A Trip Down Memory Lane-The 9 Point Curse
- Thread starter younggun1849
- Start date
TMIL
5 year old buck +
Dude, those are great! BTW, a 10-pointer that broke a tine is still a 10-pointer in my opinion. I mean come on, battle scars. A more interesting trophy if you ask me.
If I have inferred correctly, I figure you're about 23 years old, right? With those very, very nice deer on your wall already and your obvious passion for hunting, I truly hope I have the chance to see what's on your wall when you're 33. I'm confident it will be impressive.
If I have inferred correctly, I figure you're about 23 years old, right? With those very, very nice deer on your wall already and your obvious passion for hunting, I truly hope I have the chance to see what's on your wall when you're 33. I'm confident it will be impressive.
SD51555
5 year old buck +
Yeah, curse ain't the word. I'd call it an opportunity. Nice deer nonetheless. If you can put those on the ground year after year, I'd consider letting them walk given you've got a handful on the wall now. Just a suggestion.
If I had a deer like that, I'd probably take the first one just because the odds of it living are zero in my area if it passes another hunter. I'd also put it on the wall. After that one though, I'd have my one and hold out for another year on a critter like that. You're on the right track if you're seeing deer like that year after year.
If I had a deer like that, I'd probably take the first one just because the odds of it living are zero in my area if it passes another hunter. I'd also put it on the wall. After that one though, I'd have my one and hold out for another year on a critter like that. You're on the right track if you're seeing deer like that year after year.
Dipper -
How did you age your deer? I've found molar aging to be relatively accurate for young deer, but inconsistent at best for older. Too many variables to be accurate. I've been sending in teeth for CA aging and the results have been surprising. Lots of deer are older than we think and the antler size is usually not the best indicator. Similar results in SE MN and NW WI - if they have a muscled up frame, they're 3.5+ deer, likely older. Those bucks are all 3.5+, and at least one or two may be a couple years older than that but it's tough to tell from the pics. Regardless of the age, those are nice bucks.
D
dipper
Guest
From fawn-4.5 wear is damn near 100%. Above that it's not as conclusive, but many trials have determined the same thing about labs. Just because you are paying a self proclaimed expert doesn't make it more credible. That's my opinion on many things.
I can't help but wonder who these labs have working behind a microscope. Educated and skilled labor cut into profit. One can only imagine :)
I can't help but wonder who these labs have working behind a microscope. Educated and skilled labor cut into profit. One can only imagine :)
Dipper- we'll just have to agree too disagree on this one. In my opinion essentially counting microscopic tree rings seems less likely to be misinterpreted than visually inspecting differences in tooth wear against a standardized wear chart. I'm guessing there's a significant difference in annual tooth wear in years when our winter is 6 months long like the last two have been versus mild winters that are 2 months long. Eating green tender stuff is less abrasive than hard woody browse eaten extensively during the winter. Too many variables in the tooth wear option for me, so I'm more comfortable with the annual ring measurements associated with cementum annuli aging. But there is definitely a margin for error associated with everything.
I always thought it would be interesting to test aging methods in a wild deer of a known age to see how they compare. It would likely only be possible if the deer was missing an ear or had some odd type of coloration that made it easy to ID from a fawn on up.
I always thought it would be interesting to test aging methods in a wild deer of a known age to see how they compare. It would likely only be possible if the deer was missing an ear or had some odd type of coloration that made it easy to ID from a fawn on up.
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dipper
Guest
I always thought it would be interesting to test aging methods in a wild deer of a known age to see how they compare. It would likely only be possible if the deer was missing an ear or had some odd type of coloration that made it easy to ID from a fawn on up.[/QUOTE]
There is, thats another reason how I have formed my opinion. My wild jaw key is just as accurate inside a pen. There is no difference in wear of central wi deer inside and outside a fence. That's after hundreds of known aged deer inside a fence.
This isn't my first rodeo son. Been doing this a long time. :)
There is, thats another reason how I have formed my opinion. My wild jaw key is just as accurate inside a pen. There is no difference in wear of central wi deer inside and outside a fence. That's after hundreds of known aged deer inside a fence.
This isn't my first rodeo son. Been doing this a long time. :)
I agree that they are all great bucks and I would be happy to shoot any of them. Maybe I wasn't clear enough that I was only disagreeing with Dipper's assessment that they were younger deer. They're great deer regardless of the age. Nice work.
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dipper
Guest
This year alone I've seen around 30 guys 100% convinced their 100" deer is a 4.5 year old. 90% of the time the deer is gentically inferior, was wounded, possibly sick or otherwise unhealthy. I've heard it all dude. There are plenty of 4 year olds that score 115", I've seen slot of them the last couple years. A couple of youngs bucks could be 4.5.
It sounds like your phd comment was directed to me. That's fine, I don't have to prove anything to you. i have been paid by the wi dnr to age deer, which is part of their Cwd monitoring program. It was $10 a deer, and I cashed the checks.
After years of dealing with thousands of hunters and their trophies I've learned to never comment on age or score. It is perceived as a direct attack at ones manhood. Many are uncomfortable with the truth, so it goes better instead. Since this kid clearly wants to shoot a bigger buck....you gotta let the smaller bucks go. Don't need a phd to figure that out.
Bill
Administrator
No offense. And I mean "Really" no offense.
I enjoy your posts and love how you're teaching us along with Doug about no til soil improvements. AND I rank right up there in the being a smart A$$ department.
You crack me up sometimes though. You're the expert that hates experts, who get money for being an expert.
Can I send you a $10 check and a map of my place for your opinion of how to make it better?
Again no offense. I'm smiling as I write this. Just an observation no ill will intended.
Reagan
5 year old buck +
If you re read the OP, he just mentioned the irony of 9 points. He talks about his FIRST Pope and Young in 2007. He tells his tale of deer harvested many of which were taken in years where he had little time to hunt. He has some deer that appear to be older and others that may be younger. Nothing was said in the OP about wanting shoot older bucks. He is now a young man but he was a KID not long ago. Lighten up. Let him enjoy his success without tearing him down.
I do enjoy your posts and the knowledge you share. I agree with Bill. I also have the smart ass gene.
But.......
I think if you walked into my house, you would tell me how to rearrange my furniture before you sat down. You tell people what is wrong with their mounts, their deer killed and their property. I do enjoy your posts but don't be the guy who runs off the young hunter who gets "it" more than most one week a year warriors. The OP is one of us. I would bet that by the time he is thirty, he will be even pickier about what he shoots. Or, when he is thirty he may have a wife, demanding job, kids and little time to hunt. He may continue to kill the same kind of deer he has killed the last 7 short years and that will be OK too.
phil@thesidehill
5 year old buck +
Well said! Just an FYI the OP is already married and has a kid/s and a good job....he's light yrs beyond most other 24 yr olds I know!
Bowsnbucks
5 year old buck +
Congrats on those bucks! Most hunters would be lucky to see ONE buck like those, let alone have that many on the wall. If anyone is shooting just based on numbers or inches of rack, they'll miss out on many a good hunt/kill. You're doing something right to have that many nice 9 points w/ a bow!
That said, I passed on a smaller 6 pt. ( 12"- ish spread ) this Dec.1st. I felt no pain letting him walk, just wondered what he might look like next year. That doesn't mean I'll even SEE him next season, or get a shot at him. But at that moment, with him in my crosshairs, it felt better to see him walk away.
That said, I passed on a smaller 6 pt. ( 12"- ish spread ) this Dec.1st. I felt no pain letting him walk, just wondered what he might look like next year. That doesn't mean I'll even SEE him next season, or get a shot at him. But at that moment, with him in my crosshairs, it felt better to see him walk away.
younggun1849
5 year old buck +
I am married, with a little girl, and another little one on the way. It's an awesome job, I love every second of it, I really don't even consider it a job. More of helping others by doing something I love, and that is being outside and helping others prepare for hunting to make as many memories as possible. It's not easy though, I worked 10 months without getting a paycheck when I started.
Here's the first ultra sound.
Figured y'all would get a kick out of that ;)
We don't find out what sex until late next month, this was just something I saw on the internet and figured I would share.
I've always just loved to hunt, and sharing that with others. Realtree hit the nail on the head, "Friends, Family, and the Outdoors" That's what it's all about. Yeah some of the deer were young, some were older, it is what it is, but I will remember each one of those hunts until the day I die. Nobodies comments on here are going to make me not be able to sleep at night, I consider you all friends(even dipper ;)) that share the passion of enhancing habitat and chasing whitetails.
Dip's right, I do want to shoot bigger and older deer, I wouldn't spend the time or money I do on hunting if I didn't want to, but at the end of the day it's easy to get caught up in all that and let it ruin the hunting. Trust me, I get just as much satisfaction, maybe more, filming a 3 1/2 year old walk by and hoping I can track him until next year, as I do shooting one.
