything I have taken on the property. He increased a lot in mass, from last year, I'd like to see what he can do for the next.


God Bless,
David B.