VABuckSlayer Posted January 10, 2005 Report Share Posted January 10, 2005 What to yall think about culling bucks with poor genetics? The buck I saw yesterday was a 7pt. that was around 20"-21" wide inside with maybe 6" G-2's and a crab clab on the right side. He wouldn't have scored a whole lot but was definately a mature deer. The landowner only wants us to shoot mountable deer and doesn't believe in culling bucks. He doesn't think that a mature buck that doesn't have a good rack will spread poor genetics. I personally disagree because there are a number of deer in that area that look like that. What do the rest of you think about "cull bucks"? Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogdoc Posted January 10, 2005 Report Share Posted January 10, 2005 Re: Cull buck? hard to tell sometimes if it is genetics or from an injury. If you practice QDM and wanting to cull a buck b/c you suspect he is genetically inferior then he should be at least 3.5 years old--JMO! todd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimT Posted January 10, 2005 Report Share Posted January 10, 2005 Re: Cull buck? Personally, I like freaky racks like that. Gives them much more charecter than a typical rack. Everyone has seen a basic 5x5 ten. Not many have seen seven on one side and three on the other. Thats cool to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest CBU93 Posted January 10, 2005 Report Share Posted January 10, 2005 Re: Cull buck? The information that I have been able to get from a biologist that specializes in whitetail deer (and I trust with all my deer hunting go to questions) has said that bucks should not be "culled" until at least 3.5 years old. He also has urged me to beleive that any 3.5 year old buck in the areas I hunt are shooters based on hunting pressure. Even then, the average deer hunter does not have the expertise neccessary to make a judgement in the field as to whether a buck should be "culled" based on genetics. Age, nutrition, then genetics play a role in antler development (as we all know). The only thing that we can not control is genetics. Age we control by not shooting young bucks, nutrition we can control thru food plots, habitat enhancement (timber management), and taking advantage of antlerless harvests. I would do my best to manipulate the things I can control before attempting to step into the realm of "culling" bucks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoyt19 Posted January 10, 2005 Report Share Posted January 10, 2005 Re: Cull buck? No reason to cull him now, if he has bred any does this year his genes with have already passed on. Watch for him next year and maybe he will have a nice non typical rack, or if you choose to cull him then, do it then, but give him one more season to grow a new set of antlers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin R10 man Posted January 10, 2005 Report Share Posted January 10, 2005 Re: Cull buck? A 21" 7 pt. does not tell me much about its genetics, or if it should be culled. If the landowner wont let it be taken, I dont know what we can help you decide....I let a 19 " 6 pt go this year with no eye guards...think he has much potential as he was only a 2 and 1/2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VABuckSlayer Posted January 10, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2005 Re: Cull buck? Thanks for the input guys. The buck I'm refering to in my opinion appeared to be a 3.5 year old deer. I would have given him another year anyway even though he sure looked good coming through the swamp. (deer season is over here BTW) I was just curious to what everyones opinion is on culling "poor" bucks once they are mature. I'm not talking about young bucks that look "poor". I think they should at least be 3.5 before they should be harvested. We have a lot of small deer and piebald deer running around in our area which tells me there are bad genetics in our herd. My brother and I are trying to thin the does out but the 2 of us can't effectively do the job. The other couple guys who can hunt there (owners family) don't want to fool with does. They only want to shoot a buck. Hopefully I can convince them to help us out next season! Thanks again for everyones opinion! Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted January 10, 2005 Report Share Posted January 10, 2005 Re: Cull buck? Have to agree with what Martin and other say here. That really does not tell much about the genetics and if it was a 2.5 year old or younger deer you really cannot be certain a deer like you describe has poor genetics. I try to hold out for 3.5 year olds or better here. The rack on a 3.5 year old should be at least out past the ears and usually would around here would have a minimum of 8 points. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bond Posted January 13, 2005 Report Share Posted January 13, 2005 Re: Cull buck? Culling is a good idea in theory, especially for outfitters who own several thousand acres. But for the majority of hunters, it won't make a big effect on the land you hunt. If you choose to cull bucks, I think you'll just have a lot of small bucks on your wall. I wouldn't cull a buck unless its 4.5+ that's when you'll be able to see if hes a good buck or not, and, I don't know about you but, if any buck is 4.5-5.5, it's a trophy to me and I'd head mount it. I've seen on hunting shows where they're on a texas ranch on a management hunt and shoot the smallest 5.5 year old they see, usually a massive, wide 6 pointer. It's still bigger than an average 3.5 and I'd still mount it so I don't see a point in culling bucks. Any 5.5+ deer is a trophy for the average hunter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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