Who's passed up a buck this year?

[Jameson]

Who's passed up a yearling (1.5 year old) buck, or any antlered buck, this year and what zone were you hunting? If you had to pass it, because you didn't have a tag it doesn't count.

I've passed on 2 yearlings. Area 601

....

Since I've been lucky to get a doe and had a deer gifted to me I'm pretty sure I'll pass on any others that I see, too. Can't say that would be the case if the freezer was empty.

Of the 4 other hunters that I know well, none passed up a buck. 2 yearlings, and 2 bigger bucks for those 4 hunters.

Hopefully in years to come we can have similar threads and see if there is a trend. Not very scientific I know....

[Quackaddict9]

Passed up a small spike, an borderline 8 that most people would have shot but it was not worth the drag where I was sitting. Also saw another one that I could not get a shot at, looked bigger than the 8 I saw. Some bucks passed up in our party, don't know how many but it was more than 5.

W/NW of Bemidji, Zone 2.

[RangerJack]

passed up a basket 8 on opening morning of shotgun season...then he got shot by the neighbor.

[james_walleye]

Passed up 2 young bucks the morning that I shot the 10 pointer with the bow.

[Jameson]

james_walleye I see you're from Rochester, were those APR bucks you 'passed' on in Zone 3? They are worth noting, and everyone from zone 3 please do tell if you had to pass on bucks, but they wouldn't really count as voluntarily passing.

Also if you didn't have a shot, doesn't count.

Mine were 10 yards in front of my stand wide open with a shotgun in hand and buck tag in pocket.

Ranger Jack zone 2 or 3?

Thanks for the quick responses. Keep them coming in!

[Stratosman]

Not as many this year as usual, I shot mt buck on Sept. 24th but I passed 4 or 5 opening weekend zone 293, then 4 more on the day I shot mine in zone 341.

Normally pass up around 20-25 1.5-2.5 year olds during bow and gun season.

[fr0sty]

I passed on a spike on opening day and a yearling 6 on Friday the same week. Zone 240.

[hockeybc69]

Area 240

5 guys opening rifle, 4 of 5 of us had bucks we passed on.

I passed on 3. My son passed on 4. My friends son passed on 1. My dad passed on a couple or 3.

Obviously, the same deer crossed multiple hunters paths....

Our first year since I was a kid where we have harvested no deer during gun season.

Neighbors all did quite well this year......

Glad we could assist in their tag filling again this year. ugh....

[eyehead]

Ive passed up 4 different bucks between shotgun and muzzleloader. Biggest was about a 120" 9pt...very young deer, hope he makes it another year!

[MattL]

I only passed on 2 different 6 pointers and one 8 pointer. This was bowhunting in a couple different permit areas of zone 2. This year wasn't quite normal as I shot my buck on my 5th hunt. Most years I will past up 15-20 different bucks, many of them multiple times throughout the season.

[jay83196]

Yes 2, 1 in 156, 1in 126 both small, shot one doe in 126...

[harvey lee]

I registered deer for approx 12 years or so.

It wouls shock many to see some of the deer people shoot.

My wife registered one while I was hunting one day and when I got home see said to me, you should have seen the glove box deer I registered today.

She said the guy bragged how it was such a long shot and my wife said I doubt that he could have even seen that little fawn at 100 yards.

There are people who will shot about anything even if it weighs 50#'s.

It is great to pass on the smaller bucks but the trouble in Mn is, the majority will drop it as soon as it gets by them.

One cannot pass and then hope it will help as it will die by the next hunter it goes by if it weighs more than a cracker jack box.

[jay83196]

The people not responding...

[james_walleye]

Jameson.....one was a 5 pointer, the other a nubbin I decided not to put a management tag on. And yes, this was just outside Rochester.

[shortfatguy]

Passed on 6 smaller bucks. Mostly forks and spikes. One was a mature deer with a heavy dark forked rack. Looked to me like his beams were broken off. Very big body with a thick neck. I passed on him on opener of rifle season. I will shoot him if I see him with my muzzleloader. Hunt area 176. I shot a doe in a management area and had another doe gifted to me so I have meat in the freezer.

[muskiemanAD]

Hunting private land just east of Rochester (343) I passed 3 different legal bucks opening day, saw 5 total. 2 were basket 8 pointers and one a little better 8 pointer 2.5 yr old. Hunted Whitewater Monday and passed up a 1.5 yr old 8 at shooting time and ended up taking a 2.5 yr old 8 15 minutes later. So yes I passed plenty of legal bucks and as of last weekend they all made it according to the trail cams. APR's are working in my opinion...

[nonteepical]

passed one little 6 pointer this season during rifle, the only buck i've seen this year hunting archery, rifle and now muzzleloader, by far the worst year hunting i've had in many years as far as seeing bucks goes. still hoping the 4.5 year old 13 pointer that lives on the property returns but it's not looking to promising the last picture of him was on nov. 2nd. zone 240.

[james_walleye]

Hunting private land just east of Rochester (343) I passed 3 different legal bucks opening day, saw 5 total. 2 were basket 8 pointers and one a little better 8 pointer 2.5 yr old. Hunted Whitewater Monday and passed up a 1.5 yr old 8 at shooting time and ended up taking a 2.5 yr old 8 15 minutes later. So yes I passed plenty of legal bucks and as of last weekend they all made it according to the trail cams. APR's are working in my opinion...

I agree. I have more nice 2 year olds on camera the past couple weeks than the past couple years combined.

[muskiemanAD]

James, I totally agree. We have seen way more 2.5 yr and some nice 1.5 that would normally have been taken. Know of 6 bucks that were taken from us and neighbors and all were nice bucks, before APR there would have been 6 bucks taken with maybe 2 being nice. Just saying....

[creepworm]

I did not pass on any in MN and ended up shooting 2 does and a small 6 pointer that was 2 years away from a decent rack. We usually shoot the small antlered bucks and the bucks with a lot of antler, leaving the ones that are a year away walk.

In western SD I let 6 bucks pass, one being a nice deer, probably around the 125 inch mark. Hopefully he doesn't get poached and will be there for me next year.

[96trigger]

I passed on two 8 point bucks in zone 342 (APR zone). One was a 120 inch 8 pointer and was tough to pass on. I had him at 10 yards twice with my bow. I also passed on another little 8 pointer 1.5 year old multiple times. Every time I hit the grunt tube, he was there like clock work. I probably passed on a couple of others but once I saw that they were not mature bucks, I never bothered counting points or even trying to get them in for a better shot. I had a button buck bed down behind me on the second morning of firearm. I used the binocs and checked him over numerous times to make sure he was a button buck. Had it been a doe, I probably would have shot it. I also passed another button buck that same morning, again, glassed him with the binocs to make sure it was truly a button buck. He was a cool looking deer too, he had a blond head and a blond tail. Would be cool to see him again in 3 or 4 years. After all the passing and doing a lot of hunting, I was finally able to connect on a mature 10 pointer the Friday of 3A season. Very glad I did not shoot either of those 8's. So I can say that for sure, I passed on 4 bucks, two legal 8's and two legal button bucks.

[BobT]

Didn't see any myself but my brother passed on at least four that I am aware of during the firearms season and his son passed on at least one. My brother has also passed on a few while bowhunting this year.

[Sheephead Slayer]

Passed on a nice fork right under my stand. I was enjoying whatching him for about 20 minutes and learned some things from him. As I smiled and whatched him walk over a hill to the south I heard BANG. The neighbor got him..grr. To each their own I guess.

[Jameson]

Thanks for the responses folks. Lets keep them coming.

[hockeybc69]

We had a serious discussion in camp this year about our "plan".

Hate to say it, but if we want to shoot some deer we need to start considering our limitations.

We are in our 10th year of passing immature/small bucks. In that time we have harvested 3 bucks that have made walls. But thats with up to 6 people hunting at various points throughout all the seasons.

I havent shot a deer since 2009 myself. I havent shot a buck since 2004.

Its getting a bit old..... I hate to admit..

Our neighbors hammer everything they see. We have 120 acres(60 acres of trees). It aint enough to think we can change anything... very clear to us now...