Cull buck??

[Spurhunter]

I never kill a "cull buck" because I think most of them had an injury in velvet or something like that and next year they'll be just fine. However, this buck showed up today and I was wondering what the experts would say about him. Thanks in advance for your opinions.

 

[Jcalder]

Just another buck. What are you gonna cull?

 

[Spurhunter]

Just another buck. What are you gonna cull?

I'm not going to cull anything. I was just wanting to hear other's opinions.

 

[Jcalder]

I'm not going to cull anything. I was just wanting to hear other's opinions.

Too late to really age him good. He's done as much breeding as any other buck in the state. At this point, he's one to wait for next season or finish off your freezer. I'm not expert by any means, but he looks young.

 

[themanpcl]

Just my opinion, there are no cull bucks in a 2 buck, no fence situation. Unless you can perform a Jedi mind trick on the P&Y/B&C bucks to keep them on your property...lol.. That looks like a 2 year old that might blow up next season.

 

[DoubleRidge]

He looks young. Hopefully he hangs around and you can see what he does in the next year or two...but study after study has proven that in a wild deer herd that killing a particular buck has practically zero effect to the genetic make up of the herd...so other that removing a mouth to feed...not much to gain by removing him....and who knows...the way his main beams go up....as he matures he may be super tall...high and tight...or what many call a rocking chair rack!

 

[killingtime 41]

I'd say 2 years old most likely. And do believe he might grow to a large tall rack. I'm not even close to an expert. But I watch on camera at my house. From bucks when they're fawns to some I'll see even into maturity. And never count out a young buck like that. They will blow your mind sometimes at what a year will do. Especially with a really good acorn crop.

 

[Spurhunter]

the way his main beams go up....as he matures he may be super tall...high and tight...or what many call a rocking chair rack!

I thought about that too. I just wondered if the cull buck hunters would kill him because he's that tall with only a fork.

 

[bigtex]

Looks like a 2.5 Y.O. Buck to me.
He might be a pretty good one next season.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

Looks young - long legs, likely a 2.5. We have 3 deer identical in rack. Two 2.5's and one 3.5. Will reevaluate next year

 

[Spurhunter]

Looks young - long legs, likely a 2.5. We have 3 deer identical in rack. Two 2.5's and one 3.5. Will reevaluate next year

I'll probably never see him again to reevaluate next year.

 

[Spurhunter]

Better side view.

 

[WestTn Huntin man]

 

[JCDEERMAN]

I'll probably never see him again to reevaluate next year.

After this year, there are certainly never any guarantees. I've never had so many curveballs thrown at me in any years past. Literally every time I went in the woods. With very high expectations, I quickly went from bonafide killing mode to just enjoying the small things and just myself out there. Very humbling

 

[backyardtndeer]

Young deer. He may have a decent set of antlers next year.

 

[knightrider]

Young buck with TONS of potential if he makes it!!

 

[Snake]

My guess he'll be no more than a six point but could be one of those big sixes . At 2.5 if that he is I would think he should have more points .

 

[megalomaniac]

Looks like an average 2.5yo to me... but its hard to age them this time of the year.

If he was 200lbs and looked 4.5yo back in Nov, then def a cull.

 

[Lost Lake]

He looks young to me. I'd let him go for awhile and see what he turns into.

 

[DeerCamp]

Agree with others. Looks young.

That said, have to ask what people mean when they say "cull buck".

Remove him from the herd? Not sure what that accomplishes unless he's a mature bully buck keeping other bucks away.

Remove his genetics from the herd? Unless you can kill his maternal lineage too (and siblings) then that's not possible.

Just as likely to be an injury as anything else.

In TN, every buck we kill is a herd ratio skew, and I can't think of a single good reason to kill him based on these pics unless he's just a deer you want to put in the freezer.

 

[gasman]

Wait till necks year

 

[Ski]

IMO, there are very few reasons to cull a buck before maturity. Antler characteristics aren't one of them.

 

[rem270]

Young deer with pretty good potential it looks like.

 

[Andy S.]

My opinion is I don't shoot any bucks to cull, period. In other words, I do not look for a reason to shoot a buck other that I "want to" shoot him. The buck either meets my personal criteria or he does not. The majority of bucks I see from the stand do not, so 99% of the bucks just walk on by. I shoot does every year and occasionally kill a good buck (preferably 4.5+) every few years. The buck in the photo could walk by me 10,000 times and I would never pick my gun up. He is safe to roam and do his thing. Now if I have a new hunter with me (youth or adult) and he/she wants to fire down on any buck, I'll gladly encourage it and help them drag it out. YMMV

 

[kornbread]

Young. I'm gonna say 2.5 and could possibly develop into something decent. If he didn't change much next year put a kid on him and get him out of the herd. That's my opinion. I don't like to see 2.5's shot that have really good genetics but at the same time I'd rather see that deer shot than a 125" 3.5 year old 8 or 10pt. To each own but that's my mind set.

 

[BSK]

Just a below average 2 1/2 year-old (depending on location). Odds are, he's never going to be top-end, but he could certainly be a decent buck with age.

 

[agelessssone]

I had a deer like that back in Illinois.
He haunted the same area for four years, antlers never changed in shape, just got more mass.
I finally took him out for the meat, he weighed 192 field dressed

 

[Specializedjon]

(BOOM)

"Oh dang, he's pretty young"

- meat eater

 

[TheLBLman]

My opinion is I don't shoot any bucks to cull, period. In other words, I do not look for a reason to shoot a buck other that I "want to" shoot him. The buck either meets my personal criteria or he does not. The majority of bucks I see from the stand do not, so 99% of the bucks just walk on by. I shoot does every year and occasionally kill a good buck (preferably 4.5+) every few years. The buck in the photo could walk by me 10,000 times and I would never pick my gun up. He is safe to roam and do his thing.

Pretty much my personal buck philosophy.

Now if I have a new hunter with me (youth or adult) and he/she wants to fire down on any buck, I'll gladly encourage it and help them drag it out. YMMV

Not necessarily on this.
In some places I hunt, this buck would not be a legal buck due to age or antler restrictions.
If it is a legal buck, I will explain to another hunter why I personally don't want to shoot it,
and will likely just say "the choice is yours".

If he decides to take it, then I'll congratulate him on his trophy, and gladly help him with every aspect.

 

[Ski]

Here's a similar buck. He was a below average 2.5yr old with small antlers that didn't have much for tine count or length. Didn't even have the height of the OP buck. But going from 2.5 to 3.5 made a big difference. He grew a pretty nice, unique rack with a split G2 and 3" flyer off his right base, not to mention added considerable height and mass. He didn't turn into a P&Y trophy but he did grow, and next season if he's still around I'd bet he'll be real near that P&Y trophy at 4.5. If he survives to 5.5 he'll likely be a shooter for anywhere in the world, let alone southern middle TN. Will he ever be world class B&C? No probably not. But he'll be a big, unique rack buck that never would have been if I "culled" him for being an underachieving 2.5yr old.