Backyard bucks....

[SAMCRO]

This is a 3 year old. He put on a whole lot of bone from last year. This is a couple morning ago, just before dawn:

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This one is old, not sure on age, but old, and isn't getting any bigger. This was a couple days ago, too:

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Youngster. Pretty neat little deer who will be somebody someday, I think:

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Good crop for next year. Mostly I want to run into the first buck, although I tried to do that this year, and it wasn't easy. He's young, but he's not stupid. Last year, as a 2-year old, I saw him all the time. This year, not so much, and not so easy.

[RB]

Good deer and close to home

[PoisonSnake]

The first deer is nice. The other two look like about 75% of the deer I see each year.

[SAMCRO]

What do you think the first one would gross out at right now?

The others don't look like 75% of the deer I see. 90% of the deer I see look like dinks and does.

[hunting170]

Nice bucks CRO. You should let your little serial killers live trap them.

[PoisonSnake]

I've got a problem with mediocre 8s on the HFA. I have come to believe there is a major issue with genetics on our place. Even the big deer have short G4s.

I cannot see that deer from the front so I have no idea on the spread. Not that it makes a huge difference. But, I would say the brows are 3.5", the 2s are 10" and the 3s are 9". If you give him 22" mains, which seems reasonable, I would think you are close. Spread of 16" and H measurements totalling 30" would get you close I think. 135-140" maybe? That is a very good deer for a 3.5 year old buck.

Now, mind you, if you look at my big 8 from only the side, he doesn't really look that great. That deer grosses nearly 155". I would say the one above looks better from the side although he doesn't have the main beams that my deer has I don't believe.

[Warmouth]

Good luck with them. If the first one gains some mass, he'll be a really nice deer.

[SAMCRO]

I came up with 138" myself, with a little different numbers to get there than you, Snake. I would guess we are close. I believe his G2's are a little better than 10", not sure. Won't know now unless I find his sheds. If I find him next year, which is likely, I expect them to be longer. Since he was a little 2-year old last year, the height of his rack is the best feature to me.

As far as spread, I think you are close. Here's a shot that cuts off tines, but you can see spread:

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As far as tine length, this one had 10" G2's, and I believe his tines are longer than this, but I could be wrong. I have seen this buck in person, though, and they look like they are longer:

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[RB]

SC, next year he is going to be a looker. Hope nothing happens to him until then.

[PoisonSnake]

That deer looks good from the front for sure. You would think he would put on some more antler, but you never know. None-the-less, I mid 130s class 8-pointer is a great deer.

[RB]

That deer looks good from the front for sure. You would think he would put on some more antler, but you never know. None-the-less, I mid 130s class 8-pointer is a great deer.

Knowing where the Cro took the pics I would say that deer will put on some serious bone this year. It is a great area and the deer have a supermarket right there just like the HFA.

[PoisonSnake]

My point wasn't so much to question whether it will grow any more antler or not. But, that it would be a great kill right now. That being said, I believe a lot of hunters are under the false impression that a deer is going to put on 15" of antler from one year to the next. That includes me.

[SAMCRO]

I wouldn't say the genetics here are great. Overall, I'd say what I hear about Snake's place, he's probably dealing with a better herd with better genetics. But, the fact that I walk out my back door and they're right there, I'm not complaining, either.

I don't see a whole lot of good bucks. I had a couple good ones last year, and a few this year, and that's really it. I don't go out and see 75 bucks in a sit like Snake, that sort of thing. They aren't easy to kill, either, like I thought they would be. This is a suburban setting, and you see them and think it's going to be cake, but it's not. If anything, I'd take a farm buck for ease of killing over these, but that's debatable.

They're good deer, though, even though every one of the bucks manages to stay an 8-point his whole life, with an occasional 5-point side. I've never seen a 10-point or greater here.

They do seem to make a big jump in overall size year to year. Nothing that different than any other place, really, and I may just be noticing it because I see them so often and I run a camera year round, but it is what it is.

This is that bucks jump from last year as what I belive to be a 2-year-old to this year as a 3-year-old. I don't care if he wants to keep the tine length the same, but it would sure be nice if he could add some mass. They do have access to literally a few thousand acres of beans and corn, so nutrition isn't a problem.

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And here's a shot of that other buck from above. If Smitty says he sees deer like this every sit, there's my proof his herd is in a little better shape. This deer won't get much bigger, I don't think. He's not 3, anymore.

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[PoisonSnake]

No, I don't see deer like that last picture every sit. I did see about one every other day I would put in that category (rack size). Of the 31 bucks that I saw from a stand on the HFA, most of them were 80-110" 8-pointers. I didn't lay eyes on a lot of 1.5 year olds this year, which is odd. Most years, 50% of my buck sightings are 1.5 year olds. Mind you, I'm not including the bucks I saw there at the house (which, BTW, I didn't lay eyes on a single mature deer at the house this year). I did have one decent 10 on camera at the house and I have recently found some huge rubs. So, there must be a decent deer there somewhere.

I should have put a camera on my feeder a couple months back. Oh well.

[Warmouth]

He'll put on mass. 2.5-3.5 they gain tine length and frame, but 3.5-4.5 is where they start getting mass and gnarly character.

I saw the suburban bucks that I hunted 'grow up' from 2.5 to 3.5 to 4.5, and it seemed pretty consistant that the frame and tine length was the big jump at 3.5yrs, mass at 4.5yrs.

Not an cut on you here, but I haven't seen many of the bucks that you have posted with really strong mass, so that may be a genetic thing in your location. If the genetics are there for mass, I think that tall 3.5yr 8pt is going to surprise you.

Also no 3.5+ yr old buck is a pushover, imo.

I'm stuck in Lone Jack with a plethora of 1.5 and 2.5yr olds. I haven't even got a pic of anything bigger than 2.5yr spindly 9pt this year. It's fugging ridiculous. More coyotes in the last 2 years than the first 4yrs here though, so that is complete bullchit as well.