180 class

[brandonvet]

My rule is shoot 4.5 year old deer and older. Don't care how big he is, at 3.5 you got to let him go

Well I guess i'm gonna hafta get one of them new scopes that tell you the age of the deer, cuz mine don't do that!

Chad Dacus comes out to our camp each year and gives us an update on all the deer we shot thru the DMAP program.. Just about 90% of all of the bucks in our soil region (South Rankin/North Simpson county) are going to have 14" inside spread at 3.5 years old. That is just outside the ears..

cool that's good info

[chopper30]

My rule is shoot 4.5 year old deer and older. Don't care how big he is, at 3.5 you got to let him go

Well I guess i'm gonna hafta get one of them new scopes that tell you the age of the deer, cuz mine don't do that!

Well I guess you are then... or learn what a mature deer looks like, your choice

[Dux Be Us]

I call bald face liar to anyone on here that says they would pass on a 150" buck in Mississippi...just sayin

Saw a giant by the casinos in Tunica county runnin' does...atleast 150"

[H20 Fowl]

I got a crisp c note that says 9 out of 10 Mississippi deer hunters have never laid eyes on a 180" deer in the wild.

I would probably even venture to say half have never laid eyes on a 150.

Chopper has it naild! Shoot 4 1/2 year old deer, and every one of them will be a trophy, regardless of the size.

[hillhunter]

+1 H2O Fowl

Most everyone I know will shoot a 150 inch deer.
My cousin shot an eight point that was 6.5 years old two weeks ago. I had him at 15 yards three years ago when he was 3.5. Had over 50 pictures of him between now and then. This deer never broke 130 inches in its lifetime. When he was 3.5 he was about as big as he was the day he died. Looking back I wish I would have shot him with a bow that day because I'm sure he bred plenty of does along the way. And the bad thing is he would have been a trophy cause I have yet to kill one that big with a bow.

We have this discussion every year on this forum and while I agree that you have to let some walk in order to get the big boys, I think the sport has lost something in our pursuit of the "trophy" buck. I used to get all balled up at the thought of somebody shooting a 16 inch eight point on our place, but over the last couple of years I have come to the realization that all-in-all it doesn't really matter…. I have a lot of friends and family come on our place every year and you know what as long as they are happy with it and are excited about what they got… then thats all that really matters. I have seen some guys literally come unglued over that 16 inch eight that used to bother me so much… I realized that its hard (and wrong) to rain on a guys parade thats that excited about killing what is obviously a trophy to him. And you know what, I sleep better at night and my blood pressure is lower.

[JFW2006]

If we go by weight ive seen and passed up plenty of 150 class bucks lol

[WilM88]

I got a crisp c note that says 9 out of 10 Mississippi deer hunters have never laid eyes on a 180" deer in the wild.

I would probably even venture to say half have never laid eyes on a 150.

Chopper has it naild! Shoot 4 1/2 year old deer, and every one of them will be a trophy, regardless of the size.

I might would agree with that. I've seen plenty over 150 and one or 2 pushing 180 on the hoof (not at any of my camps) aside from one or 2 pushing the 150 mark. You're right not many people will pass a 150 class buck, but those that do need to be knowledge enough to know the age of that deer on the hoof...most, pretty much all land in MS with the exception of a few that have 150+ deer will be mature/peaked out. Lots of deer that people see that are 120-130 range and pass on em think oh they'll be 150 next year, never happens especially in 8 points, which is most common on everyone's land. For instance I shot a 165lb 14inch 6 point with my bow last week, it was penciled horned and had no brow tines and looked like a 2 year old in every aspect aside from a few body characteristics. Dacus was at our camp a couple days ago and aged him at 4 year old (i shot it as a cull, thinking it was 3, even better it was 4). On the other hand a boy killed a 16inch 180lb perfect 8 point as his first deer at the deer was 3 (same piece of property). It's all about genetics and nutrition, being able to judge (even with a year) a deer on the hoof can dramatically benefit your club and management towards that desired trophy status. Although depending on location, soil and food sources some clubs that think doing this and shooting that will eventually create 180" deer and continually passing 120-140" deer thinking "oh they'll grow 20 inches next year could be just shooting their self in the foot, by letting mediocre genetic bucks continue to eat and eat and eat breed and breed and breed cutting into the food sources for deer that could potentially be a 150"+ deer.

[Click]

I call bald face liar to anyone on here that says they would pass on a 150" buck in Mississippi...just sayin

Saw a giant by the casinos in Tunica county runnin' does...atleast 150"

So u passed on him?

[BIG TIMBER]

U guys are awsome....Like the Dr. Phil's of deer hunting!

[msbigdawg1234]

The deer we are seening kileed these days reaching these 170+ are becoming more and more but are the result of management and feeding protein sup....you take a deer and give him natural food source and time you may have some reach 150+ but on the average they gona top out in the 140's in most places with age ...now of corse you are gona have the occassional freak out there ...some guys hunt where you can wait and watch these deer grow some dont because of the land size ,and presure from the neighbors...I tend to try and kill 4.5 deer on my small place but have taken some younger and let the kids kill what ever they want...we do not feed and could only image what would be walking if we did.....yes i have a place that is little special cause it buts up to 1700 acres that has not been hunted since the 40's and we have seen the occasional freak of 180+ but have not seen that deer in two yrs ...I really think his horns have become squirrel food.....

[TODO]

[quote="Dux Be Us"]I call bald face liar to anyone on here that says they would pass on a 150" buck in Mississippi...just sayin :lol:quote]



You better start callin folks a liar then! There are several clubs just in my area on the river that 150" 10 pt doesnt make club criteria and are getting passed everyday!

[camlock]

most hunters will shoot a 150 and think he's closer to 180 than 150 until the tape comes out...that's the truth...a 150" deer in the woods is much the man

[Sam1]

Food, genetics, and food. I don't care if you have a 100 acre weekend farm or 10000 acres inside the levee, learning how to manage your culls, doe and food sources make all the difference in the world in terms of deer you will harvest in the future. We put together a cull hit list this year and realized that we have way too many mature scrap headed deer on our farm. It is hard to produce the 150 inch deer or better when you have 20+ 3.5yr+ old culls breeding doe. As hard as it is, we are not shooting 10's this year...unless i see this 180 you are talking about.

[DUCK-HUNT]

Food, genetics, and food. I don't care if you have a 100 acre weekend farm or 10000 acres inside the levee, learning how to manage your culls, doe and food sources make all the difference in the world in terms of deer you will harvest in the future. We put together a cull hit list this year and realized that we have way too many mature scrap headed deer on our farm. It is hard to produce the 150 inch deer or better when you have 20+ 3.5yr+ old culls breeding doe. As hard as it is, we are not shooting 10's this year...unless i see this 180 you are talking about.

u shooting those does throwing those scrap headed culls too right????? and how do you know which doe are throwing those scrap heads....??????

shooting culls is doing nothing more than removing mouths from the heard... u would be doing just as good to shoot every doe u see


I THINK....

carry on

[hillhunter]

Food, genetics, and food. I don't care if you have a 100 acre weekend farm or 10000 acres inside the levee, learning how to manage your culls, doe and food sources make all the difference in the world in terms of deer you will harvest in the future. We put together a cull hit list this year and realized that we have way too many mature scrap headed deer on our farm. It is hard to produce the 150 inch deer or better when you have 20+ 3.5yr+ old culls breeding doe. As hard as it is, we are not shooting 10's this year...unless i see this 180 you are talking about.

u shooting those does throwing those scrap headed culls too right????? and how do you know which doe are throwing those scrap heads....??????

shooting culls is doing nothing more than removing mouths from the heard... u would be doing just as good to shoot every doe u see


I THINK....

carry on

I agree with this 100%. I heard a biologist say somewhere that it would take 20 years to change the total genetics of a herd even if everything is done 100% right. The doe factor being a large part of this, however if you shoot a cull buck you can guarantee that his genetics will not be passed on through him, maybe his mom or his sister, but not him. Hopefully that more desirable buck will come along and breed that doe instead of him..... hopefully. But hey you gotta start somewhere and why not start with the obvious.