Got a bunch of culls this year

a trophy.....

is in the eyes of the hunter.

I have shot plenty of deer that had some ground shrinkage when I got to them. But, at that time when I said to myself "that's a good one"...he made the hit list.

Too many people get way to wound up in deer management, when what they need to do is do some research and talk to folks in forums that do these things for a living.

I have a friend in Leesburg Georgia and they are killing 170" deer.....but they have lots and lots of deer breeding does they cannot control it.

You need a lot of land, it needs to be high fenced, and then it will take several years to get the "cull" bucks eliminated....and even then something will show up all along that will make you say.."where did that buck come from?"

But, have fun just don't complain when QDM and Buck management is NOT as simple or near as easy as you thought it would be.

Radio collared bucks have been recorded traveling 7 miles to and from in a single night. Many bucks on trail cam on one property end up on a cell phone in the back of somebody elses truck 3 or 4 miles down the road.

just the facts

s&r

spurrs and racks said:

A trophy is in the eyes of the hunter.
s&r

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Yeah, some marry cause she sure is purty, some marry cause she sho does love to clean, and loves to cook and she a good cook too. Some marry like myself and get all them qualities which makes mine a trophy wife. Trophies are in the eye of the beholder.

spurrs and racks said:

is in the eyes of the hunter.

I have shot plenty of deer that had some ground shrinkage when I got to them. But, at that time when I said to myself "that's a good one"...he made the hit list.

Too many people get way to wound up in deer management, when what they need to do is do some research and talk to folks in forums that do these things for a living.

I have a friend in Leesburg Georgia and they are killing 170" deer.....but they have lots and lots of deer breeding does they cannot control it.

You need a lot of land, it needs to be high fenced, and then it will take several years to get the "cull" bucks eliminated....and even then something will show up all along that will make you say.."where did that buck come from?"

But, have fun just don't complain when QDM and Buck management is NOT as simple or near as easy as you thought it would be.

Radio collared bucks have been recorded traveling 7 miles to and from in a single night. Many bucks on trail cam on one property end up on a cell phone in the back of somebody elses truck 3 or 4 miles down the road.

just the facts

s&r

Click to expand...

I agree with all this s&r. I am enjoying what I'm doing and a lot of people are mistaking this thread or me as a big time trophy hunter or maybe a wanna be and that's not the case. In fact the purpose of the thread is to show not all mature old bucks will get huge high scoring racks.

Our club rules are that we only shoot bucks we would want to mount or that are at least 3 yrs old. So the want to mount is easy the aging is another story. So while many of these bucks in the op aren't what you would call mount worthy or even look older than 3.5 they are and I've got plenty of hunters that can't wait to take the safety off on a "cull" buck!

everybody likes to kill a big buck

You have to let them live to kill one.

I agree there are deer at some point and time you can say ..." this buck will never make what we are trying to raise". And that's all cool.

What I am saying is for 99% of the hunters in this state, you need several like minded clubs or a very big track of land to even scratch the surface on this issue.

My friend in Monroe County has 3000 acres of land and charges $2300 a year to hunt it. 130" minimum and if you miss it it cost you a lot of money or you are out...which ever you prefer.

Now, this bunch is serious about it. But, they can also tell you that a 6 yr old 6pt is off limits because it is against the rules. You just have to pick how you are going to play it. There ain't no grey area or middle ground because everybody's opinion is different. Every year they have to chastise some poor member until he understands how to look closely before you pull the trigger.

Are there a few special bucks they get on cam every year and place them on a hit list. Sure, but they also generally let one of the members children or one of their spouses shoot these deer so there is no confusion.

Good luck

And for all them folks who say you can raise and control you deer herd on 100 ac of land. You can tell them I said...you cannot.

s&r

I’d be spending more time improving your land and adding nutrition and cover for the deer than trying to pull the trigger on every 2-3 year old that mighta skipped a few meals and didn’t produce horns up to your standards. Only 1 of those 6 points is legal a year per person so it’d take a while...

Through research and case studies it would tell you your efforts would be futile but the only proven way to grow bigger bucks is by letting young ones live and providing them with more nutritious food choices and safety.

this

"the only proven way to grow bigger bucks is by letting young ones live and providing them with more nutritious food choices and safety."


spot on!

I'd rather be lucky than good, But luck is where preparation meets opportunity.

s&r

They definitely can't get bigger if they are dead

XJfire75 said:

I’d be spending more time improving your land and adding nutrition and cover for the deer than trying to pull the trigger on every 2-3 year old that mighta skipped a few meals and didn’t produce horns up to your standards. Only 1 of those 6 points is legal a year per person so it’d take a while...

Through research and case studies it would tell you your efforts would be futile but the only proven way to grow bigger bucks is by letting young ones live and providing them with more nutritious food choices and safety.

Click to expand...

We do all we can with the time and money we have as far as nutrition and habitat improvements. We plant what food plots we can. We burn everything other year we leave certain sections of the property as sanctuary (typically bedding areas). In the off season we fill feeders 50/50 corn and protein pellets.

All my good points are spread among the pages of the thread but basically pulling the trigger on mature scrappy bucks is simple and fun way that I think will also improve the property. Though some keep telling me it is a complete waste of time.

This is the seventh season managing this property I am still learning in fact the last property I managed was for six years and everything has worked almost the same way so I'm in somewhat uncharted territory personally.

On both properties we took very few bucks in the first three seasons. We managed does early and late season and did all we could to habitat and food source. The fourth through sixth seasons we were taking multiple mature bucks every season.

The first property in Bulloch county was only 500 acres and the deer and antlers were much better than where I am now on 1200 acres. In Bulloch we killed a buck in the 130's every season for us last three years.

Now we have nearly the same results though the bucks are only scoring sub 120's though they are 4 to 8 ur old deer. He biggest so far was an 8 yr old 12 point that only scored 131 gross. The tax said his jawbone was no less than 7.5 but I had him on cam for 5 years and he wasn't a baby when he was first on camera.

humdandy said:

All deer are cull.

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But not all culls are deer...

America is full of cull's (humans), yet we let them reproduce.... Sad times.

If you look on the GON rating map, Tattnall county is rated just above the bottom of the ratings for a big buck. You may have a harder time growing what your looking for in that area since your already feeding protein and food plots.

We had a large 3.5-4.5 looking 6 point 18-19" wide run our property for 2 seasons during the rut, illegal in Troup county or 1 of us would have shot him cause he was a nice mature buck. Never did see any sign of his offspring in the following years.

In all seriousness...I hunt 2 properties- one in talbot co GA and Winston co MS. The one in MS is family land that I have hunted all my life. A record non typical was killed there. Seems like some years we have more "culls" and others more "desirable" racks. My talbot count property usually has more desirable bucks but not always. I just hunt...you never know what the rut will bring. I killed an 11 pointer 2 seasons ago that nobody had pics of.

Killdee said:

If you look on the GON rating map, Tattnall county is rated just above the bottom of the ratings for a big buck. You may have a harder time growing what your looking for in that area since your already feeding protein and food plots.

Click to expand...

Folks in that area don’t register their kills. There are some solid deer in the area. My dad killed one a couple years ago that was close to 135” with 2 broken times on opening day. They’re around, just don’t get bragged about.

But I agree, can’t grow deer if they don’t have potential. Tattnall is full of crop fields and good hardwoods. But then again if you cull half the 1.5 year old bucks on the property then those efforts are even harder to see results.

Yeah I know we are not in an area that gonna produce a monster. I am happy with getting them to there potential. I've seen a few 150's from the area that didn't get spread around much but hat doesn't happen often. Always a lot of rumors one was said to come from a 100 acre tract. Of course it's surrounded by thousands of acres.

Had a few through out the years this size but been watching this guy since he was at least 2.5. As a 2.5 you could tell he had potential. Now he's 5.5 and I'm guessing he will gross in the mid 130's.

Well Said