ATTN Huntwa family: Did I make the right call?

[turkeyfeather]

My wife, three boys and I just spent the last 4 days at deer camp. This morning I am having second thoughts about a call I made last night and am starting to feel a little sick about.
My oldest (13) is in his 5th deer season and despite some close calls hasn't been able to notch a tag yet. Last night with about 10-12 min of shooting light left we have a deer appear at 65 yards.
 This is not only the first deer he has been able to lay the crosshairs on but its a buck at that. Here's where the problem comes into play. The buck is facing us directly and my son is shooting a .243 with a 95 grain Fusion bullet. He is a very good shot, but I tell him to wait cause I am hesitant that that is gonna be a good shot to take. So we wait for what seems like forever (probably only a couple mins) for the deer to put his head down and turn one way or the other. I finally tell my son to go ahead and take the direct head on shot if he feels he can take it. And that is the very moment that the buck trots off.

Did I make the right call or did I just cost him his first buck.

[hollymaster]

Better not to shoot, than shoot poorly. Good call. 
Stay with it.

[Bob33]

If you're not confident of a one shot ethical kill, waiting is the right decision. I wish more hunters thought like you did.

[Gobble]

Thats a tough call, penetration with a .243 is very light, if it was a .30-06, .30-30, or any 300 cal. I would say take the shot. If your gut told you not to take the shot it was probably the right call 

[3nails]

 You absolutely made the right call! Hunting with the kids is about teaching them life lessons, not necessarily killing an animal. The patience you are teaching him will pay off big later.

[quadrafire]

That's the right call IMO

[Rainier10]

Right call all day every day.  Any time you have to ask yourself if you should shoot for whatever reason the answer is no.

Good call.

Continue to praise him all year for not taking the shot, when he does get a shot and connects on his first buck it will make it all that much sweeter.

[pianoman9701]

It was a good lesson in patience and ethics for your son. Good call.

[kellama2001]

If you're not confident of a one shot ethical kill, waiting is the right decision. I wish more hunters thought like you did.

Agreed!   

[tgomez]

.243 square in the chest at 65 yards that deer would have dropped like a sack of potatoes. If he wasn't comfortable with the shot it was the right descision to make. But a frontal shot that close=dead deer. The deer in my avitar was shot in the front of chest square on at 120 yards last October and he didn't even move again. Instant kill.

[DOUBLELUNG]

You made the right call.  Congratulations to you both.  His first kill should be a shot you both are comfortable with him taking. 

[turkeyfeather]

.243 square in the chest at 65 yards that deer would have dropped like a sack of potatoes. If he wasn't comfortable with the shot it was the right descision to make. But a frontal shot that close=dead deer.

He was more than confident with the shot. It was I that wasn't. I was having flashbacks of several years ago when a good buddy took a similar shot with a .308 and we never found that deer.

[jackelope]

Good call. Always better to be safe than sorry for a bad shot. Probably a lot easier for you to understand that than the boy, but hey...lessons learned.

[tgomez]

.243 square in the chest at 65 yards that deer would have dropped like a sack of potatoes. If he wasn't comfortable with the shot it was the right descision to make. But a frontal shot that close=dead deer.

He was more than confident with the shot. It was I that wasn't. I was having flashbacks of several years ago when a good buddy took a similar shot with a .308 and we never found that deer.

You made the right call. Don't feel bad, better to keep and live ethically EVERYTIME. You taught him a valuable lesson. More deer hunting together for you two, it will happen if you keep at it. Good luck and God bless.

[cowboycraig]

Sometimes good sportsmanship really sucks. You did the right thing.

It is like "Not shooting" 2 minutes after legal hours when the perfect shot becomes possible. Have been in that situation. No one would have ever known, but I just cursed under my breath and said "next year".