Fletch, very good approach. I like that!

If I see bucks fighting, then I think things are healthy. That is one way that I diagnose buck-doe ratios, numbers of antlers broken!

while I'd love to be managing 1000acres of my own where I could let a 3.5yr old walk....and attain his full potential, but sorry any 185" 3.5yr old is going down for the time being....

I'm really just letting small deer walk...sub 150" sure if i spotted a 7.5yr old 135" id manage him out....

but that just doesn't happen.

most of the good bucks i see are 2.5yr olds.....a 3.5 is a big boy....

Well saluki... you could hunt in NY a life time and never see a 185 deer. LOL Everyone is worrying about shooting the 3 and a half vs a 4 and a half, when in reality... you don't really know how old that deer is. Oh you can look at belly, nose etc... but I would venture to say that 90 percent would be wrong on age by looks. Heck, even the experts disagree after looking at dentures over 4. If you like the deer, just shoot him. Most bucks get displaced by the dominate bucks from their range anyway. Probably half the deer you pass move to someone elses property anyway. It's a fact... young bucks move to new country. What's amazing to me is that people that have shot a half dozen deer can look at one and declare it a 3 1/2 year old. They've been watching too many TV shows. I've seen a lot of TV Experts shoot a scraggly horned skinny boned thing and immediately declare it(from 200 yards away) a 4 1/2 or 5 1/2 year old buck. Many of them are probably no more than 2 and a half.

I shoot a buck because his rack suits me. Not because I think he is a certain age. The Birth certificate is too hard to read from the Tree Stand. A lot of guys shoot what they call 3.5's and 4.5's when in reality they are only 2.5 year old. I ran a check station and saw it all the time. Guys were all the time killing Bucks that were 200# and 3.5 year old when in reality they were 160# 2.5 year olds.

Mature? It's your choice when you loose the arrow. Very few hunters % wise can accurately age a whitetail on the hoof. I think inches of antler is still what trophies are measured by anyway. So who cares if a 160" buck is 3.5 or 4.5 unless you are growing them in a very controlled situation. I've never been privledged to bein such a situation.

Dan

In response to davidmil, I quite often know exactly how old the deer I see are. I have trail cam pics from year to year, shed antlers, etc. Also, in the midwest (and probably most places)it is pretty easy to tell a deers age by his body and antler mass up until about 4. We routinely send in a tooth for cross section and are seldom wrong.Also, I have several mature bucks that will share the same thousand to twelve hundred acre area. I will agree that the younger animals move off, but that is more for genetic purposes than rutting territory. And they move off long before they start to become mature with trophy potential. The 3 1/2 yr and older deeryou pass now are very likely to stay put. My young bucks (1 1/2 yr olds) move off and I get others moving in. Mature bucks will roam outside their main territory during peak rut, but that is for such a short time that it is worth the risk of letting them walk to me. It sounds like ICALL2MUCH will be in a very similar situation. I would agree that if you are hunting public ground with lots of pressure or a new piece of property it would be a much more difficult task.

I think you have a tremendous opportunity on your property to produce some incredible whitetail with your management concept! I would strongly encourage you to go for it.... the only way to tag the older bucks you want is by passing the younger bucks up..... it's that simple.You can't shoot a 5 1/2 if you putyour tag on a 3 1/2. I don't have the luxury of unhunted neighboring properties but even so I don't shoot 3 1/2 year olds. I want the 4 1/2+ that score 150+. You certainly hunt an area that produce both the age and the scores..... go for it and best of luck to ya!

That's why I said 90 percent of the people would be wrong. I left room for dillusional people to be right. LOL

Using my scenario (NH), as it's similar to "davidmil", NH isn't considered a "huge/antler" deer place.
Every year we have a good share that dress out well past 200+ lbs. and even a few over 250+.
Body size means as much to what many in New England / NH would consider a "big buck".
Inches of antler for the mature (3 1/2+) tend to be 100/110"-140" and the latter is considered "very big".
NH has had a few monsters, as any other state does, but large bodied deer turn us on also!
Now to your question...
It depends on what part of the season your talking about and a few variables, as follows?
Example - If I sat in my stand every other day for a month and didn't see anything of size, I would probably wack a 3 1/2 year old when he strolled by.
- If I had pictures or sightings of MANY big deer, I would probably get pickier.
- If there were a lot of hunting pressure in this area, along with many big deer, I would probably be pickey until 1-2 weeks before Muzzle / Rifle season begins. * Assumming your archery season is like NH which starts 9/15 and muzzleloader starts 11/1/08 and rifle is 11/12/08.

I'm sure you will figure it all out when the time comes, just don't have premature-bow-alation if you can help it.
Always remember the cliche' of "TAG SOUP" and sometimes you'll have to eat it to get to your personal goal!

It’s all about your comfort level. If you have a legitimate chance at hunting 4.5+ bucks, then go for it. Not everywhere can that be done. I really think most people on here would have a much easier time holding out on a big/old buck if they felt they had a realistic chance at one.

Thanks CornFed. I do believe that is the way I am leaning.

Rybo, thanks for the input. I agree with you too. Only time will tell. By the way, I haven't forgotten about your call!