hope the pics work.. does anyone else take small ugly bucks for management reasons? we don't get them often but when we do we take them out of the herd right away. this has been very effective on our property for getting bad genetics out
That deer doesnt appear to be old enough for you to determine anything genetic by his antlers. Also the left side appears to have been injured during growing season. Looks like a dandy 1.5 yr old to me. Congrats on the buck though I can't tell you how many deer like that I have on my property, NOT killing them is how I grow alot of big bucks. If that were a 3.5yr old it might be a different story. Just saying
I let a couple similar pass this year. I hunt public land and dont really consider any type of "management." I shoot whats right for my situation. Last year I shot a smaller six. This year I have a freezer full still and am holding out for something big, and dont mind eating the tag in doing so.
Looks normal right side and possibly injured during velvet or busted on the left? It's way too blunt to have grown naturally like that?
its a 2 1/2 yr old and is FAR behind what it should be for our property. we have tried to let bucks like this go and grow but even at 5 or 6 there still nothing to look at and have passed the genes on. so we just use them to put meat on the table
Wow for a 2.5 yr old that deer is awful small in body size. No way I could cram one of my 2.5 yrs olds in the bed of my truck sideways.
No, I don't. This is pretty hotly contested...I prefer to shoot them at 4, maybe 3 if they are big deer. I decided I just can't tell for sure what they are going to be until at least three and I don't think they will breed many doe in one year with all the bigger bucks around here. Still great meat though, congrats on a good shot and recovery....I don't think you hurt much any way you look at it.
well its not a Kansas brute lol the only way I know its 2 1/2 is it has a notch taken out of it ear that it had in pics last year.. not trying to get in any arguments what so ever. I shot this deer because I have zero venison in the freezer. our doe to buck ratio is about where we want it and this is another way we have managed this land. I just posted to see if anyone else does this.
I agree and that is why I asked the question. Looks like a 1.5 year old to me which is way too early to judge it yet. Sometimes I think we do more harm than good to heard by trying to "cull". Just my 2 cents. But good job anyway on the buck.
I don't think anyone is fighting with you...I just answered the question....I don't do it. I will say that I have done it in years past, I just don't do it anymore. Genetic culling young deer under 3 or 4, I think, is just a waste of time. I'm not saying there's much wrong with it...young deer are generally better eating and I have taken young deer for tender meat also but that's a different issue for me. I think you probably know better than I how to manage your deer and property. I'm just glad you took what you intended to and it wasn't an accident, lol.
We have 3 does with notches...not saying you're wrong but very possible multiple deer from last year with notches could be different. I don't take any deer out of the herd for rack purposes personally, but that's based solely on the fact I'm more about the age of the deer and not the inches of the deer. Every person manages their land differently, none are more right than others; it's all depends on how everyone measures success in herd management in their eyes. Congrats on harvest though.
Nope. Not fighting with you either. If you want to get venison and shoot the buck. Then shoot the buck. Good job. If you are only shooting the buck due to genetics I think that is misguided. Just my 2 cents again.
I would have let him pass - Awfully small body for a 2.5yr old deer. Recent studies are showing that the majority of the genetics are actually coming from the DOE bred, not the buck breeding.
There is nothing wrong with shooting a 1 1/2 year old buck for meat. Sometimes it makes more sense than shooting a doe for meat. Depends on the herd and your needs.
Lol, yeah but doe genetics come from the bucks as well as the does.... I believe in trophy managment and QDMA and I take out young mature oddities just to increase the odds toward better genetics and it has worked wonders here since 1988...I don't care what studies show. I just don't personally think I can be sure of genetic potential at below 3 and better if 4. I've seen bucks make incredible changes between 3-4 years old but few after 4.------ 2.5's , it's anyone's guess what they will do between 2.5 and 4.5. I finally decided after having what I considered a junk 2.5 go to a 4 year old 140" deer that I had been wrong in years past. I think sometimes their metabolism changes or they develop an apetite for certian things that spurs growth just all at once. People are really much the same way. Genetics can make a big deer from an early age or make a big deer a late bloomer....or utter crap forever, lol.
I would not have shot this buck, which is why we have a good # of mature deer around our farm now. Obviously the rack was broken off or the result of an injury, not some genetic defect.
Yeah last year I shot a "unicorn" buck. It was a long curved spike and the other side looked like it broke off early cause another little nub had started to grow.
Personally in KY I would not have shot that buck and with only 1 buck tag per year I wont be doing it any time soon either. Looks like a healthy 1.5 year old buck for WI with a broken rack.
I took this one Friday night. We have been seeing bucks with a very odd left side for the past few years and figured that it might help to take some of them out to prevent some of the genes from being passed on. Grilled up some steaks tonight from him and he tasted just as good as a monster buck would .
