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To Shoot or Not to Shoot, That is the Question
I recently found a buck back in an area I hunt that I have not had any pictures of since November 9, 2023. The area is heavily pressured during gun season, and I figured another lucky hunter wrapped their tag around this magnificent buck. This is a buck I call “Amazing Jimmy,” and he has been living rent-free in my head since 2022 when I missed him at 37 yards.
2022
Here is a trail cam pic of him from 2022:
This is a screenshot I took of him walking toward me before I took the shot on that crisp October morning:
I had ranged a trail I thought he was going to use, and it was 30 yards. He was on full alert, so I aimed lower 1/3 thinking he might duck the arrow. Well, after my arrow sailed just under him, I realized that he took a trail further than the one I ranged. He also didn’t duck, so it was basically a double miss.
I saw him a few other times in 2022 but didn’t have another close encounter. He disappeared in January and didn’t show back up until the following October.
2023
Here is what he looked like in 2023:
His double beam from ’22 had shifted to his right side and came off the bottom side of his beam rather than by his brow tine like the year prior. I was excited to chase him and sat many times hoping to lay eyes on him, but he was a ghost. When I lost track of him in November, I hoped he had just made a rut walkabout, and I was holding out for his return which didn’t happened until October of this year.
2024
Here is the first pic from 2024, and I could immediately see he was half the buck he used to be:
Upon close inspection with a hi-res pic from the Moultrie Edge Cam, I can see why his left antler has a deformity. His back right leg is injured and appears to have a baseball-sized lump on it.
This is a phenomenon called contralateral asymmetry, which is an injury-related abnormality where there is decreased growth of the opposite antler following a significant injury to the back leg. The question is, will it remain abnormal next year? Should I take a “wait and see” approach? Or do I go full-send knowing this could be his last year? The literature on abnormal growth shows that sometimes it remains year after year, and sometimes it has not caused multiple years of growth abnormalities. Basically, there isn’t a clear scientific answer for me, but I’m leaning toward the “age before antlers” philosophy here. Then again, I have firsthand knowledge of bucks getting injured and taking a step back in terms of antler growth, just to come back the next year and explode into the biggest rack of their life.
Best I can tell this is a 6.5 year old buck, and for him to survive that long puts him in trophy status no matter what his antlers score. What would you do if you were me? I can tell you I’m hoping he makes it another year, but I’m also thinking a hard left turn mount would look fantastic featuring his good side!
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