Two good bucks

[Zackman_06]

Already have a couple good bucks showing up one is a buck i had last year with a drop tine looks like there will be no drop this year but his frame is bigger and his mass is still very impressive. The second buck is the big 8/9 that i have had on camera since he was a 3 year old in 2008. Both still have a lot of growing to do and some of my biggest deer haven't showed up till the end of july in past years.

 

[infoman jr.]

Those are going to be big...really big!

 

[Shed Hunter]

Those will be awesome! Did they have long tines in previous years?

 

[Zackman_06]

Last year

 

[Shed Hunter]

That first one is just pure awesomeness.. you better keep us updated and good luck!

 

[gun nut]

Gonna be a good year

 

[easy45]

Wow

 

[PinchPoint]

Awesome deer

 

[hunter0925]

mass!!!!!

 

[Bayou Buck]

That first buck is a beast!

 

[Andy S.]

You gotta love the older mature bucks and the character they bring to the table. The first buck may have the most mass I have ever seen on a free range buck in TN. Great pics, keep us updated on them throughout the year and best of luck with them this fall.

 

[TheLBLman]

You gotta love the older mature bucks and the character they bring to the table.

Yes, and to me, a fully mature buck with his unique and often massive antlers, is a much better "trophy" than a 2 1/2 or 3 1/2-yr-old buck that "scores" much higher on the B&C scoring system.

Say you see two bucks at a distance, one is a 150-class 10-point 3 1/2 with 4 1/2" bases and the typical long tines that adds 10 to 20 inches to his "score"; the other is a 130-class 8-point 5 1/2 with 6" bases and more average tine length: That 130-class mature buck will be the the one that "stands out" as a massive set of antlers, while you hardly notice the long tines on the younger buck.

So for me, "mass" trumps "score", and older trumps younger, in defining a trophy buck. The popular B&C scoring system over-values tine length while under-valuing overall "mass", while totally failing to recognize the value of maturity over luck (the luck of good antler genetics on a particular animal).

 

[RiverBuck10]

Zachman I love looking at your deer every year, they are not normal size deer for TN!! Those things look like fenced-in deer!! Absolute beasts!! I wouldn't sleep for months if I knew I had bucks like that in the woods!!!

 

[Hollar Hunter]

I've enjoyed seeing these stud bucks you have every year! My question is have you killed any of them yet or seen them while hunting?

 

[tellico4x4]

Thanks for sharing!

 

[DeerKiller2012]

Awesome deer !

 

[ROUGH COUNTRY HUNTER]

nice bucks

 

[Rackseeker]

awesome bucks, do you ever kill any of the ones you get trail cam pics of?

 

[Zackman_06]

I've killed a couple in the past

 

[Shed Hunter]

Say you see two bucks at a distance, one is a 150-class 10-point 3 1/2 with 4 1/2" bases and the typical long tines that adds 10 to 20 inches to his "score"; the other is a 130-class 8-point 5 1/2 with 6" bases and more average tine length: That 130-class mature buck will be the the one that "stands out" as a massive set of antlers, while you hardly notice the long tines on the younger buck.

And the best part is a 3 1/2 150 is more than likely only going to get bigger..much bigger. Unfortunately, those are the deer most hunters, myself included, will not let reach full potential. They are the future B&C bucks. Of course, they're also VERY uncommon and I would be happy for any hunter who gets a young giant.