Age this cull

[Hillbilly Hunter]

Age this super cull. He has a 1.5 yr old rack!

 

[knightrider]

The dumbest word ever made famous by the tv killers

 

[Hillbilly Hunter]

That deer is a cull! I actually use that word from my background in cattle. The use of a word wasn't the subject, but I appreciate your input.

 

[Outdoor Enthusiast]

Definitely mature. What a tank.

 

[Ski]

Hard to say for certain but his ship has sailed. Too old for that rack. Wouldn't take me a second thought to drop him. Some bucks are "wait & see". He's not one of them.

 

[Hillbilly Hunter]

I have two mature 6 ptrs, the other one has better head gear, but still not impressive.

 

[megalomaniac]

I'm not certain he is 4.5 yet. Kinda tricky when they have their neck extended out far like that. Def at least 3.5.

no harm in killing him even if he is 3.5, but personally I let everything go until 4.5 before I cull.

 

[backyardtndeer]

Looks like a 4.5 to me.

 

[DoubleRidge]

Tough one....leaning 4.5

 

[JCDEERMAN]

Looks 4.5 to me

 

[East TN Bowhunter]

I'm not certain he is 4.5 yet. Kinda tricky when they have their neck extended out far like that. Def at least 3.5.

no harm in killing him even if he is 3.5, but personally I let everything go until 4.5 before I cull.

Wish everyone had that mentality!

 

[Jcalder]

What exactly are you culling at that point besides a buck tag? His genes are done out there.

 

[megalomaniac]

What exactly are you culling at that point besides a buck tag? His genes are done out there.

You don't cull to alter genetics. Doesn't matter how many does he bred in his 4.5 years.

On my farms, you only get 1 buck of choice. Noone would waste their only tag on a buck like this, so you get a second buck if it's a cull. It removes a mature buck that consumes resources and potentially may injure other bucks fighting (depending on individual personality). Plus you get a 200lb animal for sausage

 

[Hillbilly Hunter]

You don't cull to alter genetics. Doesn't matter how many does he bred in his 4.5 years.

On my farms, you only get 1 buck of choice. Noone would waste their only tag on a buck like this, so you get a second buck if it's a cull. It removes a mature buck that consumes resources and potentially may injure other bucks fighting (depending on individual personality). Plus you get a 200lb animal for sausage

Exactly. Problem is i have two of them.

 

[swampbadger]

I think he's a 3.5 yo. I don't think he's got the neck stubby stature sway back and belly sag of a mature buck.

I'd be your choice to shoot him if given the chance. But, Outside of the box thinking…

Is there anyway he was car struck? injured? or sick during late spring, early summer that caused him to be underweight and under nourished during that time? Now that he's survived it, he's gone back into the pantry and bulked up after the acorn drop. He in all circumstances could put on a ton of bone this summer before next year.

I've seen 2.5 year olds with much nicer racks. If he's a habitual dinkster and you get pics of the scruby culprit multiple years in a row, than it makes alot of sense to get him out of the breeding pool.

 

[Jcalder]

You don't cull to alter genetics. Doesn't matter how many does he bred in his 4.5 years.

On my farms, you only get 1 buck of choice. Noone would waste their only tag on a buck like this, so you get a second buck if it's a cull. It removes a mature buck that consumes resources and potentially may injure other bucks fighting (depending on individual personality). Plus you get a 200lb animal for sausage

So you only get one buck of choice, unless he don't meet the standard.

 

[megalomaniac]

So you only get one buck of choice, unless he don't meet the standard.

Anyone who hunts my farms gets to kill one buck of their choosing. Whatever their personal standards are. There are no standards to what they choose. Some choose to shoot a 4pt.

 

[Jcalder]

Anyone who hunts my farms gets to kill one buck of their choosing. Whatever their personal standards are. There are no standards. Some choose to shoot a 4pt.

Unless it's a cull? Just trying to figure it out. I know you've stated before about the one buck rule on your farms.

 

[megalomaniac]

Unless it's a cull? Just trying to figure it out. I know you've stated before about the one buck rule on your farms.

A 'cull' is a 'bonus buck' that doesn't count as your one 'buck of choice'.

A 'cull' is 100% determined by me alone. In general, it must be 4.5 years old or older, and have a rack that adults would never choose to shoot as their 'buck of choice'. Generally that is a rack that is less than 120in. Everyone who hunts my farms sees pictures of the culls beforehand.

 

[Ski]

Exactly. Problem is i have two of them.

Yep I got a couple too. And I'd burn a tag on them any chance I get. It's the opposite of antler high grading and it absolutely has the opposite effect. The property has finite space with finite resources. Every deer like that keeps away a more promising one. Killing one fills my freezer while simultaneously clearing room for a hopefully more promising buck.

 

[Bgoodman30]

Exactly. Problem is i have two of them.

This. Shoot him mature enough

 

[megalomaniac]

This. Shoot him mature enough

Most years I am hunting culls.... i could care less about most pretty bucks until they get over 140. I usually save the pretty bucks for other hunters, and I only get to hunt 4 days a year for myself. I thought the buck I shot last Tues was cool, so he died as my buck of choice. The rest of the year I'll be guiding kids.

 

[Hillbilly Hunter]

@megalomaniac I must have missed your deer, please post a picture and congrats!

 

[megalomaniac]

@megalomaniac I must have missed your deer, please post a picture and congrats!

Ty! I didn't shoot a buck last year, maybe a little trigger happy this year. He came out behind 2 does right at 100y away lip curling and head laid back like an elk. I figured him for 20inside and 130in, but didn't realize how short his tines were. He ended up 19.75inside, 21.5 and 20.5in beams, score 117in.

Killed him within 50 yards of the August drone picture.

 

[Hillbilly Hunter]

Ty! I didn't shoot a buck last year, maybe a little trigger happy this year. He came out behind 2 does right at 100y away lip curling and head laid back like an elk. I figured him for 20inside and 130in, but didn't realize how short his tines were. He ended up 19.75inside, 21.5 and 20.5in beams, score 117in.

Killed him within 50 yards of the August drone picture.

Awesome! Is that a Tennessee deer?

 

[Ski]

He's super wide! Congrats Mega

 

[megalomaniac]

Awesome! Is that a Tennessee deer?

Yes, I won't hunt in south MS until Jan 1st when the prerut starts (may hunt Starkville area 2nd week of Dec)

 

[megalomaniac]

He's super wide! Congrats Mega

TY, he is actually the 2nd widest deer I've ever killed. I thought there was a chance he would be my PB (20.5in), but.... ground shrinkage :)

 

[Outdoor Enthusiast]

Ty! I didn't shoot a buck last year, maybe a little trigger happy this year. He came out behind 2 does right at 100y away lip curling and head laid back like an elk. I figured him for 20inside and 130in, but didn't realize how short his tines were. He ended up 19.75inside, 21.5 and 20.5in beams, score 117in.

Killed him within 50 yards of the August drone picture.

Beautiful back drop of the hillside in the picture. Love that!

And congrats on a good buck.

 

[megalomaniac]

Beautiful back drop of the hillside in the picture. Love that!

And congrats on a good buck.

That's one of my little secrets :) 60 acres of native browse managed as a food source for drought years. If you zoom in, you can see about 2inches of fresh new growth on the coralberry stems. Not many foods a deer prefer over young and tender coralberry. Throw in they young and tender blackberry brier regrowth as dessert, and I'm pulling deer from a long ways away. I think I ended up seeing 25 different deer total that morning (most were too far away to shoot though)