UncleNorby

One thing that can contribute to confusion, is it seems like in the south when they talk about the deer's weight, they are talking live weight. In the north, they talk dressed weight.

An interesting formula I came across: Live weight x .78 = dressed weight x .75 = hanging weight (no skin, head or lower legs) x .75 = weight of boneless meat.

A 250 lb deer in the north would weigh 320 on the hoof. A 250 lb deer in the south would weigh 195 dressed.

TreednNC

A 190 on the hoof in nawth cackalacky (NC for those not in the know lol) is a HOSS!. That being said, my two largest bucks, were less than 200lbs. My 4.5y/o 7pt which grossed at 110 weighed 136lbs on the hoof.....he was rut weary though. Big neck, and tiny body Id say he was 180lb range in mid October, I shot him the day before thanksgiving in 2003. My 8pter I killed this year was a big deer for around this area as well. His rack was alright (NC standards again) at 14", scoring around 90 and some change....he weighed in at 170lbs as a 2.5y/o (I think, didnt jerk the jaw). He was killed in early Sept on this year.

Planter

I think your right on the money Norby. Up north we leave the gut pile in the woods. In Tx for some reason they want to take it home and weigh it.

TreednNC

And they say the south is backwards.....we have running water down here, and we like to USE IT. You know, that dried out blood on your hands leaves your skin ashy . Im just kidding. I just dont see a reason to go through the extra work of field dressing when in most places I hunt, I can drag 100-200yds, access by vehicle or some sort whether it truck or ATV,via ag field, logging road, or fire break, load up, and be in a place with good lighting, and running water within an hour of recovery. If I hunted where it was 1/4mi drag or more, then yes I could see doing it. My boss man field dresses his deer, and hunts on 20ac easily accessable by vehicle....only to give it to a man 200yds down the road from where he hunts that wants the meat.

Ive field dressed several times for one reason or another, I didn't mind it, but given the choice, Ill take doing it while hanging up. Like I said, in a long drag,or a long time til I can get the guts out, Ill field dress, otherwise, Id just as soon load up and do it in an easier place. Call me lazy, I call it logic lol.

Gangly

the deer down on the coast line are TINY. the last deer i shot just north of houston was amature buck and weighed in at around 150 before gutting. the woods are much thicker down here so the deer are genearlly smaller by genetics, also creating taller narrower racks as opposed to shorter wider racks. the farther west and north you go, the bigger they get, but down here between houston and louisianna, the deer are very small bodied when compared to up north.

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I assume get the guts out as soon as possible to get the best possible tasting meat. I dont want all the gases leaking into the meat. While going through anatomyI found out that when something diesits body becomes more permiable letting gases spread throughout the body. So ive always field dressed in the woods, plus you feed other animals that eat the gut pile, sort of taking and giving at the same time. Plus ive had deer come up to a gut pile and smell around it without being scared away ive seen this many times, it dosent seem to bother them at all.

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To me it does not matter if it is a big deer or a smaller deer, a trophy to that person is a trophy. Depending on wich area your in if you shoot a large deer for that area that would be considered a trophy in my eyes. Dont get me wrongI love Ohio hunting and the deer that you can harvest in Ohio, big bodied and big rack.LOL

salukipv1

Almost every texas deer with a big rack I've seen never has a huge body....and if it has a big texas body....its kinda avg for up north.

What i've noticed is a canadian deer etc..north deer, will have a big rack and that rack will actually almost look kinda small due to its body being so much larger....usually on those tv shows , im saying, oh dont shoot that lil guy, then he walks up to it, and its pretty big...

with bigger bone structure of a northerly deer I've heard that it has more bone mass to draw from to prodce big anlters more easily.

I'm really not sure how big texas deer get? how many typicals do they have go over 180? 190?

One thing, maybe I'm wrong, but it seems like if texas didn't have strict managing....they'd have tiny deer. Seems down there they only shoot big boys at 5.5 or 6.5yrs old.....

How big of a rack can a 2.5yo in texas grow? or a 3.5yo?

makes me wish IL had everyone practicing those management skills.