Driveway Buck?

[Ovis Venator]

A week ago I told my wife "I care more about the process than the product" when she asked me why I spent so much time on fruitless hikes with my rifle. I want to believe that I care more about the experience of a hunt, making a game plan and executing it to out smart my quarry than just shooting a deer. However the past couple days there have been three bucks (one real nice 4pt) that have been hanging out around my house. This morning he was standing on my driveway at ~50 yards following does. I didn't take the shot because I would have only had time to shoot and then drive to work and didn't want to leave him laying there all day. Now that I'm at work I'm debating if I do actually care more about the product than the process.

What does HuntTalk think? Should I put time into shooting a buck off the driveway or continue focusing on finding a buck "my way"?

Added context: freezer is already full, live in the country with safe shooting lanes, and I don't have a "targeted" buck on any of the places I hunt, oh and season ends in 5 days.

 

[jdf]

If freezer is full, try to find a new hunter or youth to take to try to harvest it and enjoy the excitement of helping someone else harvest deer... imo

 

[mtnkid85]

IDK, do you want to kill another deer? Or do you want to "just" go hunting?
I don't think anyone would blame you for hunting your own property. But I can certainly see how killing him in your driveway would not at all be interesting. I often think I use hunting as a tool to take me to interesting places and gain interesting experiences, killing a buck off the front porch would do neither of those for me.

I also like jdfs idea...

 

[SwaggyD]

It’s tough to make a wild animal live where you want it to. An old rancher rancher from where I grew up always said “they are wherever you find them”. In this case, on your driveway.

 

[BackofBeyond]

Purity scores are BS. But with muley populations the way they are in your neck of the woods, I wouldn't shoot it.

 

[JEL]

We have deer that frequent the shelter belt around our farm. One good sized buck that has left a couple scrapes. I consider them off limits. Not sure why. Just how I feel.

 

[MarvB]

I drew a tag (zone) for our place this year. Have numerous bucks that hang around our property but I only hunt the public nearby. One particular buck “might” make it a hard decision if he wandered up into that public but in general the yard bucks are a no go.

 

[SwaggyD]

You landowners and your pets. Lol.

 

[2rocky]

I always consider the deer within a 1/4 mile of the house to be off limits. The exception being a kid's first deer.

 

[Chad Gus]

Any deer that frequent my yard, are off limits.

 

[COEngineer]

If freezer is full, try to find a new hunter or youth to take to try to harvest it and enjoy the excitement of helping someone else harvest deer... imo

I love this idea. A young kid or an old guy that has a hard time getting around would both be good choices!

 

[Oak]

RIGHT IN THE FUGGIN HEAD

 

[LuketheDog]

You landowners and your pets. Lol.

Only the does are 'pets' around here, and they eat all my fruit trees...bucks are fair game when you have the tag.

 

[SwaggyD]

Only the does are 'pets' around here, and they eat all my fruit trees...bucks are fair game when you have the tag.

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Yes!!! That’s what I’m talking about.

 

[Nicapopolis]

Shoot him.

I have lived at my house for 7 years. It has been fun watching all the bucks each year during the rut. We have 0 bucks all year long, but we have our regular does. Once the rut hits we have bucks here every day.

I have yet to shoot a buck here at our house, but my wife was pretty committed to 1 single buck this year. Unfortunately she did not get a chance to shoot him. He isn't the biggest buck, but he is old and that is important to us. He is also unique and regressing. I estimate him at about 7 or 8.

I find that yard bucks lose there allure for me pretty quickly, but actually if I watch any buck too long the same thing happens.

Bucks are where you find them.

Even if I did not want to shoot a buck. I would let someone else shoot it, but would likely want it to be a mature buck.

 

[NEWHunter]

I shot one behind the house this year. Oldest buck I’ve ever shot by a couple of years and only the second time we had seen him live. No regerts.

 

[gouch]

oh and season ends in 5 days.

Do you think that buck will still be around in, say.... 4 days?

 

[Flatbrimmer]

Dude, I expect a picture tomorrow morning with a @SaskHunter or @Ben Lamb style blind photo, on your porch, with a buck just barely in view.
Followed shortly thereafter by a picture of your notched tag and the rump of a deer we cannot wait to see….

 

[grizzly63]

Give him another year and then take him. Once he figures you are no longer a tourist, it will get harder.

 

[Ovis Venator]

Dude, I expect a picture tomorrow morning with a @SaskHunter or @Ben Lamb style blind photo, on your porch, with a buck just barely in view.
Followed shortly thereafter by a picture of your notched tag and the rump of a deer we cannot wait to see….

I can accommodate half of that request