When did it change

[RobbyW]

Growing up when you told someone you killed a buck and the asked ho big was he, the answer was 8 point. Was this the same for most of you?

When did it change to inches and age? Not that it bothers me at all just curious what your thoughts are on when and why this has changed. Or am I the only one that never scored or aged deer years ago


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[plinker22]

TV

 

[RUGER]

Wow, I remember years ago I wrote a little "story" and that was the title of it.
It was speaking to the exact thing you describe.

Man I wish I had a copy of that.

 

[Tennessee Lead]

TV

This

 

[Mike Belt]

In 1973 when I started deer hunting there was no mention of antler scores. You killed a 6 pointer or 7 pointer or 8 pointer etc. Once in a while you might even include the weight. There was never a mention of age. Somewhere around the year 2000 you still counted the number of points but began mentioning the B & C scores to go along with it. Around 2010-2012 hunters began including age estimates. I think this all came about influenced by TV hunting shows and magazine articles but just as well, hunter involvement. For the most part the first 20 years or so of responsibility of deer management in Tn was almost 100% on TWRA's shoulders. Gradually the hunters and land owners began a hands on approach managing their local deer herds and in the last 10 years or so really began manipulating habitat and striving to improve deer numbers and the quality of those deer.

It seems a natural progression to me and there's almost as much satisfaction in doing so as in the actual hunting itself. As long as you keep everything in perspective I have nothing against this mentality. An 8 pointer when I started hunting was an 8 pointer. If he was 1.5 or 5.5 years old there was no difference. He was an 8 pointer. Now when someone describes that same deer by age and score along with the number of points you can pretty accurately visualize exactly what that deer looks like.

 

[TNRifleman]

I can remember telling someone you killed a buck and their only response was, "that's great"

 

[Headhunter]

I like and I don't like the "inches" mentality. To me you kill a deer that makes you happy.

With the exception that inches does give a different look. many years ago, a guy (a friend of a friend) called me and wanted the number of the taxidermist I use. He was excited, he had killed a buck that had 14, 15 or 16 points, I don't remember, but it was in that ballpark. I told him to just meet me at the taxidermist shop because I had a 7 pointer I was going to mount. I will never forget how he gave me heck about killing a little 7 pointer, it almost got to where I was going to tell him to go somewhere else. I never told him about my "little" 7 pointer and never said a negative word to him and congratulated him many times, he was excited, I have been where he was many times. But he preached at me about not killing anything less than an 8 pointer until I told him I would see him at the shop and we could talk then.

He pulled in, grabbed his "huge" buck out of the back of his truck (it had lots of points, but was only 12" inside and the longest point was maybe 4", circumference would have been maybe 2" he said it dressed 140 lbs) and I had to listen to his spill of how to kill big bucks and he preached at me more about killing a little old 7 pointer. He finally asked me where was "the baby 7 pointer"? I pulled it out of the bed of my truck and he didn't say anything. g2's on it are 11 and 12", just over 22" main beams, almost 17" inside, brow tine (it was missing one) was longer than any of the points on his deer, almost 5" bases and it dressed at 172 lbs. He got real quiet and told the taxidermist he wasn't mounting his buck and left. On occasion there is a reason to know the measurements of a deer. I know back in the day, it did not matter the size of the rack a buck had, just how many points and that is for sure not a true indicator of the size of the antlers.

 

[Stykbow]

I can remember telling someone you killed a buck and their only response was, "that's great"

Me too and it's still my response. I like seeing folks kill what makes them happy. Anything from a doe to 12 pointer; doesn't matter.

 

[fairchaser]

In some places especially the deep south, the answer to that question is always weight, then how many points. B&C score doesn't apply. If anything the BTR score applies. I've noticed a new trend toward age over score which is IMO the best. I wonder what the next step will be?

 

[TX300mag]

For me it was the fall of 1992 when I started hunting the Freeman Ranch in the Texas Hill Country. We were allowed one "trophy" buck and one "cull" buck. This was new to me, but had been going on in Texas for years. Each buck killed had to be checked in at the ranch headquarters and detailed antler measurements were taken and jawbones were aged by tooth wear.

Big buck contests were going strong, although for a while the scores were calculated using inside with+longest time length+number of points. My brother won Hays County one year in mid 90s with score of 35 or 36, a 130" ten pointer that was 3.5 years old if I remember correctly.

It was all intriguing for about 15 years, but I don't like what it's done to hunting in general.




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[BSK]

I can't say when the majority of hunters began mentioning age. But the whole "age" consideration started with the QDM movement. It was the teaching of QDM theory and practice that introduced hunters to the importance of buck age, and the role age plays in antler growth. It was also the QDM movement that encouraged hunters to make buck kills based on age versus antler points. The QDMA held hundreds of such teaching events across the country at hunting shows and special symposiums for hunters from 1995-2005.

But I will agree that TV hunting shows popularized the concepts, and much of that has occurred since 2010.

 

[Beard Buster]

If we said it was big
it was big
and the same for nice and small

 

[Winchester]

I agree QDMA started the trend and TV shows took it to the levels we have now! Age and inches to a lot of people are like # of points have always been to them. So often I hear people say I saw a huge buck, he had to be at least 12 or 14 points. Like an 8 or 10 pt cant grow a huge rack? Same for inches and age, many have no idea how to score or age a deer and simply give the answer of their "estimation" ?? I see people quite often age a dead deer without ever looking in its mouth? Purely guesses, but they truly believe they are right. I will have to blame the TV shows for most of this outlandish junk, but that said, people have to be smart enough to filter the trash on a daily basis as well, happens in every aspect of life! I just wish everybody would shoot what makes them happy and feel no pressure to justify it or apologize for it, kill what makes you happy and roll with it!

 

[BSK]

...Same for inches and age, many have no idea how to score or age a deer and simply give the answer of their "estimation" ?? I see people quite often age a dead deer without ever looking in its mouth? Purely guesses, but they truly believe they are right. I will have to blame the TV shows for most of this outlandish junk, but that said, people have to be smart enough to filter the trash on a daily basis as well, happens in every aspect of life!

Oh, the stories I could tell...

...I just wish everybody would shoot what makes them happy and feel no pressure to justify it or apologize for it, kill what makes you happy and roll with it!

Exactly.

Luckily, I'm now too old to care in the least what other people think of my hunting style or kills. of course, I can't help stirring the pot from time to time. :twisted: One of my favorite things to do is show off a picture of one of my many 2 1/2 year-old buck kills to a hardened trophyist, just to see them squirm!

 

[rem270]

Funny this topic came up because i was just mentioning this last week to someone. I killed my 1st mountable (to me) buck in 2002. To us it was just a big 8 pt. And for several yrs i never put a tape on it. Nowadays the first thing that is asked is what did it score.

 

[PillsburyDoughboy]

I can't say when the majority of hunters began mentioning age. But the whole "age" consideration started with the QDM movement. It was the teaching of QDM theory and practice that introduced hunters to the importance of buck age, and the role age plays in antler growth. It was also the QDM movement that encouraged hunters to make buck kills based on age versus antler points. The QDMA held hundreds of such teaching events across the country at hunting shows and special symposiums for hunters from 1995-2005.

But I will agree that TV hunting shows popularized the concepts, and much of that has occurred since 2010.

Right on the money here.

I catch these TV hunters now days (if they don't edit it out) They will say big buck then they will say "I mean Mature buck" as if big buck is a dirty word or something.

I really bust a rib laughing when they kill a doe and get on the ground with them and camera up with them and say "we killed a mature doe".

I even caught one of the TV hunters that I respect alot David Blanton getting caught up in the Big Buck VS mature Buck Lingo one night. He started to say Big Buck when he was talking about one of his kills and about the time he said the word big he stopped and used the word mature.

 

[BSK]

I catch these TV hunters now days (if they don't edit it out) They will say big buck then they will say "I mean Mature buck" as if big buck is a dirty word or something.

I really bust a rib laughing when they kill a doe and get on the ground with them and camera up with them and say "we killed a mature doe".

I even caught one of the TV hunters that I respect alot David Blanton getting caught up in the Big Buck VS mature Buck Lingo one night. He started to say Big Buck when he was talking about one of his kills and about the time he said the word big he stopped and used the word mature.

I agree that "mature" has now become synonym for "big." And basically, the term "mature" is being used for any buck older than 2 1/2, even though biologically the term mature is used only for bucks 4 1/2 and older. Generally, it isn't until 4 years of age that a buck achieves the physical and behavioral traits that make them mature.

 

[infoman jr.]

This:

VS:

 

[muddyboots]

First questions from my buddies on my deer lease. What age is he?

 

[Grill-n-man]

I really got into deer hunting right here in east TN around 87 or 88. At that time just seeing a deer was something much less taking a buck. Any buck was a good one and well worth taking about. The thought of putting a tape measure on its rack was not even a thought, but age was mentioned often. The way age was discussed back then was simply that it looks like this ole boy been around for awhile. Occasionally a farmer or family member would say how old a deer was because it was seen over the years and more than not shot at. By about the mid 90s the timber company lands open to the public were replaced by club leases and the QDM idea was in swing. At that time, those hunting under QDM were actually trying to improve the overall herd not just horn size. Then around 2000 hunting shows starting booming and were focused on showing hunters taking older bucks. But a few years later the taking of older bucks took a side to showing bucks with more inches than age. Alot like to blame TV for this move away from taking older deer out of the herd to taking ones with more inches on their head but thats not correct. TV may have stared it but hunters themselves made their own personal decision to continue and grow the movement of inches instead of age. Now in the last couple years it seems the focus is turning back to where the interest is in bettering the whole herd not just horn inches. But who knows, as long as every inch of antler on a deer's has a dollar value only time will tell. But in the end, no matter how its labeled we all know that inches matter more than age, if not the case then ask yourself this - which buck would you have mounted, A a 6.5 year old 4 pt or B a 3.5 year old 140" 8 pt? After all if older better aged bucks are what were after then the answer would be A correct? Or if older older bucks with lots of inches is the goal why kill a 180" 4.5 year old breeding buck? But to answer the question that was posted, it changed when hunting stopped being a means for survival.

 

[Boone 58]

Growing up when you told someone you killed a buck and the asked ho big was he, the answer was 8 point. Was this the same for most of you?

When did it change to inches and age? Not that it bothers me at all just curious what your thoughts are on when and why this has changed. Or am I the only one that never scored or aged deer years ago


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When I started hunting........1974.....................any buck was a trophy...................any. And seeing one elevated the lucky soul to Daniel Boone status. :shock:

 

[Land Between the Lakes]

Hunting Shows on TV and Hunting DVD's have focused almost exclusively on hunting big bucks. And the hunting industry is obsessed with selling products that grow big bucks. It seems like hunting and fishing is all about the money these days instead of just having a good time.

 

[TLRanger]

When I first started deer hunting (1968), you aged a buck by how many points he had!

Six points=six years old etc.................

 

[BSK]

When I first started deer hunting (1968), you aged a buck by how many points he had!

Six points=six years old etc.................

I remember those days!