rybohunter

I don’t know if I am blessed with an area of awesome genetics or just too stupid to age a deer on the hoof, or maybe it’s the fact that I don’t consider a 130” 8 pt “inferior”. But in over 20 years of hunting and watching deer as often as I possibly can, I’ve only run into 2 monster 4 pts,(huge racks, big bodies, only forks on each side) and a handful of bigger 6 pts. I don’t ever recall seeing an old looking, heavy bodied, mature buck with a tiny rack regardless of point number.

HuntinGUS

I didn't read allof the posts.........but um uhhh....Whatever happened to just hunting? Hell, if you want to trophy hunt whatever happened to hunting the best deer in your area? What your describing is not even in the spirit of QDMA....(mature deer).

By all means hunt how you wish, but IMHO I can't understand why. I guess we all get something different out of hunting.....[&:]

GregH

That 4 1/2 year old 7 pointer would score about 126 gross. That's not too good compared to other representitive 4 1/2 year olds in the area.

Speaking of "good areas" and "freak of nature" areas......

A friend of mine who has been hunting the same bow only county as I, has hunted it for over 25 years. He has taken more P&Y bucks than anyone that I personally know. He told me once that the average P&Y score for a 3 1/2 or 4 1/2 year old buck is lower in this area than it is in similar habitat in Iowa. After studying record books, reading articles and making comparisons to the deer I've taken, I believe that he's right.

Don't get me wrong, there are some nice deer out there, but they could be even better. I believe that the main reason for this is due to over population.

GMMAT

Thanks, Greg.

My question was to establish "relative".

Where I hunt.....ANY deer that reaches 126" is .....well.....a ghost! Viewing that animal as a "cull" buck is beyond my imagination.

tschammel

GMMAT, like I said the studies are like anything els. You can go ahead and believe what someone else is telling you or you can see what works best for you in your area. Like I said we have done this along with the surrounding farms and the people that hunt them andin 5 years we have seen a dramatic change in the bucks in our area. I believe its ignorant to believe every studie or just because a biologist conducts a test that it becomes fact.

There is a deer farmer that we have in our area that we know. He has two or three deer in a fenced in area that are huge monsters almost 200 inchers. He groups them with a heard or doesthat are in estrus and lets them spread there genes. He also had bucks that are not big that don't have good genes at all, why do you think he does't let these deer in the same pen to breed with the big group of does and the big bucks, becasue he doesn't want the genes of that smaller buck. This is what we are doing in our area. You can't controll it like you could with a fensed in area but YOU CAN make a difference, if its a small difference you have succeeded.

Like I said you can be the person that beleives what other people tell you or go out and find out for yourself. We've seen it work plain and simple.

Haus/WI

I don't see the point in culling bucks on small farms. I thoughtI have always readbucks disperse up to several miles when they are young. Maybe I would consider it if I had more than two buck tags per yearand all of my neighbors were doing the exact same thing.

GregH

Around here, an average 4 1/2 year old 8 pointer usually scores about 140, give or take.

GMMAT

I'm not putting down your methods. You'r ehonest about what makes you choose the path you;re taking. I commend that.

I'll just quote something Dukemichaels said here a while back.....(which makes me believe what I hear the "experts" say.....or lend them MORE credence):

Talondale

Again, I have to question the motivation. Obviously the record book is the motivation. What you are ATTEMPTING to do is farming record bucks to harvest later. That doesn't appeal to me, seems sad and overly goal driven but if that's what floats your boat, have at it. I still say age is the biggest contributing factor to the "results" you're seeing.

gregrn43

Most wildlife biologist will tell you control what you can like age, food and security for deer and forget about what you cant control genetics