How often do you get "big" deer on camera?

DeerCamp · Nov 21, 2022

Just wondering from an overall view, how often do you get big deer on camera? In this case >140"?

I've been running cams in Tennessee for over a decade now. I'll comment my personal findings more after the poll.

Outdoor Enthusiast · Nov 21, 2022

In my area, 140" is very rare. The answer isn't never but it doesn't happen often.

redblood · Nov 21, 2022

A true 140" buck is a rare bird. Id say the last i had on camera was Splitz in 2020. I killed the buck below last week. I believe to be 5.5 (sending teeth off to deerage.com so i will know soon). At 21" wide inside and long main beams he scored 126. I have lots of 120 to 130 deer. Precious few 140s

AT Hiker · Nov 21, 2022

My TN farm, never. Where I hunt in KY, not uncommon at all.

Ski · Nov 21, 2022

I voted before I saw you specified TN. On my Ohio place I get roughly half dozen 140+ each season. In TN I maybe have gotten two in 7yrs. This one below is one of them and is this season. If he does hit 140", it's just barely. And he's the biggest I've ever caught on my TN cams.

backyardtndeer · Nov 21, 2022

Very very rare, almost. In about 20 years of running trail cameras here, maybe 2 that I think may have hit 140.

BSK · Nov 21, 2022

On average, 8-10% of our bucks are mature. However, their average gross score is only around 125. But most years we will have one buck that pushes or exceeds the 140 mark (and it isn't always a mature buck, sometimes a 3 1/2 year-old will be our top buck).

Ski · Nov 21, 2022

redblood said:
A true 140" buck is a rare bird.

Yessir true words right there. A real legit 140" is a very, very big rack. Bigger than lots of folks seem to think. I often see folks claiming they passed up a 130-140 and I have to shake my head, especially when they post a pic of it and it would be stretched to hit 120.

DeerCamp · Nov 21, 2022

Ski said:
Yessir true words right there. A real legit 140" is a very, very big rack. Bigger than lots of folks seem to think. I often see folks claiming they passed up a 130-140 and I have to shake my head, especially when they post a pic of it and it would be stretched to hit 120.

My Oklahoma buck went 156".
When I hold some of my other racks up next to it, the difference is astounding. It looks twice as big.

AT Hiker · Nov 21, 2022

DeerCamp said:
My Oklahoma buck went 156".
When I hold some of my other racks up next to it, the difference is astounding. It looks twice as big.

Hold a 140" 8 pt and your jaw will drop, these 160"+ racks with dozens of points are nice too but give me a clean 8-10 pt rack that hits 140"+.

Ski · Nov 21, 2022

DeerCamp said:
My Oklahoma buck went 156".
When I hold some of my other racks up next to it, the difference is astounding. It looks twice as big.

It looks twice as big because it is twice as big! 156" is a dang stud.

bowhunterfanatic · Nov 21, 2022

We've had numerous deer in the 30s on camera. Probably at least 1 if not 2-3 per year. Have only had 2-3 on camera that would go over 140 and we (my brother) only managed to kill one. A neighbor killed another and we have no idea what happened to the third.

Ski · Nov 21, 2022

AT Hiker said:
Hold a 140" 8 pt and your jaw will drop, these 160"+ racks with dozens of points are nice too but give me a clean 8-10 pt rack that hits 140"+.

A 140" 8pt is an enormous framed rack! My biggest 8 was low 130s and he looks right at home next to 140s to 160s. His frame is every bit as big as theirs. The following year I nearly got a bigger one but couldn't get any closer than 60yds. I'm pretty sure he'd have been close to busting 150 but I'll never know. Didn't find sheds and haven't seen him after last season.

fairchaser · Nov 21, 2022

It used to be an every year occurrence at Ames. One year before CWD, we harvested 10 bucks over 140. The average was 3-5 a year. Last year one was taken over 140. It's getting more and more rare. I have gotten 4-5 pictures of bucks that size over the last 10 years. A couple of those were killed by other hunters. The rest disappeared into the landscape.

redblood · Nov 21, 2022

Ski said:
A 140" 8pt is an enormous framed rack! My biggest 8 was low 130s and he looks right at home next to 140s to 160s. His frame is every bit as big as theirs. The following year I nearly got a bigger one but couldn't get any closer than 60yds. I'm pretty sure he'd have been close to busting 150 but I'll never know. Didn't find sheds and haven't seen him after last season.

Thats a beast

Ski · Nov 21, 2022

Here are a few of the larger bucks I've caught on my Ohio property in recent years, that are on my phone.

Ski · Nov 21, 2022

In contrast, these are some of the biggest I've got on my TN cams in the same recent years. The big double drop velvet buck only scored 121". I doubt any of them bust 130".

Ski · Nov 21, 2022

Few more from this season Ohio so far. If this year follows trend of previous years, I'll get at least 3 more older big guys yet for second rut through winter. I won't check cams again until after new years probably. I tagged the buck in third pic on Nov 13th.

BSK · Nov 21, 2022

AT Hiker said:
Hold a 140" 8 pt and your jaw will drop, these 160"+ racks with dozens of points are nice too but give me a clean 8-10 pt rack that hits 140"+.

Yes, they are enormous! The below buck is a 5 1/2 year-old 8-point grossing just a hair shy of 150. He died of EHD in 2001.