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#521534 05/24/20 12:10 PM
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Hopefully I picked the correct forum area to post this. My apologies if it’s in the wrong spot.
We bought this place to build a pond, but we also decided to take up deer hunting. I’ve been a bird (quail) hunter for 45 years. Took up deer hunting six years ago when quail numbers dropped so low bird hunts were pointless. Last two years have produced biggest bucks. Actually liking deer hunting.
Latest buck (from Nov 2019) is on the left. I know, these are small racks compared to those Texas freaks. Ha!
[Linked Image from i290.photobucket.com]


9 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep.
RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (going away), SMB, and HSB (only one seen in 5 yrs) Restocked HSB (2020) Have seen one of these.
I think that's about all I should put in my little pond.
Otter attack in 2023
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SetterGuy #521543 05/24/20 03:35 PM
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Not so small by small acreage standards Setter. Well done. I killed a 140 class off our 65 acres, best yet

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SetterGuy #521546 05/24/20 07:10 PM
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Still trying to break 170. [Linked Image from i.imgur.com]

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SetterGuy #521556 05/25/20 06:14 AM
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Those are nice bucks by any standards.

BTW, quail are history here also.


It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.

Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.

Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
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SetterGuy #521561 05/25/20 07:32 AM
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Thanks Dave. There’s some bigger ones running around here.
I take your comments seriously, coming from a a Texan..


9 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep.
RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (going away), SMB, and HSB (only one seen in 5 yrs) Restocked HSB (2020) Have seen one of these.
I think that's about all I should put in my little pond.
Otter attack in 2023
SetterGuy #521564 05/25/20 07:45 AM
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Those are nice deer RAH and Setterguy, I like the display settings on both, I know the theory about the 170 barrier, its tough, came close last fall on my 80 acre farm I bought and built my pond on, 168 1/2, so close!


All the really good ideas I've ever had came to me while I was milking a cow.
SetterGuy #521577 05/25/20 09:55 AM
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Head mounts are pretty pricey, but if I get one over 170, I may need to crack open the piggy bank. I credit my hunting success with habitat enhancement and not hunting skill. However, what I lack in talent, I make up for with persistence. I love sitting out that time of year! Was out trimming back invasive honeysuckle along the trails this morning. Those of us with a piece of property are very lucky!

SetterGuy #521579 05/25/20 11:16 AM
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Here’s my first deer 5 yrs ago. Rookie deer hunter at 60 yrs old. It was legal, but that’s about the only thing you can say about him. Most notable thing for us was, the burger was delicious (with pork fat added).
I got the two above mounted because I doubt I’ll ever get one bigger. We don’t have a lot of control on our 62 acres. We, and the neighbors are getting more selective. There’s still some bigger bucks out there.
[Linked Image from i290.photobucket.com]


9 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep.
RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (going away), SMB, and HSB (only one seen in 5 yrs) Restocked HSB (2020) Have seen one of these.
I think that's about all I should put in my little pond.
Otter attack in 2023
SetterGuy #521581 05/25/20 11:23 AM
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FYI, I’ve got a guy that’ll do the mount for $450. Pricey, but worth it to me.


9 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep.
RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (going away), SMB, and HSB (only one seen in 5 yrs) Restocked HSB (2020) Have seen one of these.
I think that's about all I should put in my little pond.
Otter attack in 2023
SetterGuy #521582 05/25/20 11:39 AM
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The next year this “monster” came by. Then the two above.
[Linked Image from i290.photobucket.com]


9 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep.
RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (going away), SMB, and HSB (only one seen in 5 yrs) Restocked HSB (2020) Have seen one of these.
I think that's about all I should put in my little pond.
Otter attack in 2023
SetterGuy #521583 05/25/20 12:04 PM
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Trophies are always in the eyes of the beholder, especially when it’s taken by a new hunter or a kid

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SetterGuy #521587 05/25/20 12:53 PM
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I took a lot of small ones in my 30s when I started out hunting. Hard to believe that was almost 30 years ago... I did hunt exclusively with a bow back then. Had to sit out regular gun season this year as I filled my tags during early archery and knew that I had some surgery scheduled that would keep me out of the woods. I did get to fill my muzzle loader tag though. Trophies are in fact in the eyes of the beholder. I now pass on bucks that would have left me shaking years ago. I am just glad that I am still healthy enough to get out there! Deer are regrowing their antlers right now.

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RAH #521589 05/25/20 01:50 PM
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If we can get the surrounding properties to pass on young bucks they will get better and better. Unfortunately they don’t have that mindset to wait

SetterGuy #521592 05/25/20 03:13 PM
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I gave up on that and just let them chase the older bucks into my place where they have everything they need. Of course, that means they chase all the does into my place:)

SetterGuy #521595 05/25/20 04:04 PM
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I am overpopulated with too many young bucks and does, and some of pretty sketchy bloodlines, scragly little lopsided basket racks and such that really need to be thinned out of the breeding herd, but I have a hard time getting people to shoot the little suckers,, everybody is sitting back waiting on the nice big ones leaving the little ones to proliferate. I have one on the game cameras now that is already out past his ear tips, he should be pretty nice by this fall. but then those are the ones I need to breed and eliminate the scrubs.


All the really good ideas I've ever had came to me while I was milking a cow.
SetterGuy #521599 05/25/20 04:34 PM
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Personally, I’d still much rather quail hunt, but there just a fraction of the birds around that used to be here. My quail hunting buddy and I had access to two big farms in IL that each held 13 big coveys. Plus many places in Missouri that had good numbers. We both had good dogs, because there were so many birds to train dogs with. Amazing times. I’m getting to like this deer hunting though. Lots more meat per season/hunt/shot. Ha! The only quail I ever had mounted were the first wild quail shot by my sons. (Both hens). The pheasant in the pic above was pointed by my 5th Setter Cash, on his last hunt. Practically deaf and blind at 16. He did not retrieve the rooster, never heard the shot.


9 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep.
RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (going away), SMB, and HSB (only one seen in 5 yrs) Restocked HSB (2020) Have seen one of these.
I think that's about all I should put in my little pond.
Otter attack in 2023
gehajake #521616 05/26/20 05:44 AM
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The key to improving trophy bucks is doe control. That lowers the rate of smaller bucks breeding. Leave the little guys to fight it out. I have never really hunted anything else. No peasant here and quail are sparse. I did see and hear a lot more turkey this year, so maybe if they get thick, I might have to try that.

SetterGuy #521617 05/26/20 06:52 AM
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It's about the food in my opinion when it comes to big bucks and or quail numbers. Much like growing large fish. Habitat is also a strong influence in size and numbers. Same with fish. Many blame poor racks on genetics but it has been proven (to me) that if the food is there, along with the right habitat you can raise larger numbers of good bucks per acre. Whether it be quail or better bucks on a given piece of land, an excess of food makes a difference. I have seen the same with quail and the number of coveys per acre. Rah, I am not saying doe numbers don't have an influence, they do, because I have seen where a buck/doe ratio of one to one defiantly made for easier hunts because there were more bucks per acre to hunt. Especially, if the food is there. And, I have seen a 120 pt buck where it was a trophy to the one that shot it. I have also seen where a Doe was a trophy.


Do not judge me by the politicians in my City, State or Federal Government.


Tracy
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SetterGuy #521628 05/26/20 08:15 AM
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Genetics are required to grow big bucks, but they will not be realized without food, water, and minerals. My retired neighbor only traps, but he says every critter in the area comes to my place. I think our trick to holding multiple dominant bucks is dense cover in multiple areas since even the biggest bucks can't be two places at once. Unlike many, I do not fret over coyotes killing some deer (especially fawns) since there are plenty to go around and diseases thrive at high densities. So far so good with the health of our herd! BTW - Years ago, a 120 buck would have been the cat's meow to me. Just keep trying to beat my old records.

Last edited by RAH; 05/26/20 08:17 AM.
SetterGuy #521634 05/26/20 09:05 AM
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Southern Ontario Canada grows some nice bucks. I would rather take a nice doe for eating ahead of a rutted out buck.

Cheers Don.

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[Linked Image from corvettejunkie.com]
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7/8th of an acre, Perch only pond, Ontario, Canada.
SetterGuy #521646 05/26/20 10:14 AM
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Nice mature deer! We eat every scrap of meat (what is not fit for us, the dogs eat along with a lot of bones), but I don't hunt for meat. For most, venison is the most expensive meat we eat per pound. Could work at McDonald's and by prime beef if one spent as much time working there as hunting, even if not considering the cot of gear:)

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RAH #521650 05/26/20 11:33 AM
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Originally Posted by RAH
Nice mature deer! We eat every scrap of meat (what is not fit for us, the dogs eat along with a lot of bones), but I don't hunt for meat. For most, venison is the most expensive meat we eat per pound. Could work at McDonald's and by prime beef if one spent as much time working there as hunting, even if not considering the cot of gear:)

We love the meat. The flavor and lean. The only thing is when we visit friends and have say burger or steak I feel the meat has no taste if that makes sense to you. Had some store bought burgers the other day that if it wasn't for the onions are mustard there would not have been any flavor.


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7/8th of an acre, Perch only pond, Ontario, Canada.
SetterGuy #521656 05/26/20 01:38 PM
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Tastes are definitely individual. I actually prefer fish and would rather have button mushrooms than morels. However, I enjoy collecting morels very much. People are strange that way:)

SetterGuy #521663 05/26/20 03:01 PM
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My Dad was an avid quail hunter from the 1940's through the 1970's. I hunted with him from the mid 60's through 1974. When quail became scarce, he became an avid deer and turkey hunter. In 1992, he bagged a NW Arkansas whitetail that had a 22 inch spread, 17 points, and small shovels. Field dressed, weighed 200 pounds. He was going for that one's nearly identical "brother" when, a couple days after a missed opportunity, that second deer was killed on Arkansas Hwy 265.

Last edited by John Fitzgerald; 05/26/20 03:03 PM. Reason: spelling
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Maybe someday I'll see a monster like that!

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