RiverBuck10
Well-Known Member
Great stuff..
vabuckbuster said:That would be great printed out on photo quality paper and put in a binder.
Wes Parrish said:Excellent post, BSK!
Great info, seldom even mentioned in the popular (and generally worthless) hunting magazines.
This particular yearling buck illustrates one of the main reasons I usually don't like antler restrictions being used as criteria in defining "shooter" bucks.BSK said:. . . when field-judging buck age, always, always, ALWAYS ignore the antlers.
By not focusing on age first, many QDM clubs (and particularly WMA's with antler restrictions) are actually "high grading" their best yearling bucks and above-average 2 1/2-yr-old bucks, mainly leaving the genetically inferior survivors into the older ages classes. Many WMAs and QDM clubs would actually be producing more genetically superior antlered older bucks if they were NOT using any antler restrictions, particularly if they just made yearling bucks illegal (no matter what the antlers on that yearling).
I like to focus on AGE first, while trying to totally ignore antlers.
In the field, a quick focus at the buck's neck is where you start. "Skinny" neck = young buck. "Very fat" neck = 3 1/2 or older buck.
WBy the way, regarding this particular yearling pic above, there are probably no reasonable antler restrictions that would prevent him from being a "legal" buck at the age of 2 1/2. Yet it is bucks like this one that have the most potential to become the very top-end largest antlered bucks whould they survive to 3 1/2 or older.
BSK said:vabuckbuster said:That would be great printed out on photo quality paper and put in a binder.
One of these days I'll finish updating the poster and have it professionally printed and laminated. Depending on printing costs, I'll probably sell copies for $20. And the image is set up for poster-size paper (24" x 36"). I can currently print that with my plotter on high-gloss paper, but it has to be laminated or framed to keep the poster from getting wet (I don't have waterproof ink).
WDS said:BSK does not know a darn thing about judging whitetails !!! He has been hitting that bong way too hard. He even photo shopped the images of him with that toad of a 6.5 y.o !!! I killed that deer in Perry county with a hickory stick (half rotten) ...I was friggin NAKED at the time (Don't Ask).. while Bryan was chasing ME with his damn camera trying to get a pic of a REAL mature buck's 'member' !!!!! Im so fired up I just grunt-snort-wheezed !!!!! Hippie PERVERT !!!!!!
Bryan, things are looking good at Cedar Point !!! All due to your consultant services !!!!! Truly the best thing I could have done for our farm was to hire you !!!!
You got any more of that Clumbian 'funky weed' that you had us plant ????? The deer are all bloodshot when we kill 'em and smell like skunk !!!! Haaaaaa !!!