What is a mature buck in your area?
08-13-2004, 12:02 PM
#1
Giant Nontypical
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Posts: 7,208
What is a mature buck in your area?
I know biologically speaking bucks mature at 5 1/2. But we all know that in some areas a buck never makes it that long in life. So then what do you use as a guide for "mature" bucks in your area? And general what do you feel a 3 1/2 bucks scores where you hunt?
Personally, barring some big bucks I may have seen a kid, I would only bet I've ever seen one buck that was a 4 1/2 year old deer. The majority are nice 2 1/2, and 3 1/2 deer.
A 3 1/2 around here would score around 130" give or take.
Personally, barring some big bucks I may have seen a kid, I would only bet I've ever seen one buck that was a 4 1/2 year old deer. The majority are nice 2 1/2, and 3 1/2 deer.
A 3 1/2 around here would score around 130" give or take.
08-13-2004, 12:39 PM
#2
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 3,236
RE: What is a mature buck in your area?
I would say 4.5 to be mature. My brother got an 8 point that was aged by teeth at 6.5 years. Huge, 208 field dressed. Had a broadhead embedded in shoulder that was healed over. Had a shotgun slug wound entry and exit healed over. One lucky buck. Also had rifle holes, .22 I think, in its ear and front leg. I think someone tried to poach it at night with a rifle. He got it one shot with 12 gauge slug. Massive horns scored around 135. Some are under the opinion that he was on his way down as far as rack, past his prime ya know.
08-13-2004, 12:48 PM
#3
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Saskatchewan Canada
Posts: 6,921
RE: What is a mature buck in your area?
In most cases anything in the 4 1/2 up range I would consider mature for my area. In fact many deer live past and our actually harvested on the downside of horn growth here. Less pressure, huge landscape and over half the province covered in forest makes for optimal conditions for these deer to thrive. One wouldn't think in the south part of saskatchewan where you can often watch your dog run away for 3 days a buck would have much chance to grow but they do. Some of the truly biggest monsters I have seen are sitting in nothing more than a tuff of grass or edge of a slough bottom. I guess they come by the term "Elusive" for good reason.
The average 3 1/2 year old probably 120-130, of course underlining genes play a huge factor in horn growth. Case and point Milo Hansens world record deer was aged between 3 1/2 and 4 1/2 years old. The buck arrowed last fall by a young hunter in saskatchewan was pegged at 4 1/2 both of these deer scored over 200 (net). Some say can you imagine if he was matured....umm not a hunter I know would age a deer holding 200" of bone on his head.
The average 3 1/2 year old probably 120-130, of course underlining genes play a huge factor in horn growth. Case and point Milo Hansens world record deer was aged between 3 1/2 and 4 1/2 years old. The buck arrowed last fall by a young hunter in saskatchewan was pegged at 4 1/2 both of these deer scored over 200 (net). Some say can you imagine if he was matured....umm not a hunter I know would age a deer holding 200" of bone on his head.
08-13-2004, 01:02 PM
#5
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: SA Texas
Posts: 81
RE: What is a mature buck in your area?
Yeah. I don't know many that would ask for ID with a rack like that hanging over his head. I suppose the areas of our lease where we let them grow they make it to 5 1/2, but being that its a business deal and we take alot of guests, many come into camp under that. I let one of our employees take his 13 yo son to my stand after I had my 2 bucks already and he shot a young deer with a decent rack, but not shooter worthy for an experienced hunter. I was PO'ed, but when you put it in the hands of other people its a crap shoot. My 2 bucks last year were 4 1/2 and 6 1/2 by looking at the teeth( not 100% accurate, but a good approximation.) The 4 1/2 should have been bigger by that age and blind luck, not my judgement made him that old. He ran out of the brush and I popped him, to my everlasting shame. The 2nd one was the perfect thing all the way around. I have him on video from previous years, had put the crosshairs on hism before and whispered "bang" . If only I hadn't missed left, I wouldn't have gutted the poor old guy. But I got the lung as well and he didn't run farther than a lung shot would, so that's good. Just a little messy cleaning him.
08-13-2004, 03:51 PM
#6
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: ASHTABULA CO. OHIO
Posts: 247
RE: What is a mature buck in your area?
ORIGINAL: Ol Gutshot
Yeah. I don't know many that would ask for ID with a rack like that hanging over his head. I suppose the areas of our lease where we let them grow they make it to 5 1/2, but being that its a business deal and we take alot of guests, many come into camp under that. [I let one of our employees take his 13 yo son to my stand after I had my 2 bucks already and he shot a young deer with a decent rack, but not shooter worthy for an experienced hunter. I was PO'ed, ]but when you put it in the hands of other people its a crap shoot. My 2 bucks last year were 4 1/2 and 6 1/2 by looking at the teeth( not 100% accurate, but a good approximation.) The 4 1/2 should have been bigger by that age and blind luck, not my judgement made him that old. He ran out of the brush and I popped him, to my everlasting shame. The 2nd one was the perfect thing all the way around. I have him on video from previous years, had put the crosshairs on hism before and whispered "bang" . If only I hadn't missed left, I wouldn't have gutted the poor old guy. But I got the lung as well and he didn't run farther than a lung shot would, so that's good. Just a little messy cleaning him.
Yeah. I don't know many that would ask for ID with a rack like that hanging over his head. I suppose the areas of our lease where we let them grow they make it to 5 1/2, but being that its a business deal and we take alot of guests, many come into camp under that. [I let one of our employees take his 13 yo son to my stand after I had my 2 bucks already and he shot a young deer with a decent rack, but not shooter worthy for an experienced hunter. I was PO'ed, ]but when you put it in the hands of other people its a crap shoot. My 2 bucks last year were 4 1/2 and 6 1/2 by looking at the teeth( not 100% accurate, but a good approximation.) The 4 1/2 should have been bigger by that age and blind luck, not my judgement made him that old. He ran out of the brush and I popped him, to my everlasting shame. The 2nd one was the perfect thing all the way around. I have him on video from previous years, had put the crosshairs on hism before and whispered "bang" . If only I hadn't missed left, I wouldn't have gutted the poor old guy. But I got the lung as well and he didn't run farther than a lung shot would, so that's good. Just a little messy cleaning him.
08-13-2004, 06:40 PM
#7
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 638
RE: What is a mature buck in your area?
Down here a mature buck is 5 1/2+ years old, but most of the trophy bucks that we take are 6 1/2- 7 1/2.
buckslayer1:
Its not that the 13 year old killed a buck that makes him mad, its the fact that he killed a young buck that had good potential. There are plenty of bucks running around and if that kid would have waited alittle longer then he probably would have been able to take a more mature animal. Theres no point in killing an immature deer when there are plenty of mature ones around.
buckslayer1:
If a 13 year old bagged a buck out of one of my stands I would have been happy as hell. But I'am not from TEXAS so I'am glad I don't hunt there.
Its not that the 13 year old killed a buck that makes him mad, its the fact that he killed a young buck that had good potential. There are plenty of bucks running around and if that kid would have waited alittle longer then he probably would have been able to take a more mature animal. Theres no point in killing an immature deer when there are plenty of mature ones around.
08-13-2004, 07:05 PM
#8
Typical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 808
RE: What is a mature buck in your area?
ORIGINAL: TXhighrack
Its not that the 13 year old killed a buck that makes him mad, its the fact that he killed a young buck that had good potential. There are plenty of bucks running around and if that kid would have waited alittle longer then he probably would have been able to take a more mature animal. Theres no point in killing an immature deer when there are plenty of mature ones around.
Its not that the 13 year old killed a buck that makes him mad, its the fact that he killed a young buck that had good potential. There are plenty of bucks running around and if that kid would have waited alittle longer then he probably would have been able to take a more mature animal. Theres no point in killing an immature deer when there are plenty of mature ones around.
08-13-2004, 10:35 PM
#9
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: S Texas
Posts: 1,037
RE: What is a mature buck in your area?
Its not that the 13 year old killed a buck that makes him mad, its the fact that he killed a young buck that had good potential. There are plenty of bucks running around and if that kid would have waited alittle longer then he probably would have been able to take a more mature animal. Theres no point in killing an immature deer when there are plenty of mature ones around.
That said, a mature buck where I hunt is usually a 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 year old.
Climate can be downright hostile, and food supplies can get very low. The older bucks sometimes just don't bounce back after the rut, and die off in January and Febuary. There are some older bucks there, but they are few and far between.