Growing Your Own Trophies

[SHKYBoonie]

I agree 100%! That is why I said you have to use all the tools available. We did eventually turn that farm around in MS, but it took years. This was in a high crop base area to boot. The deer hardly ever went without some kind of crop being grown at their disposal. Not only were the deer hindering the genetics by cross breeding, they had depleted most of the natural brows. We had to take this farm down to numbers way below the carrying capacity and keep it there for several years, hope for new recruitment to establish better genetics and let the surrounding woods and edge regenerate natural growth.
 
I do know of some areas that are just not capable of producing any bucks sporting over 130" of antler. I don't know if it is a sub-species genetic problem or if it was an over population problem that just hasn't corrected itself yet. It seems the only way to help that area get better bucks is to hope that a buck moves in carrying better genes and does alot of breeding. Over time, it would get better if that were to happen. Another words, don't go to FL banking on killing a P&Y quality buck. Your chances are better playing the lottery! [:D]

[NC Deer Hunter]

"With alot of hard work, determination & oh yea, $14,000 you to can bag yourself a nice Trophy Buck".

Yea, JPH, I saw that add this past weekend while I was surfing around the net. I just thought I would be funny. I stole a little verse from TK & Mike above & added the $14,000.

[SwampLife]

ORIGINAL: SHKYBoonie
Another words, don't go to FL banking on killing a P&Y quality buck. Your chances are better playing the lottery! [:D]

way to take the wind out of my sails...lol.

[SHKYBoonie]

ORIGINAL: SwampLife

ORIGINAL: SHKYBoonie
Another words, don't go to FL banking on killing a P&Y quality buck. Your chances are better playing the lottery! [:D]

way to take the wind out of my sails...lol.

 
Swamplife, you hunt there! You should be the first to know this. [:D] I have a good friend that owns about 3300 acres just South of Orlando. They deer hunt it quite a bit. They manage the deer with food plots, selective harvest and all that good stuff. They do have a few good bucks come off the place every few years. He has shown me pics of a few bucks that would probably go in the 130" class but they are few and far between. Not saying there aren't areas of FL that do have some good chances at P&Y quality, but there aren't many from what I have heard. I may be wrong. I think it may just be the sub-species down there. They are generally small bodied deer compared to what I'm use to seeing. My buddy couldn't believe the size of the does on my farm when he came to hunt. But, you hunt PA too don't you? I'm sure you have seen the size difference.
 
I go down there every Spring to turkey hunt and kill a few hogs for the freezer. He hasn't shown me anything that's going to make me miss a hunt in West KY to go down there and deer hunt.
 
Sorry if I'm the one that had to break the bad news to you......LOL[:D]

[SwampLife]

Let me finish drying my eyes...lol

i was joking. I was born and raised and hunted all my life here, i know what is up. A basket rack 8 is a 'big one' where i hunt.

Yea, 130" is generally a good set of horns for our bucks, even fully mature. But i have seen a couple well over P&Y mark even at the shot up wma's i hunt, that is my dream to harvest one of those bucks off that heavily hunted area.

Our bucks usually weigh between 165-185lbs @ 4 years old. I think it is mostly due to our soil, although if your buddy is preparing his soil properly and doing food plots without much of a difference in body size, then idk...

I heard from some old timers that they transplanted some deer from WI into the wma I hunt back in the 60's and there is still their genetics lingering is why you occasionally see some freaks. Don't know the complete validity of that, but it seems true from what I have seen.

[jsjandro]

hey swamplife - about your wi genes.....

i read a research piece outta ms where michigain deer were brought to a research facility to see what interbreeding and estrous cycles would go on. anyways the northern deer couldnt live through the insects and parasites because of no immunity built up. the origanls died soon and the does still retained their november breeding dates for when they entered estrous. their offspring (so they must have had some live long enough to give birth) entered estrous early or late with no specific northern or southern conotation.

the study said nothing of the buck offspring making bigger racks, but it was geared towards estrous timing being defined by genetics or outside stimuli.

i would say that age, nutrition, and genes in that order make the deer. we have no control over genes. some deer are programmed to cinderella out at 5 and other 6 or 7 or 8 even. dr. alscheimer says he's never seen his captives produce their biggest racks untill at least age 6, and the latest age 9. i trust his research he knows more about deer than i ever could put in my brain without it exploding! i live in the north and have shot two old bucks that had below 100" racks and my cousin shot a 5 point from nw mn that had 5" bases and a inside spread of about 13"! in that area he was a real shortchanged 5 year old bucky!! on my nw wi land ive seen short spikes to 65" 8 point yearlings. theres just no telling what the heck you'll grow in time.

but id take an old lame racked tank over a young buck anyday...... more meat, more rack (usually[:)]), and most of all more challenge!!!

[SHKYBoonie]

I read that same study. It was weird how the deer kept the same timing in their rut even though they were in a different area with different weather patterns. There has been all kinds of tales through the ages of relocating deer from states that were known to have big deer to states that had poor populations. Heck, we even had one guy that owned a farm outside of the town I grew up in MS that everyone said, "he brought in mule deer to breed the deer herd on his land so they would have bigger bodies and bigger racks." I can't tell you how many times I heard that story growing up. When the fact was, yes he had big bucks coming off of his farm. He also didn't let anyone, not even some of his kids, hunt those deer except him and a few family members that he liked.LOL That's why he had the bucks he had.
 
 

ORIGINAL: jsjandro


but id take an old lame racked tank over a young buck anyday...... more meat, more rack (usually[:)]), and most of all more challenge!!!

Here....here! I second that notion! [:D][:D]

[SwampLife]

ORIGINAL: SHKYBoonie

I read that same study.

Yea, soon as I started reading his post I recalled reading it as well. Well, I didnt read it thoroughly, I skimmed through it which is probably why I hadn't dismissed those old WI Buck Horn tales.

But aside from that, I have seen some bucks in the area I hunt and surrounding areas (If you ever visit Disney World during our rut, ride the buses around from park to park esp. the one that goes to fort wilderness during prime-time) that would be considered bruisers in ANY state. So perhaps with a revised management plan we have some hope, although I'm not holding my breath.

ORIGINAL: SHKYBoonie

ORIGINAL: jsjandro
but id take an old lame racked tank over a young buck anyday...... more meat, more rack (usually[:)]), and most of all more challenge!!!

Here....here! I second that notion! [:D][:D]

x3!

[Bowtech1670]

I think its funny, QDMers, swear they dont practise QDM to grow bigger bucks, but this whole thread is about record books!!!

[Everyday Hunter]

ORIGINAL: Bowtech1670

I think its funny, QDMers, swear they dont practise QDM to grow bigger bucks, but this whole thread is about record books!!!

That may be true but, realistically, few QDMers will ever produce a B&C buck on their land. P&Y bucks, yes, lots of 3 year old bucks make P&Y.

Steve