A trophy in my house fills the freezer, not the wall, but this buck got me thinking. If I had 800 acres would this be a cull buck or a wait a few years buck?

Nice young buck.Your choice to shoot or not.

I don't think cull bucks are a real thing, it's just the excuse trophy hunters use to kill small bucks

If after wall hanger might give him couple of years but if filling freezer that one would end up on ice.

Gotta remember no matter how long you cook them the horns still are not eatable

If you ever want to shoot a big one they need to walk. How many big deer walk by your stand when you are done hunting.

Around here the prevailing thought is take him before the wolves do.

Or the guys on the next 40 over...

Shoot first and shoot fast.

He'll probably never have more points so your decision.
Young bucks taste better.

I agree. If you want meat, shoot the first brown one you see and be done. If a big set of antlers excites you then you need to let the young bucks walk.




They can't shoot them all.

I'd kill him when he's a nubbin. Meat's meat!

Moosetrot

yup, bang

5 doe tags with every license shoot every deer that makes it's self a target worth your time to bone out.

He needs to die. Won't ever be a more than what he is. IF you want a big one for the wall let someone else , kids, buddy kill him. He needs to die.

I'm the opposite with deer, I hunt horns. I'd hope a neighboring hunter or car got that one if it on one of the properties I hunt.

Elk and Moose fill freezers.

I could downn size the freezer if I only ate elk and moose in Wisconsin lol

full face, belly starting to sag. Not a yearling by a good bit. I would take him in your situation.

I am of the opinion that you have to let the small bucks walk to grow into big bucks.
Unless they clearly have no potential.

That said, I was doing that on my neighbors property where I typically hunt.
There was 3 bucks that had good potential and I was letting them grow. 2 seasons ago the land owners sons who are in their 40's both took up deer hunting and have killed all 3 bucks in the last 2 seasons. 2 were 150 class deer and the 3 was in the low 160's. GRRRRRR ! Me being the good neighbor that I am walked them through field dressing and caping the first season they hunted.

If there's a chance he could be taken on a neighboring property, then kill it before they do.

99 % of the time I kill does. My trophy is having a full freezer and not hanging on the wall. I don't target bucks, but will kill one of it's big enough.

99% of the time we kill fawns to fill the freezer as I have found we all like to eat them best. We leave the does alone as they tend to bring bucks around in rut. If I harvest a doe before rut and even a month after if she misses breeding - I have just removed a living bait for my bucks that travel our area. I have no problem with anyone harvesting what they want. A living doe in heat can be the best attractant in season if she remains near out farms. 3 years ago, we peeled off 3 nice bucks on our farm as we had a hot doe running around our farm.

Once a buck is removed from a hot doe - another buck will find her. If the hot doe is removed - bucks out searching will not venture by as much..........just my thoughts.

And you know this how?

That buck is a healthy midwestern 2.5 year old.....3.5 year old max.

He has reached only about 40% to 50% of his potential. Points don't matter. He could, and likely will, in good midwestern habitat, increase dramatically in the next couple years.

Come on jbyrd....I thought your whitetail knowledge was at a higher level.

lol