Eartag buck-where from?

This guy showed up last November and has hung around ever since. This is low fence, Juno, Val Verde County, TX. I've been told TPWD transplanted some deer to the area from San Antonio/Austin city limits, and that is probably where he came from. This is the best pic I have of his eartag and I can't see any text on it. I'm sure the color and or style/type of eartag means something to someone, and I'm wondering if anyone here would know who that is, or might already know something about it. Thanks!

If it is a pen raised deer he might have a unique # on the tag along with other numbers. If you can read the unique # the deer can be traced thru the TPWD deer breeders office as to where he was born and what ranch he was released at. If he was a TTT deer then he might have an identification # only on the tag which will tell you not much. Either way the deer will have a tatoo in his ear if he was pen raised or TTT moved.

Not the normal eartags I am accustom to seeing. Most breeders will have a tag in each ear with a legible number/s that should be easily be dicernable at this distance from camera.

Her is another picture of the tag from the back side. No markings on the tag at all from what I can tell. I haven't gotten many from the front, so there may be something there that I can't see, but I think the first picture is clear enough to tell there is nothing there.

That's pretty cool !! He'll be easy to keep up with from year to year . On our lease In Mexico this year one of our guys shot a 155 B/C buck with a ear tag . But it just had a # stamp on the front like a cow tag.

MEXICOHUNTER- You're right. He will be easy to keep up with, and he's off-limits for at least three years. He does look a little different than the native deer, and I'm anxious to see what he does next year!

FYI, if he is 3 years old and still an 8 point...no use in feeding him any longer unless you just want to grow a big 8 point.


If he came from San Antonio he probably came from Hill Country Village or Hollywood park

That's non-sense.

I was figuring him at 2.5, maybe 3.5, but anyways, he's got a nice frame to him, and I don't care if he only ends up with 8 points. He has a frame to be a very respectable deer at maturity.

which part?


just because he is tagged doesn't mean he is anything special.

there is no use in saving him if all he is gonna be is an 8 point and letting him eat your feed and breed your does unless you want to shoot a big 8 point.

I understand if its low fence taking him out isn't going to affect the genetics of the ranch

we had a ranch we hunted on where the owner brought in a bunch of TTT does, there was 1 forkhorn that got caught in the mix. everyone was all excited thinking he was gonna be some great deer and 3 years later as a 4 year old all he was, was a 120" eight point. he ate feed for 3 years just to grow to the size of the native deer already on the ranch

3.5 8pt will always be an 8pt part

I'm of the mindset (not saying its accurate 100% of the time) that if a deer isn't trying to grow 10 points by the time he is 3 that is isn't going to grow into a super buck.

experience has shown me they might sprout a 9th point or grow some kickers and other trash but they are still mainframe 8's or 9's. again, I'm sure there are examples that prove otherwise but by and large most biologists would agree with that statement.

that deer is 2 1'2 so in 2 years he is going to show his hand. if he wasn't showing me something good by 3 I would shoot him, but that's me

We will find out in about 5 or 6 months. I really think he's 2.5 and I bet he grows at least another point next year. Especially now that he's on the protein erry day.

he might make a big jump, you never know.

with good rains and good feed he might make a giant leap

High fence escapee?

Well the fact of the matter is how many bucks on a low fence ranch do you for sure get to watch grow up ? What iam saying is how many times have you seen a nice looking young buck one year and then you don't see him next year and then a year or two later you see one that kinda looks like the one you remember but your not sure if that's him not .
Well that guy will be easy to pick out . And hes also the easiest deer to protect .And I just think it will be cool to see what he turns out to be on a low fence ranch cause while he may not be a monster but I'd bet there's alot of young bucks just like him that get a pass that no one really 100% for sure knows how they turned out .

BANG !!!!

One of the bucks we took in Mexico had a tag too this year.

How money do you want to loose on this one?

No matter what, it will be a few months before you have to make the decision to leave him or to take him out. He will be easy to keep up with and tell how he progressed or regressed with that yellow tag in his ear.

I'm sure you have an example to contribute this so post it up

x2

Thank you for posting. I, for one, would love to see pics of his progression, or lack thereof if that's the case, posted here for all of us to see over the next 2-3years.

He may not stick around. He wandered in he may wander out.

You never know

Main frame, I 'll let you age him.

One year later



Main frame 8 the year before this pic.


5x5 when killed at 5 yrs old the next season.



Main frame 7.

Main frame 8 the next year(same buck as the 7, he in front on left)

The next year 5x5 with a few kickers and trash and only 188 gross.

Main frame 8

Same buck still main frame 8 point but now grossing over 200" NT


Main frame 8

One year later still main frame 8 point but now grossing over 180" NT



Both of these 8's were on the cull list the year before they were killed due to age and lack of more than 8 point typical frames.

Frame...frame. ..frame....

Judge by frame never pts at 3.5

That first one's second picture looks like a fake cartoon set of antlers or something.

ok....


now lets see all those pics of 8 points at 3.5 years old that always stayed 8's. the number is going to be WAY higher than the handful of bucks you posted up. like I said its not 100%, but its the rule rather than the exception.

by that theory you should never shoot a spike either yet you are a proponent of that stx

If that first one sides matched I don't know if I could passed him up

http://www.whitetaildomains.com/Forums/ShowThread.aspx/25231/Big+10's+#0

I enjoy all of the responses here. Any of the deer in Ranchman's post would be considered a trophy on our place, and we are only on our second year here. This deer will live for several years if he hangs around our place, and he will probably be an average or slightly above average deer if he reaches maturity.

There are different strategies to management, culling, etc.. and I think they all should be based on a particular piece of property, not straight across the board rules of thumb for every single place that holds a whitetail population. Sure, this deer might be considered a cull on a property that regularly produces 180+ inch deer, but as of now, we cannot do that and my main goal is to have every hunter on the lease harvest a mature buck every year.

And in closing, anybody that would shoot this deer like he is right now in our particular scenario and call him a cull would not be welcome back on our lease the next year. Bringing up the whole 8 point, cull thing shouldn't even be an issue with this buck.

Still have more of these if you want to see them. No one, I including myself has said that all 8's will turn into a monster buck. You popped off that you can already tell what this OP's buck was going to be based on your experience as a deer manager. Just how many 160+ have you produced on your family land and in how many years now that you have been managing it?

MEXICOHUNTER got it exactly right. On the other hand, this other fella is just a Negative Nancy if I ever seen one.

antler score is has just as much to do with genetics as anything else.

our management practices follow several other ranches, only difference is in genetics and they produce 180"-200" deer every year while we will never get over the mid 170's top end, and that may only happen every 5 years. difference in genetics.

I never stated what the op's buck is gonna be based off the pic he has of a two year old buck...its impossible to tell.

My point was just because he has a tag in his ear, don't automatically assume he is going to be a super buck.

We have had a few tagged deer show up our place. One of our hunters shot one, when he took it to the processor the processor was able to tell where it came from. Supposedly had a list of tag numbers.

More of the right deer get shot for the wrong reasons than people realize…

Problem is… if you are shooting the right deer for the wrong reasons… you are shooting the wrong deer for the same ones.

Mid July, best pic I got of him. Looks like he's gonna finish this year as a 3 year old 10 point.

txtrophy85 do you want extra butter and syrup with these?

Oh boy, here we go again......

I think that is the 1st time I ever sat in a thread with popcorn! LOL

Has been interesting reading. I think I would welcome a few "tagged" deer in my hood.

Wonder if the buck is chipped? Do they do that with deer or mostly #'s and tattoos?

We have 2 does on our property near Hondo with yellow ear tags. They have been there for 3 years and we have always wondered where they came from. The tags have a number over a slash mark and a year. TTT does?

Are there any small numbers/letters in a series of 4 listed on front or back that are visible? A deer bought and/or released from a breeder pen could have a unique number on the tag and then same number tattooed in the ear. If you can see and read that unique number you can trace where the deer came from and who had it last. A TTT deer would have an ear tag usually and a # tatooed as an ID from where they came from also. TTT deer would have been caught from a ranch not from a breeder pen.

So it looks like this buck is 3 years old this year

I never said that the deer would not grow into a 10 point.....all I said was that if the deer was not a 10 point at 3 years old I would shoot it

Btw look at that monster crow in the background

I bet someone caught him and raised him while he was little then put a tag in his ear hopping no one would shoot him.... seen people do it and put collers on them around here alot

That's a dead deer, ear tag or not, he doesn't impress me as having much potential. He may have been set free for a reason.

If that deer was pen raised....I'd of let him out as well...just sayin

He's back! This is the only picture I got of him so far. I'm sure I'll have some more. Calling him a 4 year old.. Off limits until next year.

Nice lookin buck!

Cool post to keep going, looking forward to next year

Good deal. Hopefully he'll give you some more looks.

Looking at that deer I think its important to remember that not every deer, even with all the protein and age it can get will be a monster. I think he is a nice buck and will be nicer in another year, very neat to be able to track deer over several years.

Can't wait to see next year!

Looking good, great thread. Will keep following for sure.

JHef-Nice job on agreeing to let him walk. Will be interesting to see what he does at 5yo.

I have a 4.5 or 5.5 year old 10 point that's been an 8 for the last 2 years. This is the first year he's a 10!

Your local biologist in your area of the deer should shed some light on the subject, tpwd, keeps some
what good records when they transfer deer or relocate them. With this CWD going around more attention to
detail is at hand. Nice young deer in my book, if you can read all the digits in his tag, its documented some
where in someones laptop!

Wonder how many others are in his group? then again he could be an escapee like previous post said.

He'd be tempting to a young shooter in your group if you have any?.....


hunt safe.....

Got a few more pictures I thought I'd post, and I'm pretty sure I found one of his sheds from last year. He doesn't look like he's put on much length, but he has put on some mass. Our neighbors that are closest to the area we have have him in told me they got a few pictures of him also, and they are going to pass on him this year as well. There are no numbers on his tag as far as I can tell, on either side.

Very cool

I'm about 99% sure I found his other shed from the year before last over the weekend;





That is his 3 year old set of horns.

He should be 5.5 this year. I set up first game cameras for the year on Saturday. I haven't had any photos of him since December, but I'm pretty sure he made it. He is safe from us and our neighbors. He is going to be one of my priorities this year if he is still there.

I had an Axis with a tag like that show up on my ranch once.. heh

Cool thread. I hope he shows up for picture soon for you.

I had forgotten about this post, thanks for bringing it back. Looking forward to seeing what he has turned into.

I bet he is going to be a main frame 10 with several kickers maybe even a drop.

Man I hope so! I'd be happy if he has one kicker!

Might contact the GW or County Biologist and see if they know anything about him

Looking forward to this years pics....

Very Cool

I'd be tempted to Pneau-Dart his old butt and see that tag up close

Where is txtrophy on this?

this has been a fun read, cant wait to see pics