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Post by Foggy on Sept 11, 2022 7:06:06 GMT -6
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Post by smsmith on Sept 11, 2022 7:08:57 GMT -6
I'll go 4.5. In another 4-6 weeks he may look more like a 5.5 or older
edit...as far as the antlers go, I hear you. I'm pretty doggone sure the buck I shot last year was all of 5.5. His antlers scored just under 140". I doubt he'd have put on more than another few inches of bone had he lived another couple years. Lots of bucks just never put on really impressive antlers.
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Post by Foggy on Sept 11, 2022 7:22:16 GMT -6
I'll go 4.5. In another 4-6 weeks he may look more like a 5.5 or older ^ kinda my thoughts too. I got a large quantity of "decent" bucks but most lack the great headgear to go with the body sizes. I suppose that is just the way it is up here on the tundra. Maybe some better ones will show up. |
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Post by smsmith on Sept 11, 2022 7:32:23 GMT -6
I'll go 4.5. In another 4-6 weeks he may look more like a 5.5 or older ^ kinda my thoughts too. I got a large quantity of "decent" bucks but most lack the great headgear to go with the body sizes. I suppose that is just the way it is up here on the tundra. Maybe some better ones will show up. Yep, I'm hoping for some better bucks here too. On my old place it seemed like if a buck could get to 3.5, it would be all of 125" and sometimes quite a bit more. Here, it seems an exceptional 3.5 is maybe 115-120". I don't know if that's genetics, the results of hunter "selection", a more northerly location, a combination of those, or something else. I do know it's a bit frustrating looking at 3-4 year old bucks and getting disappointed with their headgear. |
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Post by Sandbur on Sept 11, 2022 8:22:45 GMT -6
I'll go 4.5. In another 4-6 weeks he may look more like a 5.5 or older ^ kinda my thoughts too. I got a large quantity of "decent" bucks but most lack the great headgear to go with the body sizes. I suppose that is just the way it is up here on the tundra. Maybe some better ones will show up. Any idea what spooked him on the last picture? I feel hunters get obsessed with big racks when they see pictures of deer from farm country, areas several hundred miles south, and from areas with great soil. We just can’t expect racks like that in northern areas with light soils. Look at the bad winter you had, and how late spring green up occurred. There just isn’t as much of an antler growing season left after recovering from winter. The light soils you have and the same soil I have 20 miles north of you, don’t aid antler growth. Expectations need to match your area. He is a nice, mature buck. Shoot him if it makes your season a success. Pass if you hope he can survive the fall hunt and another winter. That is as big of antlers as can be expected in the area I hunt north of you. Maybe a hunter will see a bigger one every 5-10 years. |
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Post by Foggy on Sept 11, 2022 9:05:58 GMT -6
^ kinda my thoughts too. I got a large quantity of "decent" bucks but most lack the great headgear to go with the body sizes. I suppose that is just the way it is up here on the tundra. Maybe some better ones will show up. Any idea what spooked him on the last picture? I feel hunters get obsessed with big racks when they see pictures of deer from farm country, areas several hundred miles south, and from areas with great soil. We just can’t expect racks like that in northern areas with light soils. Look at the bad winter you had, and how late spring green up occurred. There just isn’t as much of an antler growing season left after recovering from winter. The light soils you have and the same soil I have 20 miles north of you, don’t aid antler growth. Expectations need to match your area. He is a nice, mature buck. Shoot him if it makes your season a success. Pass if you hope he can survive the fall hunt and another winter. That is as big of antlers as can be expected in the area I hunt north of you. Maybe a hunter will see a bigger one every 5-10 years. ^ Yeah.....well I been here for 15 Art. Grin. I do have one or two with better racks.....just not as good of a pic to show here. Maybe I will catch them for a good pic soon. As to what spooked him....dunno. He was back in minutes to the same spot. There was another deer in the background.....maybe others.  |
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Post by smsmith on Sept 11, 2022 9:27:57 GMT -6
I know of at least 4 verifiable 175" or better bucks taken within a 5-7 mile radius of this place since I've been around (2012). There are probably a good number more that I'm not personally aware of. I'm not too worried about potential for a monster here someday, it just requires a lot more patience, time on stand, and luck than it would have taken by my old place (dozens of verifiable 175" or better taken within that same 5-7 mile radius but over many more years).
Up by Foggy's place I have no idea what could/should be expected for numbers of top end bucks.
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Post by Foggy on Sept 11, 2022 10:23:11 GMT -6
I know of at least 4 verifiable 175" or better bucks taken within a 5-7 mile radius of this place since I've been around (2012). There are probably a good number more that I'm not personally aware of. I'm not too worried about potential for a monster here someday, it just requires a lot more patience, time on stand, and luck than it would have taken by my old place (dozens of verifiable 175" or better taken within that same 5-7 mile radius but over many more years). Up by Foggy's place I have no idea what could/should be expected for numbers of top end bucks. Yep. I know of two that were 170" or better bucks that were shot within a couple hundred yards of my place. And I hear of many other good bucks in the general area here. They do happen.....just not to me....and not for everyone. Grin. I really don't put in the hours on stand, or the hunting effort some do to get those big bucks anymore. I am somewhat of a fair-weather hunter these days. It's all good. |
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Post by smsmith on Sept 11, 2022 11:03:06 GMT -6
I know of at least 4 verifiable 175" or better bucks taken within a 5-7 mile radius of this place since I've been around (2012). There are probably a good number more that I'm not personally aware of. I'm not too worried about potential for a monster here someday, it just requires a lot more patience, time on stand, and luck than it would have taken by my old place (dozens of verifiable 175" or better taken within that same 5-7 mile radius but over many more years). Up by Foggy's place I have no idea what could/should be expected for numbers of top end bucks. Yep. I know of two that were 170" or better bucks that were shot within a couple hundred yards of my place. And I hear of many other good bucks in the general area here. They do happen.....just not to me....and not for everyone. Grin. I really don't put in the hours on stand, or the hunting effort some do to get those big bucks anymore. I am somewhat of a fair-weather hunter these days. It's all good. The only thing I do know about your place, mine, or anybody else's is that if you shoot a buck that doesn't score as highly as you wanted...he'll never score any higher  I'm still kind of kicking myself for shooting the last two bucks I've taken here. Especially the buck I shot in '20. That one was likely 3.5 and he had plenty of unrealized potential yet. My plan going forward is to not shoot anything that doesn't go at least 150, and preferably 160+. That should keep me from having to cape out any bucks any time soon  |
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Post by Foggy on Sept 11, 2022 11:51:11 GMT -6
Yep. I know of two that were 170" or better bucks that were shot within a couple hundred yards of my place. And I hear of many other good bucks in the general area here. They do happen.....just not to me....and not for everyone. Grin. I really don't put in the hours on stand, or the hunting effort some do to get those big bucks anymore. I am somewhat of a fair-weather hunter these days. It's all good. The only thing I do know about your place, mine, or anybody else's is that if you shoot a buck that doesn't score as highly as you wanted...he'll never score any higher I'm still kind of kicking myself for shooting the last two bucks I've taken here. Especially the buck I shot in '20. That one was likely 3.5 and he had plenty of unrealized potential yet. My plan going forward is to not shoot anything that doesn't go at least 150, and preferably 160+. That should keep me from having to cape out any bucks any time soon ^. That is what my son-in-law thanks we should do here too. The thing is.....then you just raise em for the neighbors who will shoot a 110 buck. As Hillary said: "It takes a village." We have used some trigger restraint at times.....yet everyone has limited amounts of time and we only got the deer we got.....and everyone likes to score.....and we all want some meat. Age old story. |
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Post by smsmith on Sept 11, 2022 12:08:55 GMT -6
The only thing I do know about your place, mine, or anybody else's is that if you shoot a buck that doesn't score as highly as you wanted...he'll never score any higher I'm still kind of kicking myself for shooting the last two bucks I've taken here. Especially the buck I shot in '20. That one was likely 3.5 and he had plenty of unrealized potential yet. My plan going forward is to not shoot anything that doesn't go at least 150, and preferably 160+. That should keep me from having to cape out any bucks any time soon ^. That is what my son-in-law thanks we should do here too. The thing is.....then you just raise em for the neighbors who will shoot a 110 buck. As Hillary said: "It takes a village." We have used some trigger restraint at times.....yet everyone has limited amounts of time and we only got the deer we got.....and everyone likes to score.....and we all want some meat. Age old story. Yep, I get it. I'm fortunate to have the neighbors I do. There is one bunch who will kill most anything, but the others exercise at least some restraint with both doe and buck harvests. As far as meat goes, I don't really care about venison any more. If I did, there are now enough (more than enough) does here that I could shoot one or two every year and not feel I was negatively impacting the herd. The bucks you have now may or may not be the bucks you have come the rut. Every year I get an influx of bucks starting sometime in mid-October. I always figure a guy has a chance at any/every buck within a pretty wide radius when they start sniffing around. Likely at least 2-3 miles during peak rut. |
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Post by Bwoods11 on Sept 11, 2022 17:55:13 GMT -6
I would age him at 4 .. but not sure. He could be five. I would classify him a no doubt shooter on my property!!
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Post by benmnwi on Sept 12, 2022 11:37:28 GMT -6
I agree with 4.5 years old.
I've noticed that the bucks at my NW WI place tend to be about a year behind the SE MN bucks I have around my home. They both have access to corn, soybeans and alfalfa so they seem to have the same top end but it just takes longer to get there up north. That makes sense though given the shorter growing seasons found as you head north.
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Post by nitro27 on Oct 7, 2022 13:20:06 GMT -6
Age this one, 3.5?
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Post by benmnwi on Oct 7, 2022 13:30:05 GMT -6
I bet a month from now he will look like a 4.5 year old. He still has that slimmer early season look, but he will start filling out soon. Nice buck.
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