Great photos an great bucks. Really impressed with antler size. Trying to get a feel for your new place for future age/score. What do you think average mature field dressed weights would be? I guess there was some protein fed in past but not a lot..?? Have you said anything about neighbors property size and hunting/management?
Not sure on the weights as the hunters I spoke with last Friday could not remember what the buck he killed last year weighed. He scored around 137 gross as either a 4x5 or 5x5 with split brows...so 11 or 12 points. He was 18" inside also. I would guess 110-125lbs on mature bucks dressed weights. There was 2 of the 4 guys who hunted that pasture of 320 acres(that I own 300 acres of) that fed protein only during the antler growth period. They have fed in that pasture the last 3 or 4 yrs. They lived 4.5 hrs away so filling feeders when empty was not that easy for them. They went to larger feeders last year or two so it kept feed more readily available. They killed 5 or 6 bucks over 130 in the last 5 or 6 years. One 5x6 typical was tall and narrow that scored around 140. The did not kill near enough does and I plan to change that ASAP. Along with culling some bucks since there are just to many deer period. That area of the county is one of the higher deer density areas in the Hill Country. My neighbor to the north I bought from is around 700 acres with 3 hunters now, to the NE/east is 700 acres, E/SE is 530 acres, to W/NW is 850 acres(hunted and managed), to the W/SW is 550 that is managed and feed protein and one neighbor to the south is1500 acres that is HF. The rest is all LF around me. No road frontage for me. I have heard that to my west they have killed deer in the 150-165 range in the past. The pasture I bought was part of a 1000 acres that had 10 hunters and allowed to take 20 bucks per year and they shot 20 bucks per year(a lot of young upper end deer killed also), but I still have a lot of mature deer and what I consider good hill country deer. Now the hunters on the 700 acres to my north will only be 3 or 4 and are feeding protein, shooting mature bucks only. More selective hunters. I need to convince them to shoot some more does and culls. Any deer shot is a number, the more numbers the better we will all be in the long run. I saw a herd of 15-18 bucks 1.75 miles to my north last week on Monday evening. 5 were in or almost in the county road...those 5 were all 8+ on points..one basket racked 4x4 with 8" brows and long tines, one either 4x4 or 5x5 was the widest at 18" or so and 10-11" G2s, one 5x5 with good G4s and 17" IS, one 5x5 that was taller and around 15" IS or so, and one either 5x6 or 6x6 that was narrow but really good tines all around....all of these bucks were 120's to upper 130's. There was a larger ground about 100 yards off the road behind them that had 2 more bucks in the group. I was told by a landowner that neighbors the ranch I saw these bucks on that there was really large buck in that group...said he has never seen a buck that size there(he grew up there). So, all in all I think I bought a really good place in a great area with great neighbors. I am going to have fun and enjoy seeing deer. I know many will get shot but most of them will make it to the next year...just to many deer right now.