Culls, how do you do it?

[redkneck]

Not that I need advice, my club aint even going to start this, but this afternoon, watching a young buck (4x1) and a big fat 2.5 year old one horned spike got me thinking. How do you guys set policy at your club dealing with culls? Both of these deer could/should arguably be shot, but like most clubs we dont set standards for obvious reason, i.e. we don't want members draging a 80lb spike up to the camp saying they thought he was heavier, not to mention the legalities.

[Texan_Til_I_Die]

I agree that hard and fast rules aren't the way to go. Education is a much better tool.

As to the ranch I hunt, here's generally what we try to do.

Management Buck:

Any deer that's 2.5 or older and still a spike

Any deer that's 2.5 or older and doesn't have eye guards (G1's)

Any deer that's 3.5 or older and still an 8 point or less

Any deer that's 4.5 or older and will score under 130

We don't try to remove anything that's 1.5

Sometimes we'll take bucks that have lopsided racks like a 3x5

What we absolutely DO NOT want to shoot:

2.5 or 3.5 year old bucks with 10 or more points, regardless of score

Notice that this all hinges on being able to accurately age a buck on the hoof. That is the most critical skill in deciding on whether a buck should be taken before he reaches his prime.

[PotashRLS]

We seldom have to worry about it. Our free-ranging deer rarely get old enough to show poor genetics. A 3 1/2 yr old is usually a P&Y buck, but covers enough private property that if you don't shoot him the first time you see him, you probably won't kill him at all. Wisconsin typically has great nutrition and genetics but lacks some age due to over 700,000 gun hunters and nearly half that for bowhunters. It is amazing we put out so many record deer as it is.

[joeaveragehunter]

I hope someday I have the problem of having to fish through 4.5 year old deer. If you do get to, the texan probably has a good plan to start.

[fly]

No club for me, but when managing we avoid all button, 1.5 year old and 2.5 year old bucks. Anything else is fair game.

[Rhino]

John we don't have a cull buck rule (so to speak) in our club. I was pushing to do one but thanks to an idiot that shot a 1.5 year old 5 point with a bent main beam due to a velvet injury last year, we never will now.

For MS bucks it's difficult to tell if one will be a cull until he's at least 3.5 and in many cases 4.5. There are some cases when 2.5 year old bucks are carrying spike horns or fork horns. I've only gotten a trail cam pic of one 3.5 year old carrying ~18" spikes that was a 4 point as a 4.5 year old buck last year. A friend of mine saw him but was down to his last buck so he passed last year.

My personal attitude for MS bucks is, I'll take one out as a cull buck if it has 7 or less points as a 4.5 year old buck provided he didn't break a tine off. As you know the vast majority of MS mature bucks carry 8 points. I took a 5.5 year old 5 point and a 4.5 year old 6 point (19" inside spread) out during the last 3 years. I would have taken another monster size 6 point out of the gene pool 2 years ago but I missed.:oops: He put the 4.5 year old 19" spread 6 point to shame with the size of his 6 point rack. I lost a shirtail on that one. :yes:

Our club doesn't make any allowances for taking out cull bucks but some of our members will use one of their bucks on a cull since we get 3.

BTW...our DMAP biologist said a 3.5 year old buck without both brow tines is a cull too.

[redkneck]

Great posts from everyone. TTID, I was right with you till that last post on the 2.5~3.5 with ten points or more, whew..... a little too much for me. I did pass up a nice ten last year that was a 2.5 but he just looked too perfect and slightly undersized rack. We'll see if he turns up this year. Alan I hear you on the idiot. Always one in every crowd.