ORIGINAL: GregH
You got that right! I too weigh all of my deer, I started doing this in 1992. EVERYBODY thinks that they have shot a 200 lb. deer. I'm usually 5 lbs or less when estimating the deer my friends and I have shot. If anything, I'm on the conservative side of estimating weight and score. I don't like exaggeration. I found something different doing this. My heaviest wis. deer weighed 190 and 193 lbs. My heaviest Ill. deer was 220 lbs. A good 3 1/2 from Ill avgs 195-205, where as in my wis. spot, one will avg, 175-185 lbs.. The weird part is that these two spots are less than 40 miles apart. The same food, climate habitat etc. Must be the genetics!?
Hey punk, you talking about me?[8D]LOL
I agree that most people drastically over estimate the size of their deer. Both in weight and in rack score. But I can tell you that my estimates for the average sizes are pretty close forthe areas I hunt.
Like you said Greg, its genetics. The deer I hunt in Canada have developed large body sizes over the years due to natural selection. The winters are hard, and there are lots of wolves. When out hunting, it is not uncommon to see the body of a deer and think it is a buck, until you see its head and its bald. It an amazing sight that I am blessed to be able to enjoy every fall.