Top end bucks in your area
 

What do you consider to be top end bucks in your area?

I've seen a total of 5 B&C bucks in my areas. 3 typical and 2 non-typical. They ranged from the 170s into the 200s.

For the areas that I hunt, anything starting at the 160 level on up is what I consider to be a top end buck.

For the record, I don't see a 160+ buck every season, but I see 140 to 150+ bucks every season. The avg. big buck where I hunt is upper 130s to mid 140s, after that the air gets much thinner. For big bucks 120s to low 130s is fairly common.

This is my second season hunting for a top end buck and last year I missed 1 of 3 that I had seen. This season I shot the #1 buck that I saw last season, which was the #2 buck that I saw this season.

They're out there, but like I said the air gets thin at the top.

RE: Top end bucks in your area
 

My area? Anything that gets to 100".

I keep a trail cam out all Summer.....and I'm in the woods a lot (48 sits, this year). I have never seen a deer that would go 110" inthe woods I hunt. No one in the immediate area of me has killed one that size (110"+), either (past 3 seasons).

RE: Top end bucks in your area
 

I would say 125-145 are common kills around here in South East Va, with a few 150-160 killed every year and maybe one or two in 170-190 range every year. But I don't know about the 200's, we have some I guess but not too common.

RE: Top end bucks in your area
 

<---------- (Look to the left........that's as good as it will ever get here.)

RE: Top end bucks in your area
 

Here's a good question....

How many 4.5 yr old bucks in your area are 103" deer?

RE: Top end bucks in your area
 

Anything over 100" is a monster around here. I've bowhunted 4 years now and I've only seen one buck over 100".

RE: Top end bucks in your area
 

Which area?

Seriously I hunt all over and not many places twice. I used to hunt piece with regularity in northen Illinois.. it was a 140 acre farm with about 10 acres of woods if you put every tree on it together. A top end buck was only about 130" here. And anything over 115" was great.

Much of the public land I hunt has a very very few bucks that will hit the 140"-145" mark. These areas again... a good 115-120" is a great buck. These are all heavily pressured spots.

When I hunt in west-central Illinois it goes a bit higher. A great buck is a 140"-150" and a top end will easily go 160"+.

And I am refering to age groups of 3 1/2 or above. Too often hunters believe every mature buck is a P&Y deer or greater. It is not often the case in poorer genetic area's which many of us hunt. I've seen many 4 yr. olds who would not net P&Y..

RE: Top end bucks in your area
 

GregH, I want to know where in Lake County you're hunting. Spots around here are faaaaaar and few between anymore and it looks like you're in a good one. Can you at least give me a direction like North, West, East, South, etc?

I will tell you that I hunt Lake Co just outside of Wauconda and while I see some good deer from time to time, it's been awhile since I've seen anything in the 170+ range. And by "awhile" I mean "never".

RE: Top end bucks in your area
 

well....book for p&y for CA starts at like 120 or so i think.....i have seen a couple of 140-150 deer (which would be very big for where i hunt...

they break it up into to classes...the coastal deer (true blacktails) and non-coastals that are considered hybrids of muley and blackatail crosses (these get much bigger) ... a true blacktail does not get too big antler wise....

i have taken a deer forked horne..or a 6 pointer your guys standards...that was ancient..don't know his age (regret not aging him) but his teeth were worn down almost to his gums...very old and a very goofy rack (tasted just fine though :D)...

RE: Top end bucks in your area
 

Aim high Matt you never know what's running around.

130-140 is the average

I have killed a 170+ bucks and seen at least 3 booners in my day

RE: Top end bucks in your area
 

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.

RE: Top end bucks in your area
 

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

RE: Top end bucks in your area
 

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.

RE: Top end bucks in your area
 

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.

RE: Top end bucks in your area
 

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".

RE: Top end bucks in your area
 

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!

RE: Top end bucks in your area
 

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... ;)

RE: Top end bucks in your area
 

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

RE: Top end bucks in your area
 

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.

RE: Top end bucks in your area
 

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

RE: Top end bucks in your area
 

every year a buck in my area gets killed that goes 200"...this year the top was 215" about 3 miles from me, and a 190" typical in the same county. The biggest i have ever seen was probably a solid 160 class, but i usually see 10 or so bucks at least per year that go 135 or better in my small acreage

RE: Top end bucks in your area
 

Just inmy hunting area in SE Pa, not the whole state, a top end buck would be around 120"-140". Possibly a few around that are bigger, but not many. Again, just my area.;)

RE: Top end bucks in your area
 

All those stats are really old Greg. Lake and Mchenry are nose diving down the list every year. It's just because there really is just about no open land left anymore. What the houses haven't built on the forest preserve has taken over.

I applaud you for getting such great land when you did. But there is no land left anymore in these 2 counties. Especially in Lake.

And really the only reason Lake and McHenry had such great numbers at one time was because of its close proximity to the city. More people, more hunters, and alot of big deer once fell here.

RE: Top end bucks in your area
 

The stats are two years old. I know guys, including myself,that pick up spots in these two counties every year. It's not at all easy but it can be done. It depends on how hard you are willing to work at it. I will be searching again this spring as I am down to 2 spots in McHenry and 1 in Lake. Plus I need more in Racine.

RE: Top end bucks in your area
 

This is only my 3rd year with the cams. I'm superstitious and do not put them out until after the season. It is illegal to put out food where I hunt so I have to put them in travel routes. Without a food source the deer get camera shy so I have 4 cameras and move them quite often. Big bucks are the worst. I got 4 different ones on camera now and only one time each. A lot have lost their antlers already so it won't be long before I pull in the cams.

RE: Top end bucks in your area
 

Come on Gregster, you can tell your old buddies where you're hunting. At least a town? Township? Curious minds want to know.

You're not hunting in Moraine Hills, are you? :D

RE: Top end bucks in your area
 

Dear Justin,
It's not that I don't want to tell you, but I can't. You see, a long time ago when I shot my first big buck, some people started spreading rumors about how and where I shot it. You know, like I shot it at night over bait before season on posted land kind of things. Then I actually caught a couple people trying to follow me to my spots![:-]

Well after talking to a couple of my friends who were my mentors, I decided to remain secretive like they were. These friends have shot a LOT of big bucks, they almost make me look like a newbie. One enters his in the book the others don't. The guy who does isn't too hard to figure out. But hardly nobody knows the other ones. That's just how they prefer it. In EVERY case this was caused by jealousy, so they went under ground. This is sad and disturbing, but true.

I've told them about this site and how great it is, but they won't join. They've visited a few times and told me that I talk too much! But I enjoy sharing tips and strategies so much that I ignore them. I like helping people achieve their goals if I can when it comes to hunting big bucks. But I don't give up my spots.;)

Maybe I'd tell you confidentially in a PM but I don't think that I have that option. At least I didn't the last time I tried.

RE: Top end bucks in your area
 

I hunt in S. Fulton county about 10 miles outside of Atlanta, on our small tract there a 170 is not out of the question. The reason being is most of our county andalso a couple of the surrounding counties are bow only and the deer get a chance to get age to them. I am also in a club in eastern GA and the top end there is a 120 with anything bigger being considered a monster. I absolutly love the bow only counties and try every imaginable angle to find new land each year, 5 and 10 acre parcels are where the big boys are coming from down here.

RE: Top end bucks in your area
 

Believe me Greg, I understand completely. We live ina highly populated area, both with people and big deer. With that comes an incredible amount of jealousy, lying, cheating, poaching, backstabbing, and God only knows what else. It's a shame that people have devolved to the point that you can't even share a story about a big buck you saw without fearing someone sneaking in your spot and trying to kill it, or trying to sabotage your hunt in some way. It's enough to make you sick, which is part of the reason as much as I love hunting close to home, I hate it at the same time. [:@]

RE: Top end bucks in your area
 

Where I hunt(bow only county), anything up to 120 is just average imo. Once you enter the 130 range, its hard(for me anyway) to pass 'em up no matter what the age. You, and I, would assume since its a bow only area, that there are deer dying of old age all over the place. Such is not the case. There are still a ton of hunters around here that will shoot the first thing that walks by, and the second, and the third, without any consideration of antler size or maturity. I still pass 'em though. Have I seen some monsters? You better believe it. I've seen 150s on occasion, and a 167 was killed a few years ago not far from one of my spots. As far as top end storybook deer go, I would have to say probably a 170 is a once in a lifetime sighting around here.

RE: Top end bucks in your area
 

The stats are not two years old. It is possible you looked at them two years ago. I own the book and am looking at it right now.

And hey.. I'm not knocking anything you do Greg. I think its great you have land in Lake cnty, Illinois. I've lived in this county my whole life.

But the land is at a premium.. and there is not much left. Don't say that there is when there is not. It's all about who you know.

I've been looking and asking everyone I can for nearly 3 years now and still never get a yes. And just finding land that isn't owned by the forest preserves, or banks, or developement company's is real hard.

Oh.. and my PM box works.. I'll pass it along to Justin. We're both just curious.;)

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And ditto to what HNIJustin just posted. Pathetic that is how it is.

RE: Top end bucks in your area
 

100" is a good buck here. Not due to hunting pressure or genetics, Its mostly due to the food supplies - its mostly mast and browse. I have seen a few that would go 150+", but they are few and far between. I can only wonder what they might have become in a more nutricious area.

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I've seen 2 booners in the last 30 days. . .and after reading some of the posts ahead of this, I almost feel guiltyabout it. . .

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It seems those that are seeing booners even just once every couple of yearsshould be thankful for living where they live. I personally am suprised at the lack of big deer not only in my area but also in YOUR areas. Good post GregH.

RE: Top end bucks in your area
 

loogout1

I am in hundred percent agreement with you on the pressure even though it is a bow only county. We also have one downfall to our land, a gas line that runs about 500 yards right through the middle. Once gun season opens up then the poachers and nighthunters come out in full flock. I cannot tell you how many times my hunting partner and I have looked at the shine of a q-beam on the way out of the woods. We have 2 game wardens for the 3 surrounding counties and I can assure you we are on a first name basis but zero arrests in several years, and over 30 dead deer on the gasline and several with the horns cut off. Now alot of these are small deer and does, but a couple were well over 200 lbs on the hoof and for a GA deer that could be the big boy. I just know froma few sighting and a couple close encounters the a B/C is possible.

RE: Top end bucks in your area
 

On my place Ill seeseveral 150" deer every season. By no means does that mean I shoot one every year. What I would consider the top end for my place would range from 170 and up. This year was a little slow never saw any of what I would consider giants but did see one or two pushing B&C. Normaly Ill see at least one or two around the 180+ mark.

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Don't trust them Greg :D

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All I ask is when Greg kicks the bucket that he puts in his will that duke and I can hunt his spots. Is that so much to ask? :D

RE: Top end bucks in your area
 

No way... I live closer!;):D:D:D:D