So this is not my deer and not a post to draw any attention to me. I wanted to chat about what managing a farm can do. My uncle and cousin (father/son) own a few parcels of land in southern Ohio. They have worked for many years to manage and get the deer herd where it should be along with not shooting bucks that aren't mature. And this is the result, they took all three of these deer from those combined farms. And the neighbor who also works along with them took two monsters off of their side. I'll post those pictures as well. These guys in the past years have passed up multiple deer a year that most people would dream about and I've told them they are crazy but it's hard to argue with these results. And they shoot big deer almost every year there. To shoot this many giants in one year completely free range in one area is a huge accomplishment. That's a lot of hard work paying off!
Ohio deer are big. I often wonder what skipping a antlerd deer hunting season every third year or so would do for antler prizes.
Some true giants there. If you have the land and the ability to manage a herd like that then it can certainly pay off off! Thanks for sharing swags
No doubt it works and thats great evidence of it! Nice pics! How much land are we talking about between all the farms they manage? Obviously there are some good genetics in the area.
It can work if you have enough land to manage. And in theory it could work if land owners went together. Sadly, the idea here of owners working together really won't work because of the attitude of most. I have to laugh at 2 of them in particular. One is simply greedy and can't let any go for fear the neighbors will shoot it. The other doesn't even like venison but him and relatives shoot plenty every year even though they own only 40 acres. Well, they are each allowed 5 doe permits plus 2 buck tags. But can you shoot that many deer off one 40 acre parcel? There are 4 regular hunters there so legally they can shoot 28 deer. Amazing. Then we have another parcel that presently is undergoing a few good changes but I know they have shot up to 38 does on an 80 acre parcel. That is not management folks and there is no way one will grow big deer with those attitudes. Most times we have to be satisfied if we see an 8 point buck here. Yes, occasionally one will get past the hunters but it is rare.
How much land are they managing? Around here it's nearly impossible to get all of the surrounding land owners on board and even when you can it's usually a simple 8 point or better rule which can be a 2 1/2 year old deer in an area with decent genetics.(i.e. Still not mature). Congrats to them for finding a way to manage them and keep everyone on board. My cousin has tried it with reasonable results on 200 acres but nothing like what's pictured. His biggest are usually in the 130-mid 140 range in Michigan's thumb. His neighbors were on board for a season or two but it's hard to pass a 3 1/2 year old 130 inch buck if you're not a trophy hunter.
