Got one

[bueller]

Congrats. How old do you think he is? Are you getting it mounted or European?

I was set on a European but the wife is insisting on a shoulder mount for the cabin, she says he is "good looking". How do I argue with that?

I'm guessing that he is 3.5 but I really don't know. All of the yearling bucks from the area that we have weighed have been 105-110. This one was 149. Seems to have more mass, neck size, and body weight than the 2.5's in our area. Anyone with thoughts on age please share.

 

[bueller]

That one side is really cool. Have you seen bucks in prior years with similar bonus points/palmation?

We seem to have a fair amount with split/forked tips on their G2's but I've never seen anything like this in person or on camera that I remember.

 

[gwm]

Congrats!

 

[yoderjac]

Hard to tell as deer are different from area to area, but on our farm he would be borderline 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 from field judging. I'd suggest having the taxidermist pull the jawbone and save it for you. You can have it aged by a department biologist that sees a lot of jawbones in your area. I like the idea of sealing a jaw bone with polyurethane and mounting it. I find shooting a mature buck with a bow and accomplishment regardless of antler size. The jaw bone is as much of a trophy for me as the mount!

Thanks,

Jack

 

[pnulty66]

Congrats! Awesome deer, thanks for sharing the story!!!

 

[bueller]

Update.... Taxidermist felt he was 3.5-4.5 based on jawbone wear, and he was leaning towards 4.5. I sent the incisors in and got the results a couple weeks ago, 4.5. While age is obviously important in growing big racks, sandy non-fertile ground like mine just does not put out many bucks that score well.

 

[Mortenson]

let's see the mount!

 

[Tree Spud]

Update.... Taxidermist felt he was 3.5-4.5 based on jawbone wear, and he was leaning towards 4.5. I sent the incisors in and got the results a couple weeks ago, 4.5. While age is obviously important in growing big racks, sandy non-fertile ground like mine just does not put out many bucks that score well.

Tough getting a buck to 3.5 in our area, getting to 4.5 is huge. Congrats on out smarting a pretty smart buck

 

[roymunson]

Tough getting a buck to 3.5 in our area, getting to 4.5 is huge. Congrats on out smarting a pretty smart buck

Not to mention in the October Lull. I thought I read somewhere that all bucks crawled into caves during the October Lull and were unkillable.

 

[bueller]

Not to mention in the October Lull. I thought I read somewhere that all bucks crawled into caves during the October Lull and were unkillable.

October cold front! Think I first heard about it from a guy whose last name is associated with a motorcycle rally . Two years in a row it has worked for me. Hopefully this year makes three, I'll be watching the weather very closely around Oct. 15th-20th.

 

[roymunson]

October cold front! Think I first heard about it from a guy whose last name is associated with a motorcycle rally . Two years in a row it has worked for me. Hopefully this year makes three, I'll be watching the weather very closely around Oct. 15th-20th.

I had my best encounter 10-22 last year. Cold front it is...

 

[Catscratch]

Outstanding! Congrats!

 

[bueller]

let's see the mount!

 

[Mortenson]

That's a great looking mount! Real nice work.