What’s a mature buck

Most of the shows I watch, where they are taking out management bucks, they are at least 3.5 years old, and have basket 8 point racks. These are deer that they have watched growing for the last 3 years and have seen the genetics aren’t there for bigger racks. They only take them out, so they can’t breed the Doe’s. They also cost about 1/2 what a regular trophy hunt does at these ranches. I once heard awhile back, that a buck with an odd side antler, say the right side is 3 points and the left is 5, that more than likely this deer suffered some kind of injury on its left side ? Such as being hit by a car and a damaged leg. Anyone heard of this before ?

Big g

Rip you are a well educated man in the field of deer. I think I may have said that before to you. I have to agree with everything Rip has said. A mature deer is at least 5.5 years old. Some studies even say 6.5 to 7.5 depending on habitat.

Genetics has just as much to do with at deer reaching matureity as does food and nutrition. We have been practicing QDM now for 7 years. Has it worked mostly. It wasn’t until the last 3 years that it has really taken off. Why do I say that…well we started making food plots and the difference is remarkable in just such a short time.

I don’t know about you, but we try to keep track of the bucks and some of the does as best as we can on a log. We use personal sightings, film game trackers, digital game trackers, and video tapes and antler sheds for the bucks too. This doesn’t take as much time as you would think. Is it worth it maybe or maybe not. It is a good way to manage your heard. We have about 800 acres we hunt with the neighbors having another couple of hundred that they also manage too. As you have seen by some of my pictures that we have nice deer and not all are necessarily are “mature” mature that we have harvested, but they are condsidered “shooters” to our standards. You have to remember to use the words properly.

Rip you are a well educated man in the field of deer. I think I may have said that before to you. I have to agree with everything Rip has said. A mature deer is at least 5.5 years old. Some studies even say 6.5 to 7.5 depending on habitat.

Genetics has just as much to do with at deer reaching matureity as does food and nutrition. We have been practicing QDM now for 7 years. Has it worked mostly. It wasn’t until the last 3 years that it has really taken off. Why do I say that…well we started making food plots and the difference is remarkable in just such a short time.

I don’t know about you, but we try to keep track of the bucks and some of the does as best as we can on a log. We use personal sightings, film game trackers, digital game trackers, and video tapes and antler sheds for the bucks too. This doesn’t take as much time as you would think. Is it worth it maybe or maybe not. It is a good way to manage your heard. We have about 800 acres we hunt with the neighbors having another couple of hundred that they also manage too. As you have seen by some of my pictures that we have nice deer and not all are necessarily are “mature” mature that we have harvested, but they are condsidered “shooters” to our standards. You have to remember to use the words properly.

Thanks Krisko

Like I have said before, most of you guys here are just Fishing Geeks.

I’m just a man obsessed with big racked whiteails

I agree most people are confusing the term mature and what they deem a shooter buck is. “Mature” is a fact and a “Shooter” is an opinion!

Thanks Krisko

Like I have said before, most of you guys here are just Fishing Geeks.

I’m just a man obsessed with big racked whiteails

I agree most people are confusing the term mature and what they deem a shooter buck is. “Mature” is a fact and a “Shooter” is an opinion!