Public land hunting stories

[catman529]

150" isn't unheard of at all even in TN on public land. I have a upper 150s buck and have seen several others. The difference between the years I have had opportunities at deer in that size range is 100% related to effort put into finding one. My hunting had been off and on the past few years. Even in some of my slower years I still seen deer of that caliber

The best part is this year I have two weeks of vacation

good to see you back


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[Shed Hunter]

150" isn't unheard of at all even in TN on public land. I have a upper 150s buck and have seen several others. The difference between the years I have had opportunities at deer in that size range is 100% related to effort put into finding one. My hunting had been off and on the past few years. Even in some of my slower years I still seen deer of that caliber

The best part is this year I have two weeks of vacation

good to see you back


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Man let me tell you.. I'm eat up with it again. I've already put more time into it just this summer than I have the past two years put together, but another thing i can say is consecutive years of knowledge overpowers a fresh start. The best way to kill a mature buck is to watch and learn a young buck. His tendencies may change a bit but not likely entirely and if that headgear is 120+ at 2.5 or 3.5 you may have your 150" deer to hunt in a couple of years

 

[Ski]

I've been running cameras since 2005

And I run a bunch of cameras from July through February. I may have anywhere from 8-20 out at one time on 1000 acres.

I've never got a picture of a deer over 140" in Tennessee

I've killed 8 bucks 4.5 or older in that time and several 3.5s

They are not very common.

I also score for BTR and have since 2006. I've scored a few over 150" and a bunch from 125-145 in Tennessee.

I hunt Nebraska and will get a dozen on camera in a week some years over 140". There a difference in up there and down here. Big difference

And it ain't people letting them walk. Spend a day at the check station and you'll see that.

If not for age structure, then what causes the discrepancy? We have plenty agriculture, especially here in middle TN. The winters aren't terribly harsh so the deer aren't starving or malnourished.

 

[catman529]

I've been running cameras since 2005

And I run a bunch of cameras from July through February. I may have anywhere from 8-20 out at one time on 1000 acres.

I've never got a picture of a deer over 140" in Tennessee

I've killed 8 bucks 4.5 or older in that time and several 3.5s

They are not very common.

I also score for BTR and have since 2006. I've scored a few over 150" and a bunch from 125-145 in Tennessee.

I hunt Nebraska and will get a dozen on camera in a week some years over 140". There a difference in up there and down here. Big difference

And it ain't people letting them walk. Spend a day at the check station and you'll see that.

If not for age structure, then what causes the discrepancy? We have plenty agriculture, especially here in middle TN. The winters aren't terribly harsh so the deer aren't starving or malnourished.

Genetics. Different strain of whitetail deer up there. We just have smaller deer. Actually I think there are some strong Wisconsin genetics in parts of middle TN, especially around Williamson, Davidson and Cheatham counties, because of some of the deer during the restoration came from Wisconsin. I've seen some much bigger than average deer around here, with the biggest being a buck that weighed 250 pounds on a digital scale.


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[JCDEERMAN]

I've been running cameras since 2005

And I run a bunch of cameras from July through February. I may have anywhere from 8-20 out at one time on 1000 acres.

I've never got a picture of a deer over 140" in Tennessee

I've killed 8 bucks 4.5 or older in that time and several 3.5s

They are not very common.

I also score for BTR and have since 2006. I've scored a few over 150" and a bunch from 125-145 in Tennessee.

I hunt Nebraska and will get a dozen on camera in a week some years over 140". There a difference in up there and down here. Big difference

And it ain't people letting them walk. Spend a day at the check station and you'll see that.

If not for age structure, then what causes the discrepancy? We have plenty agriculture, especially here in middle TN. The winters aren't terribly harsh so the deer aren't starving or malnourished.

Genetics. Different strain of whitetail deer up there. We just have smaller deer. Actually I think there are some strong Wisconsin genetics in parts of middle TN, especially around Williamson, Davidson and Cheatham counties, because of some of the deer during the restoration came from Wisconsin. I've seen some much bigger than average deer around here, with the biggest being a buck that weighed 250 pounds on a digital scale.


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Yep - I've seen a handful of does in Williamson, Cheatham and Davidson that have bigger bodies than alot of our mature bucks in Hickman. It is just so hard to fathom an hour drive having that much of a difference.

 

[Ski]

It is just so hard to fathom an hour drive having that much of a difference.

Sure has me stumped. Bucks cover enough ground that I'd think within several generations there wouldn't be a significant genetic difference from one region to another.

 

[catman529]

It is just so hard to fathom an hour drive having that much of a difference.

Sure has me stumped. Bucks cover enough ground that I'd think within several generations there wouldn't be a significant genetic difference from one region to another.

Alabama has a more colorful rut map than tennesssee due to varying genetics. For whatever reason, one strain of deer doesn't spread too far. Sure a single buck can travel several miles of ground during his life but that doesn't mean they spread like armadillos.


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[Lost Lake]

I hunted Ft. Campbell for quite a while when I lived nearby there. The Archery only area bucks had obvious Texas genetics, with smaller bodies, shorter faces and darker antlers. The higher numbered areas held bucks that had a more northern look and body size to them. It's been that way for years.

The Fort was stocked with bucks from Texas, Michigan, and Oklahoma I believe. Maybe a few other states I've forgotten.

 

[AlabamaSwamper]

It is just so hard to fathom an hour drive having that much of a difference.

Sure has me stumped. Bucks cover enough ground that I'd think within several generations there wouldn't be a significant genetic difference from one region to another.

Alabama has a more colorful rut map than tennesssee due to varying genetics. For whatever reason, one strain of deer doesn't spread too far. Sure a single buck can travel several miles of ground during his life but that doesn't mean they spread like armadillos.


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Very true

Bankhead has a mid November rut. Drive 20 miles either way and it's January. Southeast Alabama has pockets of November rut surrounded by late January.

Who knows why. I do know there are some truly world class deer in that forest but they are hard to find.

 

[AlabamaSwamper]

I've been running cameras since 2005

And I run a bunch of cameras from July through February. I may have anywhere from 8-20 out at one time on 1000 acres.

I've never got a picture of a deer over 140" in Tennessee

I've killed 8 bucks 4.5 or older in that time and several 3.5s

They are not very common.

I also score for BTR and have since 2006. I've scored a few over 150" and a bunch from 125-145 in Tennessee.

I hunt Nebraska and will get a dozen on camera in a week some years over 140". There a difference in up there and down here. Big difference

And it ain't people letting them walk. Spend a day at the check station and you'll see that.

If not for age structure, then what causes the discrepancy? We have plenty agriculture, especially here in middle TN. The winters aren't terribly harsh so the deer aren't starving or malnourished.

I don't anyone truly knows.

Jackson county Alabama produces giant whitetails every year. Although must have the age it takes.

I've hunted areas where locals don't look twice at a 140" deer. They see them daily. That doesn't happen here. Obvious by the number of 150" deer brought to me that are really 130" deer. Or less

 

[Ski]

Sure a single buck can travel several miles of ground during his life but that doesn't mean they spread like armadillos.

The natural premise behind them covering ground is specifically to spread genetics for overall herd health, to prevent stagnation and inbreeding. It's been long enough that overlap should have been happening for many, many generations. Perhaps it could be the old "birds of a feather flock together" type thing. Maybe deer are more tribal than we think and largely stick to their own sub group regardless of location. Humans do it.

People come to America from all over the world and have forever, yet it's rare to find a truly mixed community or neighborhood. For the most part we humans stick to our own regardless where we're at. I guess it wouldn't be a stretch to believe deer could be the same way.

 

[catman529]

Sure a single buck can travel several miles of ground during his life but that doesn't mean they spread like armadillos.

The natural premise behind them covering ground is specifically to spread genetics for overall herd health, to prevent stagnation and inbreeding. It's been long enough that overlap should have been happening for many, many generations. Perhaps it could be the old "birds of a feather flock together" type thing. Maybe deer are more tribal than we think and largely stick to their own sub group regardless of location. Humans do it.

People come to America from all over the world and have forever, yet it's rare to find a truly mixed community or neighborhood. For the most part we humans stick to our own regardless where we're at. I guess it wouldn't be a stretch to believe deer could be the same way.

I would guess you are correct.


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[Shed Hunter]

When we look at genetics being spread it's not actually surprising to see localized trends. Say a given area was stocked with deer (for sake of size we'll just say Canadian). The area is predominantly saturated with those genetics and for the most part it would seem it should likely stay that way for a considerably long time. Both bucks and does usually participate in a "dispersal" though does tend to not commit to as extreme of a dispersal as bucks. This causes genetics to spread (not eliminate) from the home turf. The genetics will be blended with surrounding deer and some of those surrounding deer will disperse right back into the original area mentioned.

It could be visualized by picturing a nuclear bomb. You have an epicenter of the explosion.. complete devastation. This is your condensed genetics. It's there to stay and for a long time. You have an exponentially decreasing radius of damage. This is your genetic dispersal. This radius of damage is slowly going to disappear and blend back to normal over time (with genetics in particular there will always be a lasting impact no matter how slight it will become over time)

A 150" TN deer is a combination of genetics, habitat, and age coming together. Some places lack the habitat.. some lack the age structure, and some lack the genetics. What's good about public land? You have no obligation to hunt those areas. Get your boots on and move.

 

[oldmanelrod]

A 150" deer is bigger than people realize, and I don't think the THP boys kill a 150" too often, and I don't know if they score any of them either. They do a lot of cyber scouting, and get a little intel from locals when possible. They're also good hunters who hunt full time, and can spend a full week or more figuring out an area. I know them personally and their kills are 100% legit.

I don't want to speak for them, but I think the Deep South is the toughest for them to consistently find good bucks due to the habitat. I hunted with them in MS in January, and there were definitely some really good mature deer there, but with almost no distinguishable pattern and not much to funnel their movement. Warb and I talked about how spending just an extra week or so would have been a huge help in putting the pieces together to kill something. I saw a mature wide 8 point at about 60 yards when I was down there. Still wish I'd had another week myself to hunt there.

As for my public land kills, it's mostly antlerless deer. But I've killed a few good 2.5 year olds, and had a couple of close encounters with older deer. And during the summer, I've seen all kinds of big bucks eating soybeans, so I know they are around. Hunting them is a different story, with Chinese privet and cedar thickets, lots of CRP infested with briars, and odd property lines that make it very difficult to hunt a specific deer.


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Catman, great post!

 

[TN Whitetail Freak]

everwhere these guys go from KY to Missouri they are killing 150+" deer so I am starting to question the validity?

I've only seen maybe 3 deer they killed that would fit that bill. Most are 120s to high 130s

 

[Trnr]

Here's a good read about deer restoration in TN. We've got some good deer here, even on public ground. I hunt solely public (WMA's and State forests) and I've got some pictures of some bruisers (In my opinion- I know theres a lot bigger out there). I'm not good at scoring, but theyre dandys in my book. Don't want to hi-jack the thread, but i can post post pics if yall want.

Info:
https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/twra/ ... ration.pdf

 

[philsanchez76]

Here's a good read about deer restoration in TN. We've got some good deer here, even on public ground. I hunt solely public (WMA's and State forests) and I've got some pictures of some bruisers (In my opinion- I know theres a lot bigger out there). I'm not good at scoring, but theyre dandys in my book. Don't want to hi-jack the thread, but i can post post pics if yall want.

Info:
https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/twra/ ... ration.pdf

Yes pics please!

 

[tree_ghost]

Here's a good read about deer restoration in TN. We've got some good deer here, even on public ground. I hunt solely public (WMA's and State forests) and I've got some pictures of some bruisers (In my opinion- I know theres a lot bigger out there). I'm not good at scoring, but theyre dandys in my book. Don't want to hi-jack the thread, but i can post post pics if yall want.

Info:
https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/twra/ ... ration.pdf

Yes pics please!

X2


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[Trnr]

Im still looking for some of the others, but here's a decent start. I know they're a far cry from 150, but we can grow some good deer here.

 

[Trnr]

Here's a few more