Dressed weight - What does a big buck weigh?

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oldrank
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Re: Dressed weight - What does a big buck weigh?

Unread postby oldrank » Mon Dec 28, 2015 2:57 pm

Biggest ive weighed for bucks was 175 dressed. Does 150 dressed. I have killed a couple does that i didnt weigh that may have been heavier. Same with bucks... I always judged em off of how high they hung in the garage more then weight...

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Re: Dressed weight - What does a big buck weigh?

Unread postby Jeff25 » Mon Dec 28, 2015 3:15 pm

My buck weighed in at 190 pounds dressed at the butcher

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Re: Dressed weight - What does a big buck weigh?

Unread postby fishlips » Mon Dec 28, 2015 3:25 pm

Some of these #s are mind blowing. Those are some big deer.
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Re: Dressed weight - What does a big buck weigh?

Unread postby Lockdown » Mon Dec 28, 2015 3:27 pm

Lockdown wrote:[glow=red]I'm not talking monster status, but what do you consider a "big" buck to dress out at?[/glow] And just for fun let's hear your personal best...
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Re: Dressed weight - What does a big buck weigh?

Unread postby Bucky » Mon Dec 28, 2015 5:56 pm

200lbs dressed is a good buck.... 235+ is what I'd consider monsta

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Re: Dressed weight - What does a big buck weigh?

Unread postby Ack » Mon Dec 28, 2015 7:21 pm

The deer in my avatar was 200 dressed. Not sure what my buck this year was, but he was no slouch. Biggest doe was 145 dressed.....from public land, aged at roughly 7.5 by DNR.
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Re: Dressed weight - What does a big buck weigh?

Unread postby Dewey » Mon Dec 28, 2015 7:55 pm

stash59 wrote:
Edcyclopedia wrote:
stash59 wrote:
Spysar wrote:
Edcyclopedia wrote:A tidbit of trivia:

Who has an average dress weight of around 240 lbs. for his entire hunting career?

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Lanny


Dang Spy you bet me to it!!

I believe they all average over 200#!


Not sure where Dad was.
But yes - Lanny was in the 240# range.
Lane was like 228
And
Shane was around 215-219 I forget exact weights...
But an astonishing accomplishmentioned for all three!

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I'd bet Larry was at least 200# too!!

Copied this online..............

What is uncommon about the Benoits is their consistent success in bagging big, mature bucks. By the time Larry Benoit’s book, How to Kill the Biggest Buck of Your Life, came out in 1973, he had killed 41 bucks in 41 years, with an average weight of his bucks running 194 pounds.

Lanny and Shane Benoit have taken more than 150 bucks weighing at least 200 pounds in the big woods of Canada, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. What is even more impressive is that all of the bucks were taken on public land.

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Re: Dressed weight - What does a big buck weigh?

Unread postby Huntoholic » Mon Dec 28, 2015 8:39 pm

Lockdown wrote:
Spysar wrote:180 is big to me. Anything over 200 is a Hoss.


My numbers exactly.

Btw... For all of you posting live weight numbers, I'm not poking fun but why would you ever bring a buck near a scale with guts in it? I'd still gut my buck even if he died next to my truck. But that's just me LOL

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When I use to hunt on MCAS Cherry Point we had to gut them at the CO's check station so there wasn't gut piles all over base. My biggest on base was a 4-1/2 yo 10 pointer that had a live weight of 165, definitely some small deer out there. The biggest I saw checked in the 4 seasons I hunted there was 208 live weight.

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Re: Dressed weight - What does a big buck weigh?

Unread postby Kraftd » Mon Dec 28, 2015 11:43 pm

Bucky wrote:200lbs dressed is a good buck.... 235+ is what I'd consider monsta

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I agree with Bucky on this for the areas I hunt (good genes, milder winters, plenty of ag). Decent chance of a mature buck in my area of NE IL dressing over 200, especially early in the rut. Two deer last year were 205 and 196 (Nov 1 and 14 respectively, guessing the second would have cleared 200 a week or so earlier). Both pretty long deer.

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(I'm 6'6" 255, so he's longer than he looks next to me)
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The other one I've killed in the area that I'm pretty sure was 4.5+ I would estimate around the same based on weighing others, but did not get a scale on him. Have weighed three suspected 3.5 year olds all in the 165-178 range dressed. Brother in law shot a hoss a few years ago that went 249 dressed in the same area.

At our place in Central WI, with harder winters and less immediately available ag, 180 seems to be average for a mature buck.

Did shoot a doe up there when I was 14 I really wish we would have weighed. Incredibly long and massive. Not gonna even guess at a weight, but biggest one I have ever seen.
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Re: Dressed weight - What does a big buck weigh?

Unread postby JoeRE » Tue Dec 29, 2015 1:33 am

kurt wrote:
JoeRE wrote:Just so no less experienced guys get the wrong impression...280 lb deer are about as common as a 200 inch deer. Yea they happen but the odds are you will go your whole life and never see one (south of Canada anyway) even in prime Midwest deer country. I think the original intent of the thread was what was "average"....way less than that.


The way I understood that was 280 with guts in or live weight. I don't think that's super uncommon but I havent weighed them with guts much at all. I seen a calculator of multipling by 1.33 that would make any buck over 210 fit that category if calculator is accurate.

I've never seen a 200incher but I've seen dozens or more of 210lbs dressed plus


Yea I have heard that number too but having weighted quite a few with guts and then w/o guts I don't think its really accurate at least for really large bodied deer. My estimate would be a 280 lb live weight deer would have maybe 40-50 lbs of entrails max. Yea it could vary depending on how full the stomach was but I don't think I have ever pulled anywhere close to 70 pounds of entrails out of a big buck....just what I have seen.

As far as the original question yea I think the 200 lb dressed mark is a really good bodied buck. Sorry for the sidetracks Lockdown!
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Re: Dressed weight - What does a big buck weigh?

Unread postby Redman232 » Tue Dec 29, 2015 1:42 am

My observations mirror Kraftd's, I'm in northern Indiana. Lots of ag and mild winters, more often than not a 4.5+ deer here is going to at least push 200 pounds. It's just not uncommon. Most the yearling bucks I've killed dress between 140-170. You start getting in the 230-250 dressed weight and thats a whole different animal. I have seen 2 that dressed close to 300 that looked like feeder cattle.

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Re: Dressed weight - What does a big buck weigh?

Unread postby kurt » Tue Dec 29, 2015 2:23 am

Yeah I'm in the boat with a few people on here I don't start talking about weight till its over 200 then I take pics of scale. Mainly because I hate the guessing game guys do.

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Re: Dressed weight - What does a big buck weigh?

Unread postby Bowhunter74201 » Tue Dec 29, 2015 4:12 am

around here, anything 200 lbs or more dressed is a big buck.
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Re: Dressed weight - What does a big buck weigh?

Unread postby DaveT1963 » Tue Dec 29, 2015 5:25 am

This depends on the sub-species, time of year, food availability, age and your definition of a big buck. In the TX Hill Country a trophy buck (P&Y) will dress about 80-100 pounds. In Canada - I would guess the average 3 year old and above would be over 200 field dressed. Too many variables.
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Re: Dressed weight - What does a big buck weigh?

Unread postby James » Tue Dec 29, 2015 5:27 am

Here are a couple including the one that weighed the most for me.

180lbs right on the nose

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220lbs right on the nose, I should have stood in this pic to give some perspective.

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