I'm surprised at that statement if you are managing a number of places for people to come in and pay to hunt. Is that because you are limited to one buck in IL and if you shot him as a cull it would be your luck like mine that a 180" buck would then step out of the brush??

I just don't believe its necessary or that you can make much if any noticeable difference culling free ranging wild animals unless maybe you control huge tracks of land.

Ive got absolute giants too....I don't see this buck or bucks like him as problems as a lot of my hunters would be plum tickled with him.

We called him tall Tommy and every time I was ask "have any luck?" and I responded with "yeah I saw Tall Tommy and some doe" they thought I was crazy for letting him walk by.

Looks like I'm losing this property so its probably now or never.

Well doesn't look like I'll find out if he had a broken face tonight. I just got done butchering him and a doe and its dark so I was caping him in the kitchen and didn't even get around the antler before the puss squirted across the room. My wife is generally great about this stuff but that got me shut down for the night.

Kinda what I was afraid of Rock. Infections like that happen when damage to the ocular orb causes the eye to come out. It's kinda weird it works like that. Direct damage to the eye ball itself they seem to get over without infections most times but if the eye comes out of the socket then infection sets in deep. That deer was a walking corps before long. Good thing you got him when you did. Killed a lot of animals in my years but I'm still a big old softy when it comes to an animal suffering.

Yeah, doesn't look good. It kind of looks like another buck got his antler stuck in this guys eye socket rather than just a poke.

Nice buck! I'd have had a hard time passing that one :)
Looks like he's got the mange in the trail cam pics but he looks good now. Old bruiser for sure. Congrats!

Thanks, I think that is shadows your seeing in the pictures

Nice buck rockport, congrats!

Nice 'ol bruiser of a buck! Congrats Rock!