Where would you say the biggest bucks come from?
04-29-2015, 04:00 PM
#2
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Illinois
Posts: 3,695
Well, do you mean body size or antler rate? Body size, most of your mid-western whitetail are pretty well fed and get up there in weight. Basically, the further North you go, the bigger the body size of deer is the general rule. As far as antler rates, South Texas has produced some absolute monster racks but a whole lot of those monster racks came from ranches that do a whole lot of genetic "culling" and run breeding programs as well as feed programs to "enhance" the deer population. Not to mention those racks "look" a lot bigger on the "large dog" sized bodies 
of them little ole southern deer. Rack size is relegated to 3 things, genetics, food quality and quantity, and age. South Western Illinois has produced some monsters both body as well as rack. So has Wisconsin and Kansas.
of them little ole southern deer. Rack size is relegated to 3 things, genetics, food quality and quantity, and age. South Western Illinois has produced some monsters both body as well as rack. So has Wisconsin and Kansas.
04-30-2015, 04:05 AM
#3
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 9,230
If I was somewhat interested in a big whitetail I'd look to Iowa, Indiana, Missouri or eastern Nebraska/Kansas. If I really, really, really wanted a big whitetail I'd hit eastern CO since I already have access to a big private ranch loaded with them. But I quit hunting for antlers a long time ago. I'll still hit that aforementioned private ranch in CO this fall but I'll be dragging a plump doe out and not a buck.
04-30-2015, 03:08 PM
#4
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 1,143
05-02-2015, 07:45 AM
#5
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: NE Kansas
Posts: 1,101
Depends on your criteria, but that's a credible study.
However it does wind up leaving Texas and Wisconsin off the list, and they certainly have the reputation.
Something worth looking at is a book Dave Morris of the Bucks of Tecomate fame. I don't remember the title, though. He addresses differences in size from region to region. He had a nice map in it showing the size differences of the various subspecies and showed where they resided.
One anecdote from it: He was in Florida and spotted a huge head mount among a collection of good-sizd Florida racks. In it's ear was a tattoo'd number. It had been transplanted from Wisconsin as part of a restocking program years before. It's genetics had allowed it to get much, much bigger than what was typical even for big deer in Florida.
The other thing I liked in that book was the case he made that we ought to consider trophy antlers more in the context of where the deer was taken. A 180 point buck on his managed property in Texas is one thing. Then there's the guy who a few years ago shot a 180 point buck on public land in Massachusetts or thereabouts. that's another magnitude.
However it does wind up leaving Texas and Wisconsin off the list, and they certainly have the reputation.
Something worth looking at is a book Dave Morris of the Bucks of Tecomate fame. I don't remember the title, though. He addresses differences in size from region to region. He had a nice map in it showing the size differences of the various subspecies and showed where they resided.
One anecdote from it: He was in Florida and spotted a huge head mount among a collection of good-sizd Florida racks. In it's ear was a tattoo'd number. It had been transplanted from Wisconsin as part of a restocking program years before. It's genetics had allowed it to get much, much bigger than what was typical even for big deer in Florida.
The other thing I liked in that book was the case he made that we ought to consider trophy antlers more in the context of where the deer was taken. A 180 point buck on his managed property in Texas is one thing. Then there's the guy who a few years ago shot a 180 point buck on public land in Massachusetts or thereabouts. that's another magnitude.
05-04-2015, 10:32 AM
#8
Fork Horn
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 101
As far as numbers or "record book" whitetails I think Kentucky was the top last time I checked. Obviously there's lots of variables that can skew the numbers but either way a good number of big bucks are coming out of that state.
