Cull Buck

Last year I had the pleasure of driving around with Brad Juaire and looking at deer before dark in some of his hunting grounds. Needless to say, we saw some great deer, including a 140’s class 10 pointer, which I jokingly called a “cull” buck.

But with more talk about “culling” and what not, I was wondering what other guys think about this practice? If you do it, when and to what deer? Only bucks past prime? Young bucks that haven’t put on much antler from one year to the next? Or is this simply an excuse to fill a buck tag because the big one got away?

Joel

i shot a buck we call a “cull buck” 2 years ago. they let a buck just like him go for 4 years and low and behold i shot this one 4 years later. look just like him longer beams and 7 points but mine was a 2 year old not a 6 year old like his. i think some deer should be shot early to keep a good herd around. But i also believe alot of people use it a way to shot a buck here a pic of of the one i shot

Do they sell extra tags for “cull bucks”?

I don’t know many people that burn up tags and a hunting season on a cull buck unless it’s the last days of the season.

I’ve shot several “cull” bucks, but typically do so later in the season. It is difficult to burn a buck tag on a buck that you believe should not be around. In MN we only get one tag, so I try to prolong holding it until I get an opportunity at something I consider a shooter. Cull’s are shooters, but for different reasons. I definitely think it has its place, but does little good on most small acreages that we hunt. I know an outfitter that practices this, but he also manages 4000+ acres, and even then, its difficult to fill those tags.

Qdma did a study on two separate 10,000 acre farms in Texas. One was culled strictly and one was just left to shoot 5 year old (don’t remember exact age class) or older bucks. In the end the unculled actually scored almost a “full inch” higher! I will shoot a low scoring very mature buck towards the end of the season because of the challenge but let them walk up until that point in hopes of something larger. (if I ever see one)

I watched a show on tv the other night, I think it was Midwest Whitetail, where they talked about culling older bucks that are essentially pushing younger bucks with more potential off the farm. I think they called them “bully bucks”. They are not culling for genetics but more for herd management. They made the point that the doe also carries half of the genetic makeup of a buck fawn, which is impossible to manage. I think both methods could be valid and seem to make sense when trying to grow big bucks, but in the wild on most pieces of property it’s a very difficult to accomplish. Right now I have a couple older 8 pointers around the area I hunt and a couple younger 10 pointers, one 8 pointer in particular seems to rule the roost…if he comes close enough this year he’ll have to go down.

Interesting topic either way.

Interesting topic. One thing I’m trying to force myself to do, not just in deer hunting, but all aspects of my life. Keep an open mind. Listen to everyone’s thoughts and form my opinions based on my own facts/experiences sprinkled with a little knowledge from others.

I only get one buck tag a season, so I’m like many others. I try not to burn it until the last hunt unless Mr. Big or Mr. Good Enough comes strolling by. It’s not easy passing on 115″ deer when you have shot so few “good” bucks. However, I’m glad I did last year. I did miss a couple bucks and I’m happy I did. Once the season was over, I had a chance to replay it in my mind. Sure I would have been darn proud of those bucks, but if they survived the winter, they have potential to be 140 class deer this year. Now that is something I’d be extremely proud of!

I tend to lean towards no buck will ever get bigger if he is in my freezer. So even though my gut says this deer is a cull buck, I’ll give him at least another year to see if he turns into something special.

AND…………..You can’t find their sheds once they’re dead.

i agree with you kooty. what i have learned in my area we have a ton of bucks so why let a garbage buck mate for 2 or 3 years when you can have 120 to 130 class do more mating instead of 4 or 5 year garbage buck doing the mating. Plus those garbage taste good also
This is how i think IF YOU ARE HAPPY WITH IT I”M HAPPY FOR YOU. so if you call it a cull buck or a trophy, all the deer i shot are trophy to me.
ps walleyebuster5 i shot him on opening day of gun, it was a buck that i scouted and said i would shoot if he came in. i try to learn the deer in my area and pick a couple that are on the hit list ever year.

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IF YOU ARE HAPPY WITH IT I”M HAPPY FOR YOU.

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Great philosophy regarding hunting. I think I’d enjoy deer hunting quite a bit more if everyone shared this thought!

Joel

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I think I’d enjoy deer hunting quite a bit more if everyone shared this thought!

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You would enjoy deer hunting more if didn’t get busted by every deer within a mile of your stand the second you roll out of bed.

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IF YOU ARE HAPPY WITH IT I”M HAPPY FOR YOU.

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I think we could all learn a little something from the above statement whether we are fishing or hunting.

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Quote:

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I think I’d enjoy deer hunting quite a bit more if everyone shared this thought!

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You would enjoy deer hunting more if didn’t get busted by every deer within a mile of your stand the second you roll out of bed.

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IF YOU ARE HAPPY WITH IT I”M HAPPY FOR YOU.

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I think we could all learn a little something from the above statement whether we are fishing or hunting.

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I agree 100%kooty Even your thoughts about Joels “scent” Weeeew!

Good topic and some great comments above!

To kill a mature 4 or 5 year old buck regardless of what it has on its head – is a great accomplishment.

I guess I can honestly say I’ve never killed a cull buck. It’s not that I wouldn’t, I guess he just wasn’t part of my original goal and I’m so focused on killing THE ONE. Therefore, I’ll spend every single minute up to the very last day of the hunt chasing the one I was after.

To me, in the wild there will always be cull bucks running around every year no matter how hard you try to thin them out. Unless maybe you want to shoot cull bucks every year for the next 25 years.

Most deer managers will agree that you want a buck to doe ratio of no more than 3 to 1. When the ratios get extremely unbalanced it is detrimental to those “good” buck we strive so hard to hold and grow. A fawn also gets 50% of its genetics from the mother, regardless of who the father is. Very well known deer managers have stated that its nearly impossible to alter the genetics of free ranging whaitetails. It is also known that buck dont reach skelatal maturity until they are almost 4 years old and until skelatal needs are met bucks have little to put towards expressig their full antler potentail. That being said a cull buck for me is not determined by his rack but rather his age class and physical condition. I dont hunt for one specific buck but rather any mature shooter that comes in but I would NEVER let a lame buck walk by!!