I work for a hunting program on a local Military base , We weigh every deer along with pulling jaw bones for aging. Our deer here usually weigh around 100-175 for bucks, they later being a real mature deer atleast 3 years old, most year and a half bucks weigh around 120 or so. the does range from 70 to 110, the later being a mature doe, I have seen several checked in at our check in station that came off post that were larger but most fall into the range listed above, We have a over population problem also that has made the weights low.~Ben

Hunting ; an act of love for nature guided by the strongest spiritual forces.
http://www.adventuresoutdoors.freehomepage.com/

I've weighed many does who's live weight exceed 150lbs, one that weighed 205lbs. I've also seen bucks go in the high 200's. However, average doe is about 120-130 and buck are 180-215. I'm talking about Mississippi deer, not known for huge body deer like up north.

Hunt the thickets

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I've weighed many does who's live weight exceed 150lbs, one that weighed 205lbs. I've also seen bucks go in the high 200's. However, average doe is about 120-130 and buck are 180-215. I'm talking about Mississippi deer, not known for huge body deer like up north.

Hunt the thickets
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Hey Belle,

My experince with Mississippi der are that they are usually pretty large. On the hunting club that I was on in Natchez, our bucks averaged 180-220# on the hoof. Most of the does were in the 125-150# range again on the hoof. We had a couple taken over the years that bottomed out our 250# scale at the skinning rack.

You guys are making me feel bad though. The area I hunt in Texas has small deer. I'm talking about a 2.5 year old 8 point that I took last year that dressed at 81#. I was told that this is the average for the area. I think the heaviest one that was taken on our lease came in @ 110# dressed. Does typically go in the middle 60's dressed.

We weigh all our deer on a scale also. The biggest buck was 218 field dressed. Next is 198 and a few in the 180's. Average would probably be about 175 but we have a QDM so everything is 2 1/2 or older. Does range from 90 up to 135. Most of the buck reports I can believe but some people talking about 150 and up does consistantly are huge.

Here's a good way to &quot;field weigh&quot; a deer without scales.Take the chest measurements right behind the front legs with a cloth measuring tape.Make sure the chest is in a natural position-not expanded or collapsed.Take that measurement and multiply by 6.5 then subtract 120.This will give you a weight of +/- 5#.It's pretty accurate as I have done this to all my deer and compared it to a scaled reading.This will give you the dressed weight.

I'm from IL, and i have a hard time seeing does over 120, and thats being modest. a 2.5 year buck is usually 175-195, and after that, it just depends on genetics and such.

it does seem, however, that when asked, everybody's 'uncle or grandfather' has a scale and 'of course we weighed it, it was 250',... sure...

but of course we have had our monsters...

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I've used the chest measurement method in the past....going off the table I printed off the net my 8 pt last yr dressed 204 and the 10 pt I got the yr before weighed 195 dressed. If one of you guys with a actual scale get a chance to print off one of the tape measure tables and see how close they come to true scale weight I would be interested in hearing the results.

Plodder I agree most people either exagerate or do not have a clue in how to estmate dressed weight of a deer. I took a buck in 74 that dressed at 175 on a scale, that was a big buck in Va., my cousin killed one in 75 that dressed at 210 and was probably the biggest buck killed in our area. In Va. there is a large variance in the average size of deer depending upon whether they are farm deer or mountain deer. I have never hunted the mountains in Va., but I hear that a BIG buck dresses at about 120 and a doe at about 90. The average mature buck in farm country is about 140-150 and the does run 110-120. Now that being said there are other variables that effect deer size here, there are areas in the flatlands of Va. that are heavily wooded with very little farming, these deer do tend to be about the size of mountian deer.

I will be honest and say I am far from being great at estimating dressed weight myself, but having the knowledge of knowing exactly what one that dressed at 175 looks like, I know what is smaller and what is larger, if a deer appeared close to or over the size of that deer I would get it weighed just to see.

The Tazman aka Martin Price
Founder and President of
Virginia Disabled Outdoorsmen Club

Taz is right about the weights varying based on area (in VA). I hunt in the mountains of Va and WV, and for the last 10 years we've weighed about 90% of all the deer we've killed(hundreds), and the majority of the bucks dress from 90-110 and does from 65-90. Of course some get bigger for sure, but I've never seen one over 150 where I hunt.
I will absolutely agree that the majority of folks overestimate how much they weigh, probably by 20% or so. Out of all the guys I know that don't hunt with us, most of them all kill bucks that weigh 125-150 every time(according to them), though alot hunt in similar areas. They have been made to look a fool more than once,, by the trusty scale. One buddy bet me $100 dollars that his buck was over 175lbs... it weighed 136. <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>I think it boils down to an ego problem.
Personally my biggest is 130lbs, on the scale. I'd love to kill a big deer like some of you folks someday.