Fantastic buck, Long Island and the entire downstate suburban area is a real hidden gem if you can get access. Congrats to the hunter.
Alot of good deer in that area for the last few years. Almost every year a great 200" buck is shot out of there every year. I hunted there one year but i didnt see anything. Im planing on going again in a couple of years. Im happy that the DEC finally gave him what the deer deserved. The most amazing part is that this is a public land buck.
????????? The article states the previous NY state nontypical was a 205" shot in 1996. Its hard to believe that they've been killing 200" deer for the last 16 years on long island and no one ever beat the previous 205" until now. I guess I need to get outta Kansas to find the big deer.
I meant for the last few years they have been shooting around 200. This buck was shot in 2010 and is the largest since 1996 but i have been seeing a lot of huge ones come out of there. I believe some one shot a 203" buck out of the same place this year also. LI has some giant bucks since most people are after the does out there not many go for bucks and its an only bow zone with a 2 week shotgun season in late jan early feb.
the average age of bucks shot in NY is 2.5 so that buck can be 3.5 no problem. and the DEC in NY have a meticulous aging system so im positive its correct. what people dont realize is that age doesnt completely equal size. genes play the major role in that. next year this buck would probably be the same size give or take a few inches.
It would be pretty hard for the avg age of bucks killed in NY state to be 2.5 when over 60% of the buck kill is comprised of 1 1/2 year olds....
Correct me if I'm wrong here guys but isn't the general rule of thumb for maturity in terms of antler growth somewhere between the 4.5-6.5 year marks? So, dragnbrag your claiming that this genetically gifted, alleged 3.5 year old would only add a few inches in the next year? Come on maaaan! I think I'll have to disagree with that one. If this monster 200"+ buck was only 3.5 and he grew all that bone on his head in that short of time who's to say at 4.5 he wouldn't be a 250"? I don't think anyone out there has a way to determine or predict how much antler growth is going to occur in a years time on a free range whitetail.
