finally!

[EGarza04]

Well I finally got to sit in a deer blind this season. It's been a long time coming, but finally got to do it.

I saw around 4 or 5 bucks but of course the bucks I saw are not getting shot this season. I saw a real nice 2.5 year old 10pt, a 1.5yr old 6pt, a 4.5yr 11pt and a 5.5yr 22pt. I'll add what photos I can later. My phone is at less than 20% from leaving the camera on most of the time...

I didn't get to shoot anything, so I guess I'll sit in a different spot next time and hopefully find some bucks that won't make the cut to stick around for next season. Come thanksgiving, it'll be time too shoot does and the action should get better!


Edit: Oops that's a 12pt 5.5yr not 22pt!

 

[Ratdog68]

Uhh? WHY not bag the 22pt 5.5 yr old? Just not far enough beyond prime?

 

[FrankT]

22pt, got to see him!!

 

[Chopperdrvr]

Uhh? WHY not bag the 22pt 5.5 yr old? Just not far enough beyond prime?

+10!!!!

 

[EGarza04]

Sorry guys it was a 12 pt!

 

[Chopperdrvr]

Way to get our hopes up. I thought we hit the hunting porn jackpot.

 

[FrankT]

I knew it, you got the 22pt and now are trying to cover it up...lol

 

[Ratdog68]

Sorry guys it was a 12 pt!

LOL.. ground shrinkage. It'll get'cha every time.

 

[theblakester]

Haha but still, why not shoot a 5.5 year old 12 pt?

 

[EGarza04]

5.5yr


4.5yr

Another 4.5yr

2.5yr

One of the 1.5yr

 

[EGarza04]

Haha but still, why not shoot a 5.5 year old 12 pt?

We prefer to shoot our trophy bucks at at least 6.5 or 7.5 if possible.

But, I just got word last night after posting that we may shoot this 12pt later this year. So who knows, y'all may get to see a close up of him later in the season.

There are three bucks that I will probably start hunting if there isn't a hunt sold for them by next weekend so I'm starting Rio get a little excited.

 

[FrankT]

and gentlemen, that is how you grow trophy deer...here in FL a spike or a fork on one side is a legal deer and that = few and far between trophy's.

 

[EGarza04]

Frank it really depends on the population and the goals of the hunter and/or ranch to determine what a cull/management buck is. There are lots of ranches that I suggest to shoot spikes, but there are some that I don't as well. All depending on the goals of the landowner, the current population of deer, and the environmental conditions leading up to that season.

 

[FrankT]

we took 5-7 buck last year, the goal was culls, really genetically messed up antlers. Like Smitty here, he passed on a nice 8 pt to take a cull 8 pt standing close by last year. Since most stand hunt on the lease we are not going to get the "trophy" bucks unless we are deep in the woods or edges of the swamps.

 

[EGarza04]

Frank, yes I know how you feel. It's hard to shoot nothing but culls if you know you'll be out of tags for the season, and of course the big ones don't come out until they know you're out of tags!

That's why I like our (TPWD) program(MLDP) that allows the local biologist to issue as many tags to a ranch as they need to obtain their goals. Believe it or not, but there are ranches that I issue a couple thousand tags to each season with instructions too call me if they get close to running out so I can send more tags. It really helps landowners to know they can shoot all the culls they are able to while still having a tag left over for a trophy if they want it.

 

[theblakester]

Y'all raise some nice bucks.
My dad's friend showed him a B&C buck that he raised. He said it started as a spike, and that young 2-4 inch spikes still have potential. He said older long spikes are cull deer. I always thought any spike had bad genes and was a spike for life.

 

[FrankT]

The bad thing is we don't have tags, never run out of deer and are able to take a buck a day for 2-3 months, part of the problem in FL

 

[EGarza04]

Y'all raise some nice bucks.
My dad's friend showed him a B&C buck that he raised. He said it started as a spike, and that young 2-4 inch spikes still have potential. He said older long spikes are cull deer. I always thought any spike had bad genes and was a spike for life.

Thanks, it has taken years and lots of work to get where we are today.

Spikes very rarely stay spikes their whole life, but it does happen. In the thousands of deer I have aged and measured there has only been 2 spikes that were older than 1.5 years old. Both had other issues going on that caused them to be spikes at a later agree. The spike thing is a genetic trait that can be passed down but it is also a sign of a lack of nutrition. On average fork antlerled yearlings (1.5 year old) perform better than spike yearlings. Remember, that is on average. Some spikes will out perform fork antlerled bucks but most won't. Some spikes will become 160"+ bucks, but most won't even get close. FWIW, pen raised deer are completely different.

Like I put earlier what is considered a cull/management or trophy is all dependant upon the goals of the person hunting.

 

[theblakester]

Thank you. Good info. He raised that deer in a 200 acre 8ft fenced pen.

 

[EGarza04]

Well I've sat 2 more times now and still haven't found anything that needs a dirt nap. We've only found around 4 bucks on game cam so far that are on the hit list this season so it's going to be hard hunting.

I'm not complaining cause it's a good problem to have but I can't wait for thanksgiving weekend so we can start with the does...