theblakester
Got a black belt in keeping it real.
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Game Camara Thread
- Thread starter Aspp
- Start date
These two posed for the camera Thursday morning at first light ... about 10 yds from the base of the stand I'll be in on opening day of archery season.
I'll be darned if I could choose which one to arrow!
I'm going to guess the buck on the right at 3-1/2 to 4 years old judging by the depth of his neck at his shoulders, ie no transition line from neck to chest, and the fact that he has the beginnings of a sagging belly, tell tale signs of a mature buck.
The buck on the left's neck is very narrow at the shoulders, notice how the bottom of his neck comes in higher and there is a definite transition from neck to chest and his belly is still flat and tight. His head is also still very short as well. If you blow that picture up and scroll over to where you can only see his body, he can almost be mistaken for a doe, just based off of how lean and petite his body looks. I would guess him at 2-1/2 to 3.
If we were looking at these deer mid-rut it would be very hard to pass on the deer on the left due to the fact that their necks swell and muscle tone really becomes pronounced. That is why pre-season pictures are so crucial.
For the upcoming season, the buck
on the right would be my choice. He's already mature and supports a much heavier rack. Give the buck on the left one more year, you will be very glad that you did. He will be a monster next season.
First, what county is this from?
Guys remember that most bucks to not reach peak antler growth until 5,6, or 7.5 years, it varies by individual.
I agree with Vance on the ages. Depending on ranch size, neighbors, fence type, overall population size, and buck to doe ratio, I would probably wait on both to get older.
The only way I would take either for sure would be if they got wounded and you didn't think they would make it to next season.
They both look like they could become really big bucks.
Guys remember that most bucks to not reach peak antler growth until 5,6, or 7.5 years, it varies by individual.
I agree with Vance on the ages. Depending on ranch size, neighbors, fence type, overall population size, and buck to doe ratio, I would probably wait on both to get older.
The only way I would take either for sure would be if they got wounded and you didn't think they would make it to next season.
They both look like they could become really big bucks.
Although I am relatively young, 23, after hunting with my grandpa and uncle for years and watching them shoot everything with horns, I have become very management minded.
Last year I watched a nice 8 point, for our area, chase a doe and I let him walk. A week later my buddy and I were riding around and jumped that same buck. After explaining that that was the deer I let walk my buddy was pleasantly surprised.
If I want meat I will shoot a doe, I would much rather sit and watch a buck grow rather than shoot him to brag that I killed a buck.
Neighbors is why I tend to say 4 is kill able. I've watched deer at 4 that I think, man he's gonna be a nice one next year, and then later in the season you see him hanging on a skinning rack.
I'd love to let deer get 5-7 years old, but I also hate to feed a deer and have countless pictures of him for him to end up on someone else's wall. It's like being robbed lol.
Put a feeder out the same day that I pulled the pic above. Here's what's happening just a few days later.
At about 7:00AM a bunch of does and juvenile bucks start eating until they are run off by several more mature bucks.
Looks like if these bucks don't get too hostile toward each other by opening day I'll have a pretty good choice. The feeder is about 25 yards from my stand - which is in the corner of the field to the right of the frame. Oh yeah, forgot to note that the time stamp is off by 12 hours ... this is actually 7:54 on 9-12 ... 15 days before the opener!
At about 7:00AM a bunch of does and juvenile bucks start eating until they are run off by several more mature bucks.
Looks like if these bucks don't get too hostile toward each other by opening day I'll have a pretty good choice. The feeder is about 25 yards from my stand - which is in the corner of the field to the right of the frame. Oh yeah, forgot to note that the time stamp is off by 12 hours ... this is actually 7:54 on 9-12 ... 15 days before the opener!