Who has already killed your best buck?

With the recent wholesale slaughter of deer on depredation permits (past 5 years) i have no anticipation of ever having a deer over 135 on cam again. So unless I sale my farm and find new places to hunt I'm probably done. I'd venture to say within 2 years seeing a deer will be challenging. I'd of never thought anywhere in middle TN could be taken back to the 70s but we are almost there.
 
I have thought about this several times. I would say it's 50/50 for TN. My biggest is a 147 5/8" 10 pt which is a giant for my area, but I did measure a 170 incher this year. I still have a few good years in me though so we will see. My ultimate goal is to kill one over 150". I have killed another over 140" with a couple more pushing 140" so there is a chance.

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TN Larry said:
I have thought about this several times. I would say it's 50/50 for TN. My biggest is a 147 5/8" 10 pt which is a giant for my area, but I did measure a 170 incher this year. I still have a few good years in me though so we will see. My ultimate goal is to kill one over 150". I have killed another over 140" with a couple more pushing 140" so there is a chance.

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Heck yeah. Those are some great Tn bucks. With CWD it's getting more difficult to get them old enough but you're young enough to see a bigger one someday. I wish you the best!
 
fairchaser said:
Heck yeah. Those are some great Tn bucks. With CWD it's getting more difficult to get them old enough but you're young enough to see a bigger one someday. I wish you the best!
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We don't have CWD yet so there's still a chance to get the age. The 170 I measured will be the biggest in my county if he decides to enter. Kinda hope he don't, lol.

I did have a picture of a 150+ in 2021 and 2022 but never saw him. I only had one daylight pic of him in 2020 and was seen once by my daughter the same year when he was around 140".

I do plan to continue to put in for KY WMA hunts where my odds increase tremendously. Especially if I can lay off the trigger on a good one unlike I did this year which is hard to do when you only have two days but no regrets.
 
I killed my best buck in 2004 — a 10 pt that TWRA measured at a net 144", nearly symmetrical with few deductions — it was a 3.5 yr old. I thought then that it might be my biggest lifetime buck and so far it has.

My second largest I killed last year that I measured at a gross of about 141" — still waiting to get it back from the taxidermist.

I don't know if I will beat that 144" buck or not — in the last 5 years I've had a couple of chances on bucks that would push close to that range, but made mistakes on both. So it's possible. But if I'm successful I will be in trouble — my wife has said I don't need any more on the wall.
 

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Literally unless lightning strikes I have killed my largest whitetail in 2016. Here in East TN also. 177 5/8 Gross 163 Net BC. But I still get out there and try, passed a lot of bucks this year, three days left. I am ok though got a nice elk in Sept to hold me over this year.
 
I have a couple that gross 150" , but a clean 145" 8pt from 2020 is one that i prob wont ever top as far as a clean rack goes. I did blow an opportunity at a 163"-164" typical in 2016 , dont see many of those around here.
 
I know it's going to be tough to beat Mufasa at 185 6/8" gross (18 pts) that I got this season in Texas. I'm 59, and I honestly thought I'd never top 170", but my goal post has moved…a lot! I just have to make sure I'm consistently hunting the places that grow them, and that's not likely gonna happen in TN. My biggest TN buck fell on 12/3/11. He was 153 7/8" (13 points). That's the one I will never give up trying to top in TN! It's sure been fun trying! I did pass my biggest buck ever this year. A 160"+ perfect 10pt in Texas. Enjoy the video.


 
I set a goal for myself 14 years ago to try and kill 30 P&Y class bucks. I have been fortunate enough to take 10 with my compound and 1 with my recurve. I killed what I thought would be my best Tn buck last year @ 167-6/8" gross P&Y however this year I was blown away by topping him with a 188 6/8" gross P&Y. I'm 38 years old and have no intentions of letting up on em 😉… Midwest you've been put on notice!
 
tree_ghost said:
I set a goal for myself 14 years ago to try and kill 30 P&Y class bucks. I have been fortunate enough to take 10 with my compound and 1 with my recurve. I killed what I thought would be my best Tn buck last year @ 167-6/8" gross P&Y however this year I was blown away by topping him with a 188 6/8" gross P&Y. I'm 38 years old and have no intentions of letting up on em 😉… Midwest you've been put on notice!
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Lets see some of them!!! I know weve seen some of them before but youve killed what i consider Tn giants!!! Congratulations again
 
Rockhound said:
With the recent wholesale slaughter of deer on depredation permits (past 5 years) i have no anticipation of ever having a deer over 135 on cam again. So unless I sale my farm and find new places to hunt I'm probably done. I'd venture to say within 2 years seeing a deer will be challenging. I'd of never thought anywhere in middle TN could be taken back to the 70s but we are almost there.
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I would consider suing the neighbors for reducing the value of my property and enjoyment. The headache might be enough for them to think twice before killing all the deer to rot. I bet there are other neighbors and county residents that feel exactly the same.

Perhaps farmers that want depredation permits should first be required to open their lands for a rifle hunt at the end of October before all the shooting starts. Hunters could apply to hunt like a quota hunt and be matched with the landowners. Make it a earn a buck program for a week. I would apply and would love to access some private farmland with too many deer.

There has to be a better solution then the current program.
 
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I've killed several 110-115 inch deer. Rare in my area to kill a very nice buck. But my 12 year old boy killed a 151 inch 10 point 3 years ago. Biggest deer I've seen in the woods. That was on opening day of youth season.

Im always hopeful I'll see a nice one. My goals have shifted though and enjoy putting my kids on deer. Maybe one day I'll get lucky and top 130.

But I've set a new goal. Get good enough with my recurve to kill a deer. I've taken deer with rifles, ML, bow, crossbow and shotgun. So now I have goals of killing a decent buck with a recurve and a pistol.
 
TN Larry said:
I have thought about this several times. I would say it's 50/50 for TN. My biggest is a 147 5/8" 10 pt which is a giant for my area, but I did measure a 170 incher this year. I still have a few good years in me though so we will see. My ultimate goal is to kill one over 150". I have killed another over 140" with a couple more pushing 140" so there is a chance.

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Nice bucks brother.
 

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