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Looking for a debate on "cull" bucks

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Looking for a debate on "cull" bucks

Old 12-11-2009, 01:23 PM
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Default Looking for a debate on "cull" bucks

The term “cull” has been tossed around recently on the forum. I have been thinking about posting a thread on this anyway. What’s your opinion?

I watch TV shows throwing out the term a whole bunch and can't help but think that they are using it as a crutch to justify why they just killed a small buck. --- Nothing against killing the little one if that is what you're happy with. Just admit it ---.

I have very little deer hunting experience outside the state of Illinois where in IMO any male deer unless hurt that is allowed to live to maturity will grow a set of antlers that will impress the majority of hunters. I have seen and have video of a very large seven point that wouldn't score worth a darn, but was one heck of a beautiful deer almost mule deer size. He had two points on one side, three on the other and two small brow tines. He almost bit the bullet, but a well placed tree blocking his vitals saved his life. He was never seen again and never harvested - that I know of.

Explain to me the deer quality, buck numbers, and available food nutrition in other states. They use the term "cull" a lot in Texas. So do you feel like that 100" 8 point that is now dead had no realistic chance of becoming a 150" 8 point when fully mature at 5.5 yrs plus? Or, is a 5.5 yr old 150" 8 point just not valuable enough?

IMO - I would "cull" a wounded animal or a very old one with a rack on the downhill slide in a heartbeat. But, to "cull" a young buck because he has no perceived chance of growing a rack that will what (sell a hunt, impress the masses, score high, etc.) is wrong. Is this just horn porn taking over?
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Old 12-11-2009, 02:50 PM
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http://farmingforwildlife.com/index....=114&Itemid=64

Check out the above link. I think here in lies your answer to culling bucks. In the wild I don't believe you can cull bucks to make a difference in genetics or anything. As the article states, the doe tends to have just as much to say in the bucks potential as the buck that bred her. there are also way to many studies that have been done that show that you can't tell a bucks full potential until they close to 4.5 years old. By then they will have passed their genetics on to so many offspring that it wouldn't make sense to cull them at that point either. I believe that a trophy is in the eye of the beholder, but a mature deer in my eyes is 3.5 or older. Many will argue that a buck is mature at 4.5. I would ahve a hard time passing on a 3.5 year old deer as they will score in the 130's and up in my neck of the woods!
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Old 12-11-2009, 02:53 PM
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Originally Posted by rogerstv
IMO - I would "cull" a wounded animal or a very old one with a rack on the downhill slide in a heartbeat. But, to "cull" a young buck because he has no perceived chance of growing a rack that will what (sell a hunt, impress the masses, score high, etc.) is wrong. Is this just horn porn taking over?
Ok, you wanted a debate... here's a start...

Why would you knock another hunter's wishes to "cull" deer from his property to hopefully remove inferior genetically dispositioned bucks that have little chance of having off-spring that will grow trophy size racks? It's his property, his right, his choice.

Many hunters, not me, call what we do to deer, "harvesting". So sticking with that line of thought, they are manipulating the "crop". By the way, I KILL deer. In manipulating the "crop", they essentially are removing unwanted harvest so that better crops can grow later. The relation is the smaller racked bucks are the crop that gets "culled" so they don't breed, furthering a lesser wracked crop in the future... giving room for a more larger crop later.

I don't see it at all when they kill a small buck to use it as a crutch. They realize inferior gened bucks have to be removed so they don't procreate, instead hoping for larger racks bucks to fulfill that duty instead.

And "horn porn". I don't like the word. Reminds me of the word homo-phobe. LOL! I don't have a fear of the "homo", just that I do without it. Just because if I may like larger racks and go out of my way or go through great means to grow larger racked bucks, doesn't mean I have a distasteful "porn" desire to have these large racked bucks living around my property. Just because some hunters enjoy hunting a more wise, more harder to kill animal, like a 4 1/2 yr. old or older buck, doesn't mean they have attitudes which make them think they're above others, only that they enjoy that sort of a hunt.

I live my world here. There are trophy bucks around, but you have to travel a bit and work harder. Lately, I'm content just going out spotting some does and lesser bucks for the enjoyment and when it feels right, kill one. Doesn't mean you'll see me harping over other hunters who are fanatical about growing, hunting and killing trophy deer. Doesn't mean you'll see me being critical of others calling their passion "horn porn".

Besides, when they "cull" a buck, the meat is still being eaten. They still enjoyed the hunt. Whether you call it sniping a buck, killing a buck, harvesting a buck or "culling" a buck, in the end, the buck is still dead, still being eaten and still a hunt was enjoyed.

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Old 12-11-2009, 02:56 PM
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If a buck walks within range and I like him, he is getting "culled". Would I think different if I had my own land to hunt? Maybe, maybe not.
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Old 12-11-2009, 04:23 PM
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a 5 1/2 to old age with 8 points or less is a cull.
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Old 12-11-2009, 04:46 PM
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The term "Culling" is usually heard from ranchers who have thousands of acres to manage. So sometimes this method is used to not necessarily remove inferior deer from the herd as to manage the size of the herd itself.
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Old 12-11-2009, 05:19 PM
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Answer: Cull buck
Question: The Amazing Kreskin says, "What is the only way I could ever afford to hunt in Texas"?
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Old 12-11-2009, 06:33 PM
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for me If I see a deer and I have a tag, I shoot!! I'm deer hunting
I have taken big deer and I have taken small deer, I'm deer hunting not deer looking, There are years I do not see many and have learned from years of hunting if you want venison, don't wait! That Doe that comes by opening morning may be the only deer ya see, so If you want venison SHOOT, Good Luck Doc
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Old 12-11-2009, 06:37 PM
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Cull is a buck that you don't want breeding in the deer gene pool and the outfitter can't get as much money for as a management buck
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Old 12-11-2009, 07:02 PM
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Two kinds of bucks I'll cull automatically. One is a 2 1/2 year old without brow tines. The other is a normal rack on one wide and a spike on the other, any age. We have too many does AND bucks in our area anyway.
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