#2061826 - 09/08/10 07:54 AM
This Business of "Cull" Bucks
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bowriter
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Registered: 08/31/02
Posts: 40337
Loc: Lebanon,TN USA
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Jump in any time BSK &BGG.
I’ve been giving some thought to this business of “cull” bucks. I hear that term a lot. It always makes me slightly cringe because in my opinion, less than 1% of all deer hunters nationwide have the slightest idea what a cull buck is. Judging a buck in the wild to be a cull is nothing but sheer folley.
Here is why.
They-hunters- base their opinion solely on one factor. ANTLERS. Now why is that a faulty barometer? Let me count the ways.
1-Who knows what if any genetic contribution the male makes to antler development?
2- Who knows how important the doe is in antler development?
3- Unless we see several male progeny of that “cull” buck, how do we know he is passing those genes on? That is why, in my opinion, accurate culling can only be done under penned conditions and with complete accurate records for both sire and dam.
4- Why should one criteria, antlers be the only criteria for culling a buck?
Let me put it another way. How many of you have sons who are physically superior to you? Should you have been culled? I am 5-9/12, 160 pounds. My son is 6-2, 220 pounds.
There are some genetic traits that we can easily recognize. Dwarfism and mental retardation are two that come to mind. However, even with both parents possessing these two traits, perfectly normal, even superior children are born.
So in my opinion, culling a buck just because he is mature and has ugly antlers is just as wise as shooting spikes. Neither make one bit of sense.
Perhaps BSK and BGG will weigh in on this. After all, this is just my opinion
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Constipation has ruined many a good day. Not as many as stupidity, though.
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#2061848 - 09/08/10 08:04 AM
Re: This Business of "Cull" Bucks
[Re: bowriter]
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Winchester
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Registered: 12/05/03
Posts: 25339
Loc: TN
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A cull buck is any FULLY MATURE buck with sub par antlers IMO anyway.
He's fully mature, yet has small antlers, he's a cull in my eyes!
Most people will shoot ANY mature buck they see anyway, so if he has a sub par rack he's a cull! No excuse needed to shoot these bucks because they have reached maturity and will be shot on site by most anyone in the woods regardless of rack size.
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#2061854 - 09/08/10 08:08 AM
Re: This Business of "Cull" Bucks
[Re: Winchester]
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BSK
Jerkasourous of the non-typical kind
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Registered: 03/11/99
Posts: 59670
Loc: Nashville, TN
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I will happily shoot a mature buck with small antlers; not because I want to "cull" him but because I WANT to harvest him!
_________________________
"Know where you stand, and stand there" --Jesuit Father Daniel Berrigan
"There is no reasoning someone out of a position he has not reasoned himself into." --Clive James
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#2061860 - 09/08/10 08:13 AM
Re: This Business of "Cull" Bucks
[Re: BSK]
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Winchester
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Registered: 12/05/03
Posts: 25339
Loc: TN
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I will happily shoot a mature buck with small antlers; not because I want to "cull" him but because I WANT to harvest him!
EXACTLY BSK, most hunters will shoot ANY mature buck, and when they reach that age and still have a small rack, they are a CULL in my eyes! Its a shame but it happens often in many areas, just the nature of the beast!
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#2061873 - 09/08/10 08:20 AM
Re: This Business of "Cull" Bucks
[Re: Winchester]
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Andy S.
TnDeer Old Timer
12 Point
Registered: 07/26/99
Posts: 7290
Loc: Atoka, TN
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IMO, when referring to male deer, the words "cull" and "fully mature" are like an oxymoron when used to describe them. The word "cull" typically means something picked out and put aside as inferior, however, in my eyes there is nothing inferior about a mature buck, thus the oxymoron. A mature buck is a trophy within itself, regardless of headgear unless we are talking TDM.
If one strictly hunts for horns (which is fine by me) and not age, then the term cull buck may be appropriate for describing the exact mature deer he or she just harvested, as it did not produce a predetermined amount of horn in a predetermined amount of time, thus resulting in a "cull" to some. This is by no means an indicator of what that deer could contribute to the deer herd down the road if left in the deer herd(e.g. future offspring etc).
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Andy S.
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#2061916 - 09/08/10 09:01 AM
Re: This Business of "Cull" Bucks
[Re: Andy S.]
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Robbhorn
6 Point
Registered: 11/03/09
Posts: 543
Loc: Maury County
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IMO... Hunting is done for food. Trophys are exactly that... Trophys. I've never really chewed on an antler and venture to guess it's best left to the squirrels. I look at deer size and maturity and gauge how much meat it will give me. If it's worth the ammo and the drag, I drop it.
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#2061917 - 09/08/10 09:01 AM
Re: This Business of "Cull" Bucks
[Re: Andy S.]
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MUP
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Registered: 08/01/07
Posts: 36598
Loc: Just North of Chatt-town
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But but but that's ALL I hear on the hunting shows! "We want to take this buck out of the heard b/c we don't want all these 8 pts mixing in and killing out the 10 pt genes." I've heard this exact quote.
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MUP
Amateurs: Built the Ark
Professionals: Built the Titanic
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#2061934 - 09/08/10 09:09 AM
Re: This Business of "Cull" Bucks
[Re: MUP]
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Andy S.
TnDeer Old Timer
12 Point
Registered: 07/26/99
Posts: 7290
Loc: Atoka, TN
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But but but that's ALL I hear on the hunting shows! "We want to take this buck out of the heard b/c we don't want all these 8 pts mixing in and killing out the 10 pt genes." I've heard this exact quote.
I believe you heard this. IMO, this is a true indicator of their lack of intelligence about deer biology.
_________________________
Andy S.
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#2061946 - 09/08/10 09:15 AM
Re: This Business of "Cull" Bucks
[Re: Andy S.]
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DOC1187
16 Point
Registered: 06/14/08
Posts: 10387
Loc: east tn
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racks are a bonus meat is for the stomach
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#2061947 - 09/08/10 09:15 AM
Re: This Business of "Cull" Bucks
[Re: Andy S.]
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Poser
14 Point
Registered: 07/28/10
Posts: 8401
Loc: Tennessee
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Good post.
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It doesn't have to be fun to be fun. Wild & crazy, can't be stopped. Only the strong will survive. Keep your knife sharp and your skillet greasy. http://www.GoCarnivore.com
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