Just got my MS461 back from Randy. Yeah... It's friggin' awesome. Also been hunting hard. I only archery hunt, so it takes a lot of hours in stand between kills. I'm usually happy to kill one doe per year for the freezer and maybe take a buck every 2-4 yrs. This Fall was brutal. I spent more hours than ever in the trees, but all I have to show for it is a single doe in the freezer. Never got closer than 80 yds from a shooter buck. On the other hand, my buddy killed a real nice 8 here on my property. Look at the neck on this boy. He was definitely rutted up. I'm afraid that this is likely the only buck we will take off my land this year. It's only 17 acres and it's in the center of "if it's brown, it's down" country. A 3.5 y.o like this guy is virtually a dinosaur.
Thats a 3.5 year old, is that jaw bone confirmed? I would of thought the antlers would be bigger up there? Body looks decent size but maybe poor antler genetics? Thats a nice deer but even down here that buck would walk by me all day long. Maybe if I bow hunted id kill it, but certainly not with a rifle? I let a 9 point walk about three years ago that put that buck to shame. But like you said if the neighbors dont let them walk what's the point?
This buck I killed in college about 12 years ago. Only was 2.5 (jaw bone adged by me and others)but had a decent set of antlers.
He may well be 2.5. I haven't personally seen the teeth yet. Anyways, he's the biggest buck my buddy has ever killed in 20+ yrs hunting around here. He has earned the right to kill whatever he wants on my land. He helps out all the time and never asks for anything in return, a true friend. FWIW, here's a confirmed 3.5 y.o. I took in '12. Only buck I've killed in 6 yrs hunting here.
Wow, this thread has gotten completely off the original topic... but I love seeing all these beautiful buck.
It's interesting reading all this about age and antler size and letting 8's walk by. That doesn't happen up here. We don't have the deer herd to let anything walk by unless it's opening day or it's a skipper. Even our biggest deer don't grow racks like some of the ones I've seen in this room, and we get some pretty good sized ones.
