Pass or Play?

I'm a old fart now, not sure how long this busted body can still hunt but there was a time. Know fer a fact that there are a good bunch of guys out there that once they learned how or had the place, they liked to play the same way with Muley hunts as i and some of my buds did. We liked to hunt Monsters only...until the last weekend which, unfortunately or fortunately depending the way a guy looks at it, usually was when i seemed to take the better bucks i have. I'd like to hear from some of you with stories to tell about passing up good bucks looking for the possibility of getting a good poke at something truly special.

I'll be glad to start: Why the Owners allowed a VW bus with a young couple softie fellows to camp up a draw to "take pictures of wildlife" in the middle of a area in the Rubies that my Uncle had contracted to patrol and keep people out in exchange for his and my hunting privileges, i'll never know. On a year that i happened to have that tag, we drove up to their camp, well on the large cattle ranch we "patrolled". he introduced himself while i made sure everything looked OK abouts until i noticed the for sure 30"+ spindly but high buck looking down at us unconcerned from a little ridge not 70-80 yards away. I had every right and full permission to get out and take him as he stood, whatever. i might find better one the next day or during the last week though and it was about their camp, i passed. Those softie guys in their short shorts and cameras may have keeled over right there if i had plugged him. lol Let's hear some tales needed telling?

I will bite. Back in 95 I found a great buck on public land. Deep forks and a good amount of nontpical. After seeing him several times in July and Aug I made the decision not to hunt him. He was a great buck and at times looked spectacular but I was having a hard time with a spread of 24 inches at best. I spent the first part of the season was spent looking for other big deer. A few weeks into the season I heard a big deer was kill close to this bucks home on the opener so I figured he was gone. In the spring of 96 I found the year old sheds from the buck and I new I had made a mistake on this buck. I am holding the sheds in the picture. They score 207.
Many years later I was talking to a hunter at a show in Billings. I told me about a big deer he took in the aria back in 95. On his phone was a picture of the buck I had seen in 95 and it was not the buck taken on opening day as he said he shot the buck later in the season. Fourteen inch forks and 20+ inches of nontypical pushed the gross score to better than 220. I can not say that I passed on this buck as I never saw him with rifle in hand. I just made a very bad decision to not hunt him. Had I hunted him it is likely I would have got him.

This is the best buck I ever passed with rifle handy and buck on a place I could shoot. I saw this buck many time and there was now doubt about his size. I also knew he was only a four year old with the best genetics I have ever seen. At two he was a 140 inch four point and at three he was 26 inches and better than 170. I have the sheds. Now at four he grossed 194 and netted mid 180's. I just didn't want to shoot him. In part because the hunt would not be that exciting and also because I knew that if he did make that season he would likely be a absolute monster in a year or two. He never made it to next year but I don't regret not pulling the trigger. I am a firm believer in if you want a really big deer you need to lay off the nice ones that are young. The buck in the picture looking at the camera is the 194 buck. The other buck was not bad also