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R&R #528500 12/04/20 01:03 PM
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Deer do not normally herd up in those numbers until after the rut in my area. I once had herds of 20 or more does come through, but nothing over a dozen in recent years, and usually fewer. Taking my limit on does each year should have had that effect. Being careful to not mistake a large button for a doe also helps. I have never seen a 250 lb doe. My biggest bucks are over 200 lbs, but most don't go much heavier. I have a scale. My heaviest buck was taken before getting the scale and my wife and I could not get it in the pickup and we were both strong back then. Had to transport it in the frontend loader. It gets heavier each year when I tell the story... Rack is still just over 150" net. Taken at about 5 yds with a bow.

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I assume "deer stories" without a scale are similar to "fish stories" without a scale!

However, my brother took a monster doe a few years back. There were about 30 bucks at the deer processor by the time he delivered it. His was the 3rd largest deer in the room. His meat cuts from the butcher came back at 119#, which I think converts pretty close to 250# on the hoof.

The one I saw a few years later looked similar in size and build. I wish I could figure out which of my does have the genetics to become monster does. I would assume monster does are more likely to birth future monster bucks.

If you can figure out how to tag and release deer to monitor the herd, like we do on fish, please let me know. That would make me a much better game manager! laugh

R&R #528508 12/04/20 02:41 PM
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I am sure such doe exist, but processers have been known to return more meat than could possibly have come from a given deer. We process our own.

R&R #528509 12/04/20 03:35 PM
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So you're saying a guy who charges by the pound, might be incentivized to put his thumb on the scale!

The conversion chart I found also had chest girth as another data input. This leads me to another question for you.

Is there any management value in keeping historical data on the girth, hoof weight, and field-dressed weight of your deer?

P.S. Two years ago, at least 50% of the bucks on camera had broken antlers. There were spike bucks with only a stub remaining on one side. There were little 4-point bucks with both antlers damaged. Some of the big 8-point bucks had a large tine broken off.

Do you think this was a nutrition problem? Environmental problem? (I am making one up for example - lots of ticks at the base of their antlers while they were in velvet.) Or a big buck that had tines that were quite effective at "grabbing" on to the antlers of the smaller deer?

Thanks for all of the help RAH! I am more of a quail hunter than a deer hunter.

Rod

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I am no expert in this area. I have tried to remove does and been lucky to take bigger bucks.

R&R #528511 12/04/20 06:34 PM
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Expert is always a relative term on Pond Boss, considering we have guys with graduate degrees in some of our topics.

You are certainly far more of an expert on deer hunting than I am! As such, I always appreciate advice from people - even when they are just adding their 2 cents worth.

Good luck finishing out your deer season. I think I am going to get out tomorrow with two of my nephews. My brother has three teenage boys to feed, so one of us better put some meat on the table!

R&R #528515 12/04/20 11:27 PM
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Not an expert but I think that with a higher buck to doe ratio, the bucks will fight more over the territory that the does occupy.

I have a picture of a buck next to a yearling and I estimate his live weight to be over 300#. I shot a buck in a reduction zone this year that field dressed #195 and the other buck looks to be a whole lot bigger. He's (I am estimating) a 5 1/2 year old. No pics of him in the daylight. Neck starts at the bottom of his chest. I think I have a pic on the computer, if I do I'll post it.


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R&R #528518 12/05/20 06:31 AM
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I killed my first buck over 50 years ago and have been studying them ever since. Mama Nature generally tosses a curve ball when I think I have it figured out. Last year we had a massive acorn drop and rarely saw a deer when hunting. They didn't have to move over 6 ft. to fill their belly. I guess there was a rut.

This year, no acorns and the deer are larger and healthier than I've seen in years. I started to plant wheat plots but didn't get rain at the right time. And, just about everything gets rooted up by the hogs.

I and a 21 year old that hunts with me both killed bucks opening morning. Now, it's hog hunting time but even Texas Parks and Wildlife has no idea what to do about them. They showed up on my place about 15 years ago and are increasing exponentially. Sooner or later you guys up North will have 12 months to hunt. And, you will have mixed emotions about it.


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Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.

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Dave this year we also did not have any acorns due to catapillars early. We have been feeding about 2000#s protein and corn a week plus a five acre wheat food plot that they are putting the demo on. Not looking good for the bucks , they are run down from this long slow rut. They been chasing since late September! The neighbors have mowed down all the 2-1/2, 3-1/2 yo bucks. If they would wait one year then only harvest the 4-1/2 then every year after you could have nice mature bucks..... they just don’t get it

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Originally Posted by Dave Davidson1
I killed my first buck over 50 years ago and have been studying them ever since. Mama Nature generally tosses a curve ball when I think I have it figured out.

I have a buddy that is a good deer hunter. He said to put up more cameras and pattern your deer. There is no pattern that I can discern! I just keep getting curveballs from the deer.

Would your best advice for deer be the same as your best advice for fish?

It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine.

I think habitat improvement is the best I can do. I probably need to keep inviting out good deer hunters and getting their advice.

Thanks,
Rod

R&R #528525 12/05/20 01:05 PM
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Having a mentor was very useful for me. Choosing a mentor is tricky. I was fortune to have one with a wall full of trophy bucks. I know others who will tell you how good they are at hunting along with telling tails of the ones that got away... The best advice that was given to me is that you can't bag a big buck sitting on the couch. Next best advice was that there is no substitute for experience. I think that I honed my skills by hunting with only a bow for a decade before taking up gun hunting. All 5 of my 2020 deer were taken at less than 25 yards (Only the buck was with a gun). Saw deer today (opening of muzzleloader), but none were sure shots. No need to rush my final doe of the season.

R&R #528529 12/05/20 02:05 PM
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My buddies (that I think are good deer hunters) hunt almost exclusively now with bows. They consider it too easy to bag a deer with a rifle.

They will only take a rifle when they have seen a true trophy buck on camera, where one brief glimpse at long range is the only chance they will get.

I am at the skill/knowledge level where it is still hard work getting the kids (or me) a good clean shot with a rifle.

Therefore - thanks for the advice everyone, and happy hunting!

Rod

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Rod you can pattern deer til close to the rut then everything changes. Takes cameras all over the place, food plots to hold the does in the areas and year round feeders in areas where there is little mast . Winter wheat works well for us as long as we get some rain

R&R #528533 12/05/20 06:19 PM
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I no longer place trail cams anywhere near where my stands are. It is clear from the sequential pics that they can either see or hear the cameras when they take pictures.

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Originally Posted by Pat Williamson
Winter wheat works well for us as long as we get some rain

We didn't have any winter wheat last year because it was too wet to plant. That certainly might explain why there were more deer on my neighbor's ground than in a typical year.

This year the wheat is a little sparse - because we are too dry!

If we go out with a 3rd person, I will put them in the ground blind by the wheat field and see how the deer are working through there.

RAH #528541 12/06/20 12:21 AM
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Originally Posted by RAH
It is clear from the sequential pics that they can either see or hear the cameras when they take pictures.

My habit was always to fill the feeders, then swap out SD cards. I read somewhere that was backwards - you can transfer feed odor to your cameras.

I have always done the cameras first since then. Doesn't matter. Still getting lots of pics of deer "posing" for the cameras, deer with ears cocked to listen to the camera, and of course the requisite deer licking the camera shots.

I am starting to move my cameras higher up and farther away from the feeders. I even have one camera set on time lapse. It is nice to have that view.

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I do not feed. Just set the 2 that I have on trails pretty far from my stands so I don't spook them away from where I hunt.

RAH #528549 12/06/20 12:39 PM
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Originally Posted by RAH
I do not feed.

Is your land "better" for natural deer forage than the surrounding land? I think you have previously mentioned oak trees in the thousands.

Do you attract deer off of your neighbor's properties due to better feeding opportunities? Or are they attracted because you have the best dense cover?

I know of at least one place near me where the deer move over a mile through one narrow route of cover between to safe havens. I think(?) they travel quite far in Kansas during a "normal" week. Further, I don't know if the rut makes them move more or less.

I am asking because I would like to make my place a better deer "magnet" than the surrounding areas.

R&R #528558 12/06/20 03:18 PM
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I took a 4 pt buck on opening day this year. Dropped where I shot him.

A week or so later I took this nice 6 pt buck. Shot him dead on at 130yds and he jumped and ran like I missed. Found him about 75yds away in woods shot through the heart. Amazing how tough this creatures are.

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nvcdl #528561 12/06/20 04:43 PM
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Lung shots and heart shots usually run 60-75 yds before they run out of gas. Shoulder shots high in shoulder usually drop, but not always..... they can be tough. I prefer behind shoulder to purge a lot of blood

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Few Oaks on my place are old enough to produce acorns. I think the multiple areas of dense cover along with plenty of watering holes and browse are what attracts the deer. I think it is the oases of wildlands in a sea of row crops that does it. Not just my place, but some of the surrounding ground as well. Over Hunting on some of the surrounding ground appears to push the deer into my place where they are not bothered (in designated places where we never go unless we are following a blood trail). Even our dogs are not allowed in these areas.

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Originally Posted by Pat Williamson
Lung shots and heart shots usually run 60-75 yds before they run out of gas. Shoulder shots high in shoulder usually drop, but not always..... they can be tough. I prefer behind shoulder to purge a lot of blood

Yes - this has been my experience. The ones I've shot through the shoulders don't go more than a few feet.

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Originally Posted by Pat Williamson
Lung shots and heart shots usually run 60-75 yds before they run out of gas. Shoulder shots high in shoulder usually drop, but not always..... they can be tough. I prefer behind shoulder to purge a lot of blood

OR head/neck shots will also shorten the tracking job. I took 3 does from a customers place on Saturday with the muzzleloader between 130 and 167 yds. within 40 minutes of each other. 2 high "shoulder" shots that were behind the scapula but clipped the spine. Both of those deer never took a step. The last shot was right at the base of the ear and out the other side. No tracking with that one either. With the last 2 shots, I could have reloaded and shot the 4th deer because the other 2 were behind it and they never made any noise, just went straight down and never moved. I'm using a 195g Barnes 40 caliber bullet @ 2750 fps in the .45 caliber Savage Muzzleloader.

I shot one deer 2 or 3 years ago in the heart and it never took a step. I was amazed, but guys that I've talked to that used the same bullet reported the same thing. The amount of shock going into the deer is what I think is causing the heart shot to drop them. The biggest piece of the heart that I found was smaller than a golf ball. I was using the Pittman Bullet for that one.

Pittman Aeromax bullet

Now granted that deer was about 80 yds away, and I was shooting the 300grain Aeromax from my Savage Muzzleloader at 2800 fps, and it kills on BOTH ends, but I never expected the deer to drop with that shot. I fully expected it to do the typical 50-100 yd dash before piling up.


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R&R #528634 12/08/20 07:59 AM
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esshup, that savage is the best one ever made. Hard to locate one for sale. I shoot the Barnes when hunting with my BP, These days i set up in my tree blind and just watch the deer as they walk under or around me. Just not sure if i want to clean it or go through all the hassle of it all. But i love watching. I had a doe family bed under me the other day in a pine thicket. I also watched two nice 8 pointers walk under me the other day. One was trailing the first one. Most anyone would have taken the shot, but i just enjoyed watching them pass by. All my life of hunting i would have been proud to shoot either of those two, but today I let those 3 and a half yr olds walk,

Last edited by TGW1; 12/08/20 08:02 AM.

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TGW1 #528650 12/08/20 11:25 AM
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I too let a nice 3.5 yr old walk yesterday, but I already shot my buck this year, so it was easy. He new something was up and stood there staring at me at 10 yards before turning his back and walking on. Will be a shooter in a year or 2 if he makes it. Saw a herd of about 10 does this morning, but they were too far for me to shoot my last deer of the season. Unlike esshup, all my deer were taken at less than 25 yds. this year, even the one taken with the .270 win.

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