Which one? (pics)
 

Given equal opportunities, which would you try to harvest? It seems both are now moving on the trail in front of one of my stands on a bow only property. Both of their tracks are 95mm +. Also maybe some guess at what they would score and/or weigh on the hoof.
Deer A


Deer B


Deer B again


Also I'm wondering what is leaving these tracks on the trail - possibly a more formitable hunter? This track is slightly larger that my clenched fist (100-110 mm).

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now that's a tough choice. from the pics i like deer b myself, but it would be a tough choice either way. need a new hunting buddy??;)

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Deer B all the way!,and the tracks look like dog,i have the same thing on my property,strays..

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I'm with ISD, deer B and a stray dog.
Both deer are awesome but if both were in front of me I would take B. Good luck with him.
Brandon

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Holy cow !! If anyone from my state saw these guys they would cry. Deer b looks like he would weigh more and he has more mass to his rack. But then again, deer a is further away.

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Whichever came out first!

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deer B if I had my choice, but whoever came out first would be dead! I think it's dog tracks!

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Thats a pretty tough choice but it looks like deer B has more mass to go along with the size so I would take him first...

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i would try to get both of them. i'd shoot the first one i saw.

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Deer B, and I would guess mountain lion due to lack of claw marks

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Deer B and yes it is strange there are no claw marks but it isnt a cat probably a stray dog.

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I'm no expert on cat tracks but why is it not a big cat?

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I would take any:D But would prefer A or B

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Deer A looks wider, but B has more mass. If you get a shot at either take it. As for the track...when I first saw it I was thinking mountain Kitty, but could be dog...not too sure.

RE: Which one? (pics)
 

A or B? I'd probably crap my pants if I got a shot at either one. B looks bigger andhas alittle more mass. He'd be my first choise also.

I've never seen dog-prints without claws. My first guess would have been a mountain lion. These pics are in Illinois Matt?

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Man! What a choice! On first glance I would go with the majority and pick B. I sure wish you had a profile of A though, it would make for an easier choice! Deer A looks a little younger than B, but I am thinking deer A would score better with his spread and height! I'd say the lack of claws in the foot print that it's a cougar!

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As for scores, A 145+, B 140.

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B

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I can't imagine myself passing any of those bucks on the first opportunity.

I've never seen a mountain lion track, but those don't have a cat look to them in my opinion. There has been some melting. Dogs don't leave a lot of claw in soft snow. I would guess big dog.

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Wow, very rarely do you see someone underscore a deer.
Deer A is around 155 and deer B is around 160.

Either one is a STUD!

RE: Which one? (pics)
 

Deer B would be my first choice , but like everybody else has said ( ether one that came in to my shooting range would be down ) but deer B looks like he has a lot of mass.
As for the tracks , they look like they where left by a big dog.

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Both of thoseare very, very nice deer. I'd love to see what they could do with one more year under their belt, so I'd probably let them walk.

On the track, I'm going to say it is some type of cat. The front toes are offset and the animal was moving slowly when it left this track.

RE: Which one? (pics)
 

B great beams, mass, good tine lengthand mature. My eye has him sitting in the 160 mark area. Spread schmed that is the most over analyzed measurement going and usually the one that is misjudged to boot!

Deer A appears to be either a 5x4 or 4x4 with either a split G2 or matching though a tough angle.Body and feature he looks younger to me, with potential. If a profile or better shot of him I'd be more confident in a score but based on the picturegut issaying 140's.

Good Luck

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Deer B ...like ive always said ..."Mass makes class and its badddddd to the bone" !

dd

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Deer B, I love the thickness of those antlers!

I don't think that there's any mountain lions in IL, but my guess is a panther, there used to be panthers in huge abundance in that area once upon a time.

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Yes these deer are in Illinois. As I post these deer are proboboly no further than 4-8 miles from my seat. What's killing me is that we're fixing to head off to my little niece's birthday party 2nd birthday party. But hey - her little smile can charm old Uncle Matt just as well as either one of those deer. Our bow season runsfor a while yet, but today it's her day.

;)

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Well Matt, the way I see it is, you take one, I'll take the other

Good luck man, nice looking deer.

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It's definately NOT a dog. no claw marks. look at the left digit of the paw print and notice the defined edge on the surface of the snow. absolutely no clue as to a claw. you will see claw marks on dog prints. Any measure on the intergroup size or spread of the track?
Other indicators to me are the size of the track from your description and the lack of a concave arch on the base of the pad. Also since they are pretty aged it's tough to tell but you can make out a double-lobe on the top of the central pad - that indicates a cat family creature.

I'm going with cougar for sure.

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B!!!! I like mass.

I have seen a few cat tracks in my life while in Colorado. I believe it to be a rather big kitty kat!

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Lets look at the fact it's in IL. Not a cougar. I'm not a track expert, but doesn't look like a cat track their toes are different. Their toes are in line and make kind of a rainbow.

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I like deer A, and that would be a dog track IMO.

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B.... GO B or GO HOME! HAHA....

yup i'm gonna say big cat as well.

Very nice looking animals, but like everyone has already said.... "which ever decides to walk out first."

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I'm going to agree. Looks like a cougar track. Check out this link on identifying cougar tracks:

http://www.qnet.com/~saddleup/cougartracks.htm

As for the deer... I've got buck fever just from the pics. I'd be breathing too hard, and pull my shot into the dirt underneath them... But, I like wide and tall, so I'd probably pick A.

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It is def. NOT a dog, there are NO claw marks. It's a big cat. And it doesn't matter what state it's in, it could be a big cat. There's big ol cats down here in Alabama, I've SEEN them, sowhy couldn't there be cats in IL? Read this I got from Wikipedia about Pumas. And I'd def. shoot B over A, but either of those would EAT most of the deer I see down here, ha.


Pumas are gradually extending their range to the east, following creeks and riverbeds, and have reached Missouri, Michigan and Kansas.

In the eastern United States, rumors and myths of pumas never died. But these big cats are slowly making their way from myth to reality -- especially along the Appalachian Mountains from Virginia to Georgia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catamount

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I love wikipedia, I couldn't believe how much info they have on guns.

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either one and the track looks like a dog like everyone is saying

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Without doubt I would hit deer B if I had my druthers. But if those tracks are a cat, you might be out of luck.

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B is very nice and a true brute, would love to see those genes in my deer pool...

As far as the track goes, I'm no expert but when I was growing up mid to late 80's. My little brother was hunting in Ohio for squirrel and heard a Big cat in the woods. He was as white as a ghost when he got home, about 1/2 mile by foot. Did I mention he had a single shot 22.

Still get a chuckle when I hear him tell the story.

If we have them in Ohio every now and again, why not in IL?

RE: Which one? (pics)
 

Any of them I would shoot, Depends who showed up first.
As for the track, It's a dog print. We owned a ML before. You can make an X in the middle unlike you can't with cougars. The snow melting distorts it quite a bit. But the X still fits. It's a dog without doubt.

RE: Which one? (pics)
 

I went with 'A' :)