Is it safe to say the average size buck in Kansas would be closer to 140" then? I always wanted to hunt Kansas, especially after a bud sent me this.
I don’t think the avg buck is even close to 140in KS Way to many NR shoot 3 year bucks in the 120 range towards the end of their hunts…… KS needs to install a NR quota based on Harvest objectives vs the Demand quota they have currently. They should also limit NR to a single unit vs the current all the attached units.
I wish I could travel to hunt Heckler. I was just messing with you. There are a lot of hunts I can only think about at this time.
One of my good friends is a taxidermist. He averages around 250 mounts a year. Looking at the racks hanging in his shop this season. 5% below 120 85% 120-130 5% 140-150 3 % 150-160 1-2% above 160 150" deer is achievable if you put in the leg work. I'd go in the early season when they are patternable and there is less pressure. Scout feed fields and don't hunt until you get on some good ones. I also think it can be pretty difficult for someone not used to seeing big deer or traveling from out-of-state not to let an arrow fly on a 130" deer.
Those stats are interesting. You're advice on tagging a 150"+ buck sounds very logical. Not sure if you saw the buck that I posted that a friend killed, but I'm guessing it's in the 165" - 170" range. Is that about right?
@atlasman How I missed this thread is a terrible mistake on my part. First it’s great to read one of your post and as normal you have a great topic. Michigan at 114 has about much chance of being true as me growing all my hair back. Not one these bait pile spike killers we have in MI get counted. The majority of deer shot in MI that are bucks are 1.5 years old. I had one opportunity at a wall hanger on the farm this year, my uncles shot two bucks with a combine score of 37 I bet. The majority of hunters don’t have the time or patience in Michigan to shoot a 3.5 + year old buck. So I am not sure how the came up with 114, on our farm here our my last 4 bucks 125, 142, 130 and 176. We have some of the best land in MI to hunt, and with my bucks including all the 1.5 year old's I have shot in my youth and before I decided I was shooting wall hanger or bust, I don't even come close to averaging 114.
Damn Germ……good to “see” you Good luck with the new bow search……I’m still shooting a Destroyer 350. Wouldn’t say no to a new bow but can’t find anything wrong with the Bowtech. Oddly enough I would say on our property the number for NY is accurate but statewide?? No chance LOL I hunt on as good of land as you can find in NY and we “see” 1-2 big boys a year (140”+). Our targets are the the few 120”-130” that are around and there are a decent amount of 100-115” 8 pts every year. I also have 28 acres at my house where the pressure is VERY low and while I don’t see a lot of big bucks I have killed the 2 best I’ve seen in 15 years. 133” and 153” Most weekend warriors or guys with limited time/just don’t really care will still shoot anything walking and some places I don’t blame them because I’ve been there and you BETTER shoot a buck if you are lucky enough to see one. Hope all is well with you and the family
All the images are AI created and you can choose whichever you like. He asks for as many clear photos showing the entire rack as you have. Field, mount whatever. Then he just puts your exact rack on his AI image. Pretty cool. I did this one for a buck my dad killed a couple years ago (not bad for 75 years old).
Curious, any non AI pictures? Just want to see the similarities or differences in such. Wondering how it is better than a blown up photo or Euro mount etc..
Sorry i'm late to the convo here. To be honest, I don't know how this data was obtained, etc, but I don't think its terribly far off but with a big asterisk. To me, if you look at this map, the states with the highest avg score also probably have the highest amount of private, managed ground. If you can control the narrative on what gets shot or how big they need to be, and there is a lot of properties doing just that, its going to raise the average of the entire state. Midwest has less public land and far more private QDMA managed land than my home state of PA. Thats how I see it anyway. I bet the average buck in any of those states, on public land is 100-120 however. As for PA. The AR's work, but it only gets you so far. In most of the state, even in the areas that are known to be tough hunting, 115" isn't really unheard of or considered big these days. I mean honestly, where I am, we don't consider a buck a big one until he's 135-140. Nice bucks are 120's and average are 100-115. Anything below that is typically a six point or tiny eight. The thing people need to realize is that in any state, there is a significant difference in public vs private deer quality. A lot of these midwest states are full of private land, managed either for themselves or leased and managed by outfitters. The playing field is not level and all bucks aren't created equal. Yes, there are always giant public land bucks around, but there aren't nearly as many of them as there are giant private land grown deer.
