I would pinch myself first because the only way I am going to see a 200inch deer where I live and with my hunting budget I must be dreaming. I would also say be glad to have such problems and don't refer to it a dilemma because well calling it an issue whether to take a 150inch sure thing or hope for a 200 just ticks me off. I would say most of us will gladly take over your lease if such problems arise again.

Tough call, If he had waited the neighbor may have still shot the 200 before him. Congratulations to both hunters.

I pick 1-2 deer a year and they are the only ones I will shoot. Unless something unseen that is larger comes along. The bucks that I choose are simply the biggest in the area I have seen scouting and not necessarily trophies. I am aware that booners do not walk in every woods so sometimes you take what you can get.

Yes, I would pass on a 150 if there was a 200 inch buck in the area. You may have to pass that 150 several times to get a shot at the 200.

Yesterday I passed 6 bucks for 3 other bucks that just skirted out of range(they were 130 yds. I have a 100 yd limit) while muzzleloader hunting in Ohio. Needless to day it was a good day to be in the stand.

It sounds as if he had already taken a 150 class buck or tow. If I were that dialed into the big boy I'd have to wait him out.

a buck is no different than the bird in the hand . i would rather tag a smaller buck and have meat, than chew on a tag all winter .

Same scenario here in Kentucky. I hunt a particular buck,who by the way, hangs out with other bucks who pass the 150" mark.

It's kind of like going into a UDF,(United Dairy Farmers,ice cream)store. I go in there to get one ice cream flavor... Peach. But , as I look at "all" of the flavors, they become more inticing. If I'm not committed to "peach" I'll hesitate and even change my mind.

Just like in the woods,the time to be committed isn't in your tree stand/UDF ... it's before you get to the temptation that allows one to have favorable winds of opportunity to blow his way.

I would have let the 155" inch walk,as I have plenty of times. He would have been a 170" or better on his way to 200" the following year. To me, Robert's way of thinking changed from one year to the next, as he let the 200" walk for 2-seasons to gain the inches of bone growth.

When Bob shot the 155" buck, that took him immediately out of the 200 plus inch, gene gathering pool, and from the way the story reads, he had 2-months to pursue his quest for the real, "bigger and better" Genetic Giant!

Perhaps the real culprit here is Roberts accident. His injury possibly dictated that he pursue any "lesser" buck with quality proportions, causing him not to be so committed in his pursuit of the real Genetic Giant. After all, proof of desire is pursuit!

Bob settled for the temptation of the "lesser" deer ...still, he didn't have to eat his tag.
The one and only real question is: Is Bob satisfied with the 155"? Personally, I would feel frustrated that I settled for second best and the "lesser" buck.

I'd buy more tags.

yrs-
Evan!

I'll never tag the big one unless it's the first one under my stand.

Definetly the monster buck! Even though the smaller bucks were nice, i would have waited for the monster to come in since i had been chasing it for years.

Its a tough call but if I had 20 or so deer mounted on the wall I think I would hold out for the monster so as to add another one to the trophy room. Especially if I have been hunting that particular deer for a few years

Like so many others, I'm glad this wasn't my call...and no matter what I say while sitting on the comfort of my office might come out differently at camp. With an availability of antlerless tags and bow season for the freezer I would say, "go for it!". Either decision is ethical, and honorable. Botom-line, this man's relationship with an extraordinary animal is a great story and experience. If it was so easy we could win all the time, it wouldn't be so exciting. Testing our abilities against smart,experienced 'giants'is always a great way to go.

Boy he sure doesn't look happy.

I'd say after 20 sum bucks,scoring in the 150's ,your train of thought might change somewhat.A wall for 200's? They must be around,with a gene pool in area.

I, not "I've" :)

If I based my decision on the luck I have, I would take the 150" because I may never see the 200". But if it is on my land and I can hunt it anytime I want, I would wait for the 200"

Cant hardly pass them 150 inch deer even knowing there is something bigger around. I have a couple good spots where ive seen some monsters, but when the opportunity arises so does my blood and then its usually all over. Ive killed several 140-155 inch deer and will continue still.

Here in NY its likely that I will never see a 200 class deer. Having said that, I always go by my immediate reaction when I see the buck. If you have to take time to think about whether or not to shoot the deer, then there is no sense shooting it, because you will always be second guessing your decision. I have let plenty of real nice NY bucks pass by because they just didn't spark that special interest. I will never shoot a buck that I am not proud of shooting. Do your scouting and know what deer is a great representative of your area, because most of us dont hunt areas that produce the same monster bucks that you see being shot on t.v.

I am only a teenager but have managed deer since I started hunting our farm. I let the 150's walk and took the big boy's or settled for a doe. I would of waited the season out for the big boy.

it's early in the season being as dedicated as he was to this buck think of how proud you would feel after taking a deer of that size and ammount of time you put into hunting and scouting. I think as the season progressed I would've been fine with killing a decent buck but in those early stages the big ones are real easy to pattern and I would've waited.

It depends on wether the 10 point under me was unique in some way or larger than what I already had on the wall. If I had multiple doe tags and 1 buck tag I would wait till the big boy showed even at the risk of not taking another buck. I am basically a meat hunter and won't take a big buck unless he is better than what I have already put on the wall.

I would have held out at least for a couple weeks just to see how things played out. Thats a magnificent buck though. What State is Bob lucky enough to be hunting in? Bucks very seldom get that big down here in VA