Schultzy

I agree. I posted exactly the same thing In my post. I just worded It differently.

GMMAT

I shot a 4.5 yr old / 200# buck here, last year. It taped out at 103-1/8".

The 3.5 yr old I shot in '06 taped out at 106-4/8" and weighed 170#'s.

Yeah....we have older deer, here. But what would a 3.5/4.5yr old score and weigh in IL?

Northport buckslayr

I think its all about hunting pressure. I was at an outdoor expo in Madison, WI last spring where the staff of deer and deer hunting was doing seminars. They said that the hunting pressure in Iowa, Illinois, and Kansas is absolutely NOTHING compared to wisconsin. I would imagine it is the same for PA, MI, and NY. These are states where hunting is part of the culture and as a result WAY more people hunt. I thinks WI has the genetics and habitat to grow them just as big as iowa an illinois, but the bucks here have WAY harder time getting to be 3.5. I am guessing in heavily pressured states the land is mostly cut into smaller parcels of 20, 40, and 80 acres.in the big three I usually hear people talking about hundreds of acres not two digits. That makes all the difference in MO.

TreednNC

Shot a 136lb 4.5y/o 7pt that taped out at 103....however 20mi away from where that deer was taken, there were MULTIPLE 170" 5.5y/o taken. One year and 70in of growth wasnt likely for the area I was in since at 4.5 he was only 103.

And for those saying only 136lb?....That was live weight. Towards the end of the rut. He was chasing when I shot him, but his neck was large, but slimmed waaaaaaaaay up in the body. Id say that fellow had spent the last 3 weeks of his life chasing every hot doe that came and went.

Spearchucker

Its not only Genetics and nutrition that play a major factor, but I think people are not taking into account hunting pressure....

there are some area's where most hunters are meat hunters, and shoot anything that is legal. If you have a high number of hunters, and esp people who shoot anything that walks in your area, bucks just don't have a chance to get to the 3.5yr + mark, and never hit their genetic potential. Unless you have exclusive rights to hundreds and hundreds, or even thousands of acres of land, all the QDM you want to practice will never amount to anything in the way of older bucks. Not everyone has a big buck on their property, so holding out and waiting, may just discourage them, after yrs of not seeing a "shooter" buck.