I like this question and this is one of the things I plan on focusing on mmore in the upcoming seasons and off seasons. Mots of the land I hunt in VA and NC contains large numbers of deer and some decent bucks. I would say the high end probably is somewhere in the 145-165 rangethe middle ground being something like 125-145 and the lower end (as far as decent bucks goes) 110-125. Now I see lots of young bucks and a few each season from the lower end to middle ground.

I have gotten away from my trail cams lately but my plan is going toinvolve using them again heavily in multiple locations totry and get an ideaor "inventory" of what the actual numbers might be. That way if I have an area that is showing more middle to upper end deer I can focus more time there. I noticed you(GregH)have some good trail cam pics and I was wondering if you tend to steer away from putting a cam over a pile or attractant and prefer travel routes. In one senseI think I could probably get a good inventory with a camera that way,on a food plot/bait pile/mineral lick or some combination, but I also thinkthat may not reperesent actually where the deer (especially bigger ones) like to traveland that more than likelythey are just there for the food/attractant.I'll probably try both techniques but abandon the food towards the middle/end of summer. Sorry, a littlelong.

Duke:

GREAT point. The 4.5 yr old I took this year was a 103". He wouldn't "net" that.

I really believe "looking outside the box" works both ways.

I would say 160+ grossis top end.... I only personally know two other people other than myself who has shot a 160+.

ZERO. My buck this year was 2.5 and grossed right at 150". However, how many bucks live to be 4.5 here? Almost none. Really.

150" is a top end buck here. In fact, he was one of 2 bucks we were after this year. Anything over 120" is really good here. In over 30 years of hunting this areamy dad has seen 1 B&C buck (I have seen none). A typical 12 with length and mass on every tine. My dad has a 186+" buck from SE Ohioand said this one was "way bigger". We have genetics andnutrition, but theyjust don't get the chance to get any age on them here. Too many hunters and a lack of cover.

Good try dude!

Actually, I've seen 6 B&Cs if you count the 180+ I shot in Wis. Of these 6, the smallest 2(if you call B&C small) were in Lake Co. I saw a 180+ (I killed) and a 190+ typical in Racine Co., Wis. and a 190+ typ and a 200+ non-typ in Mchenry Co.,Ill where I hunt. Mchenry Co., Ill was rated 3rd best county for B&Cs a couple of years ago, behind Pike and one adjacent to Pike. Lake Co. was rated #2 behind Pike for P&Ys.

Incidentally, a good friend of mine has killed TWO 199+ non-typs a few miles from where I hunt and even I don't know exactly where he hunts!

St. Croix County, WI. I'd say a real good buck is 150+ and 160's being real thin here. There are deer that go booner and even some typicals seen in the area each year that should gross closer to 200".

biggest taken off of some of our property has been about 140-150ish typical, we had a 180+ gross non-typ that came last year, but that was an oddity... most of the highend bucks on our land are 130+, several 130's bucks taken on our land... but I don't think that is typical for our area... we're one of the only land owners that manage the property in any degree so most top end bucks for our area are probably more like 100" or so... this year I'm goin deep in the woods to track a particular 10pt on our land that my uncle estimated to be about 140 this year but he never got a clean shot at it (he's the only one that's seen it close enough to make an educated guess on inches)... hope I can get to it before he does...

Smart dude, you guys no more than people I work with do

I would say that a 150" is not out of reason, butI can probably count on one hand the number I have seen in my lifetime. I have never seen a booner on the hoof.

This year I saw a couple that would have given that 150" mark a run but were probably in the 140's. A solid 130" buck is something that unless you have the honeyest of honey holes, you just cannot pass up around here. 3.5 old bucks are rare, 4.5 are almost legendary.

not a whole lot of hunting land available in Lake (too many damn subdivisions), more so in McHenry though... almost every day I see a couple of big bruisers in the Mill Creek/Wadsworth/Millburn area on my way to work in the morn... tough to get permission from Temple Smith to hunt that land though (he owns most all of it), I personally don't know of anyone who has ever gotten permission from him...

edit - I've never even tried hunting Lake as I've always thought it was banned in Lake and Cook