Auto-5 Posted December 25, 2020 Share Posted December 25, 2020 Saw this and it made me laugh. Link to post Share on other sites
Brad Eden Posted December 27, 2020 Share Posted December 27, 2020 Funny but Regional. Certainly some in Maine own or hunt large tracts of land and can pin point “target bucks” and name them. But generally speaking you take what’s given you up here. I have never seen any of the bucks I’ve shot prior, even though I do employ a few Trail cameras every year. This 10 pt was crossing the tip of my measly 9.5 acres and under a stand but I never met him. This guy was walking in front of a ladder stand uptacamp on a somewhat regular basis. Never met him either. Link to post Share on other sites
Birdcountry70 Posted December 27, 2020 Share Posted December 27, 2020 I was lucky to have a few years when I lived and worked on my in laws ranch and I was able to learn individual bucks habits and decide which ones I wanted to go after each fall. It definitely can get personal. I have taken 3 that I chose to focus on and had others come out on top. I didn't have trail cameras but since I was always there working I got a chance to pin down some of their habits. I think it was the 13th time I saw the double main beam buck when I finally got a shot. I first saw him across the river on the neighboring ranch in August. It never worked out through archery season but on the second day of rifle season I was set up in the right place and he came out right where I hoped he would. The other 5×7 caught my attention because he was so spooky I would only catch glimpses of him sneaking into the woods 1/2 mile away while all the other deer would somewhat ignore the tractor when I fed the cattle. I wore hip boots and snuck down an irrigation ditch for 1/4 mile one evening with my spotting scope just to get a clear look at him. Although he was super skittish he stuck to his same schedule until season opened and I got him right where he was the first time I saw him. Hunting on undisturbed private land can provide huge advantages. That land is sold now, I wish I could have bought it myself but now I'm back to pounding public like most people. Link to post Share on other sites
spring Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 I don't mind passing them up, especially if I can get a picture of them. Sort of like "catch and release." I'd rather eat a doe anyway. That said, I’ve shot plenty of deer over the years, maybe I’m just not as mad at ‘em as I once was.... 😀 Here are 3 different deer I've passed on so far this season: Link to post Share on other sites
Brad Eden Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 7 hours ago, spring said: I don't mind passing them up, especially if I can get a picture of them. Sort of like "catch and release." I'd rather eat a doe anyway. That said, I’ve shot plenty of deer over the years, maybe I’m just not as mad at ‘em as I once was.... 😀 Here are 3 I've passed on so far this season: Im always amazed at the difference in the size of deer across the US. What would be your guess as to live weight and dressed weight of this GA buck? Link to post Share on other sites
spring Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 1 hour ago, Brad Eden said: Im always amazed at the difference in the size of deer across the US. What would be your guess as to live weight and dressed weight of this GA buck? The second deer was thee biggest body wise of the three. He was probably around 215. The other two were not fully mature and both likely around 180. The biggest I've shot on my farm was 245, but most aren't near that. Most of the does are around 115, but every now and then you'll see a whopper. About 5 years ago one weighed 162. By our standards, she was a freak! Link to post Share on other sites
Brad Eden Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 21 minutes ago, spring said: The second deer was thee biggest body wise of the three. He was probably around 215. The other two were not fully mature and both likely around 180. The biggest I've shot on my farm was 245, but most aren't near that. Most of the does are around 115, but every now and then you'll see a whopper. About 5 years ago one weighed 162. By our standards, she was a freak! Nice bucks and bigger than I figured. Is that live weight or field dressed? (no innards, including heart, liver etc.) it’s a Maine thing. Link to post Share on other sites
spring Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 That would be the live weight guess. Here's a recent buck my son shot. Typical body size you might find around here: And some these days seem to grow as you're loading them... 😉 Link to post Share on other sites
garyRI Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 I pass on bucks often. I am the only guy with permission hunting in RI near Newport on 150 acres. I am allowed two bucks and could be tagged out in the first season/archery but wait until I get a chance at a big one. 2018 was my best year when I shot two mature(pictured here) heavy antlered bucks that rough scored around 130. Didn't weigh them but with two guys dragging it was a challenge. I also cull in Texas over feeders on private property. "Passing" on young 8-10 points is standard. Link to post Share on other sites
bobman Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 Georgia trivia Deer populations in the 60s and 70s in Georgia were very depleted, so the DNR imported wild deer from texas, wisconsin and some other states other states. Southwestern Ga I was told received Wisconsin bucks and has the largest deer in the state. That’s combined with the very big difference in habitat from southern farm country to northern Georgia mountain forests means we have some variation in genetics and size. Our rut peak also changes in various areas of the state due to the gradual difference in elevation. well I googled it and apparently the importation started much earlier than I realized here’s an interesting paper on the story http://benttreevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/1928-1974_Deer-Restocking-1.pdf Link to post Share on other sites
WI Outdoor Nut Posted January 11 Share Posted January 11 I will say I am fortunate to be able to hunt where I do, and we can monitor the deer that pass through on a regular basis. Unlike the situation Brad has, many of the deer call where I hunt home, year after year. The buck my son shot this past year I have watched for 3 years. I let him walk 3 times last year, and saw him on hoof 4 times this year. I knew where he was bedding about 3-4 nights per week, and hunting him accordingly. However, this is not easy, as you need to think how you won't bust the deer out of his routine. We are very careful on winds, how we enter and exit our stands, and even when we pull camera chips. It payed off for us this year. And even the buck my daughter shot, I had dozens of photos of him and knew his patterns as well. And he was a very killable buck for how often he was out in the daylight. Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now