I posted this back in 2015 and just wanted to share it again with you folks who are on the fence about shooting a certain buck or gambling to see what he turns into the next year! This is an example of an east Tn buck that put on a whole lot of inches from what looks like 4.5 to 5.5! From the looks of the pics he was 3.5 in the first pic(2013) 4.5 (2014) then 5.5 when a neighbor landowners son shot him in 2015. a beautiful specimen of a giant whitetail that I never would have imagined he would turn into by the looks of him at 3.5 even though for my standards he was big then And I would have taken him given the chance! That is me in the pic holding the giant but I had no role in harvesting this deer, just the pleasure of laying the tape on him! Not by any means posting this to suggest anyone hold off on any deer! Just wanted to share what happens to this buck as he aged! Enjoy!
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3 year growth progression!
- Thread starter JAY B
- Start date
that's ridiculous lol. great looking deer. ive noticed that passing on smaller bucks helps and they don't always get shot elsewhere.
TheLBLman
Well-Known Member
All the tines gained length (and mass),
but note the change in the G-4 from the top pic to the bottom pic.
Also gained the nice G-5s and some stickers
Amazing what another year can do for bucks in the 2 1/2 to 4 1/2-yr-old range, especially the 2 1/2's & 3 1/2's.
but note the change in the G-4 from the top pic to the bottom pic.
Also gained the nice G-5s and some stickers
Amazing what another year can do for bucks in the 2 1/2 to 4 1/2-yr-old range, especially the 2 1/2's & 3 1/2's.
tree_ghost
Well-Known Member
Wow very cool!
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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
TheLBLman
Well-Known Member
What would you guess he scored as a 3 1/2?
I am gonna guess he finished out around 130 that year , another thing I want to add is there is no way to know 100% if this is truly the same deer but I feel without a doubt that it is! Buck was killed about 300 yards from the salt lick that he frequented a lot as a 3.5&4.5 prob as a 5.5 but after having other folks move in on that spot I did not run a camera there the summer of 2015!TheLBLman":1eao0rh1 said:
Great deer!
TheLBLman
Well-Known Member
About what I would have guessed.JAY B":kw3mg901 said:
Every year, I hear hunters talking about how few bucks we have that gross over 150 in TN.
Yet every year, I see many of these same hunters regularly killing 125-135 class 3 1/2-yr-old bucks,
most of which would break that 150-plus by 5 1/2, many even by 4 1/2.
I have no problem with their shooting the bucks they're choosing, but if they really want to see something going over 150, they should start giving those 130-class youngsters the pass. Meanwhile, these same hunters regularly pass 3 1/2-yr-old bucks with below average antlers (most are in the 100 - 115 range), and we actually have no shortage of mature bucks, albeit mostly small-antlered ones (at least in terms of "score").
On the bright side, a fully mature buck, even if he has only 6 to 8 mainframe short tines, can still be an IMPRESSIVE MASSIVE set of antlers, that "stand out" because of their typical mass (diameter or circumference of beams & tines). But to me, any deer I kill is a "trophy", any mature deer is an extra special "trophy", and there is typically no greater hunting challenge than mature does. It's just that does don't have antlers, and antlers add to the uniqueness of a particular deer.
TheLBLman
Well-Known Member
Periodically I'll see a 2 1/2-yr-old (in TN) that's grossing in the 120-plus class
----- VERY rare that a youngster with those antler genetics survives to 3 1/2.
Ironically, it's also rare a youngster with below-average antlers doesn't get a pass.
This is one difference I'm seeing in TN vs some other states, namely KY.
And not saying this observation is good or bad, rather, just an observation.
But it appears, a higher percentage of the above antlered younger bucks survive to older ages in KY than do in TN.
What I'm talking about has little to do with TN soil vs. KY soil,
and everything to do with hunting practices (influenced by many factors, including regs) and hunters' choices regarding which deer get a pass and which deer get shot. I have deer-hunting friends who hunt on both sides of the TN-KY line, and typically their harvest decisions are greatly effected by which side the line they're hunting, even when it's on the same farm straddling the line.
Basically, other factors being equal, if we want more larger antlered older bucks, we must kill fewer larger antlered younger bucks.
It may or may not be a "fair trade-off", depending on one's perspectives and circumstances.
What do you want most?
For me, I just enjoy hunting, but especially where there is opportunity to take mature bucks with large headgear.
Enjoying the hunting, trying to focus on 4 1/2-yr-old or older deer for harvest, whether doe or buck,
and trying to just ignore the antlers (in terms of a kill decision) on any bucks younger than 4 1/2.
That's my deer hunting.
----- VERY rare that a youngster with those antler genetics survives to 3 1/2.
Ironically, it's also rare a youngster with below-average antlers doesn't get a pass.
This is one difference I'm seeing in TN vs some other states, namely KY.
And not saying this observation is good or bad, rather, just an observation.
But it appears, a higher percentage of the above antlered younger bucks survive to older ages in KY than do in TN.
What I'm talking about has little to do with TN soil vs. KY soil,
and everything to do with hunting practices (influenced by many factors, including regs) and hunters' choices regarding which deer get a pass and which deer get shot. I have deer-hunting friends who hunt on both sides of the TN-KY line, and typically their harvest decisions are greatly effected by which side the line they're hunting, even when it's on the same farm straddling the line.
Basically, other factors being equal, if we want more larger antlered older bucks, we must kill fewer larger antlered younger bucks.
It may or may not be a "fair trade-off", depending on one's perspectives and circumstances.
What do you want most?
For me, I just enjoy hunting, but especially where there is opportunity to take mature bucks with large headgear.
Enjoying the hunting, trying to focus on 4 1/2-yr-old or older deer for harvest, whether doe or buck,
and trying to just ignore the antlers (in terms of a kill decision) on any bucks younger than 4 1/2.
That's my deer hunting.
Very Cool!!! Thanks for that. 2s & 3s in excess of 10" looks like & I bet those beams are longer than 23". Also I agree with LBLman on everything he said. Very good observation as well as a very good solution to a hunter's dilemma. I also see those same guys killing young deer & saying they never see anything grossing over 150", I wonder why!?
