What's a "big buck" too YOU??

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Jonny
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Re: What's a "big buck" too YOU??

Unread postby Jonny » Sun Dec 04, 2016 1:49 pm

1.5 y/o is a buck
2.5 y/o is a nice buck
Anything older is a big buck.
That being said, if its not a fawn, I fling arrow or lead at it. The spots I hunt, shooting a fawn is not worth the amount of effort to drag it out and butcher it for the meat. I have a lot of respect for guys here who pass deer to let them get older and fulfill their genetic potential. The only issue I have, is I eat a lot of venison and I'm not good enough of a hunter to get more than 1-2 opportunites for a kill per year. I hunted every weekend and 5 days of the gun season to get 2 opportunites. One was a spike and the other a 6 point. The spike was in my last couple minutes before I was going to get down to make the 4 hour drive home and I didn't like the shot and didn't want to take it. The 6 point got shot. As I get older and become more of a respectable hunter, I will start passing younger deer and raising my standards.


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SamPotter
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Re: What's a "big buck" too YOU??

Unread postby SamPotter » Sun Dec 04, 2016 3:07 pm

A big buck is fully mature- 5 years old and up. His rack doesn't have a particular score, but doesn't appear have any potential for next year left in it, which is hard to describe, but you know it when you see it. He has a big thick body, and when you see him, you know he is the boss of the woods. To me there isn't much gray area between a nice buck and a big buck. You just know one when you see one.
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Re: What's a "big buck" too YOU??

Unread postby Tufrthnails » Sun Dec 04, 2016 5:00 pm

Oh this is a cool thread. For me it really depends on where I am hunting. My KY buck is a big buck (I was stoked.....I mean pumped when I finally got my hands on him) He was a 212# 6pt with crazy cool spaded beam on side and heavy fork on the other with good brow tine.
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In Florida if it is over 150# and wider then it's ears with a little mass its a big buck.
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hunter_mike
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Re: What's a "big buck" too YOU??

Unread postby hunter_mike » Mon Dec 05, 2016 12:38 am

I consider any 3.5 yr old or older buck a big buck. Whatever antlers it has on its head will be cool to see but doesnt make the deer

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Re: What's a "big buck" too YOU??

Unread postby Ridgerunner7 » Mon Dec 05, 2016 1:12 am

Depends on where I'm hunting. I've seen four bucks in the 150" range in my 19 years of hunting in Michigan. I go to Iowa and see 2-4 in 3-4 days. Illinois maybe 1 every 8 days, Ohio 1 every 10 days. When I see a 130" buck it "feels" big to me. 150" is a very big one in my eyes. I have buddies in a big buck states that have so many that size running around they don't even chase them unless they are 180"+.

I love big bodied deer but the weight fluctuates so much from the opener to late November. I look for maturity in relation to the amount of time I can actually hunt.

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Edcyclopedia
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Re: What's a "big buck" too YOU??

Unread postby Edcyclopedia » Mon Dec 05, 2016 1:40 am

+200 lb club
The Benoit way...!

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Re: What's a "big buck" too YOU??

Unread postby RDubs44 » Mon Dec 05, 2016 2:07 am

Here in Minnesota. My goal is anything 3.5 older does not matter whats on the deer head. Block body, heavy chest, roman nose
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Re: What's a "big buck" too YOU??

Unread postby Rich M » Mon Dec 05, 2016 2:46 am

In FL, a "registry" size deer is 100-inches for a typical and 125 for non typical.

To me, I vote for a big buck is a mature animal with heavy body and antler mass.

Originally coming from up north, I've seen the size deer y-all get in WI and other northern states. 200#+ gutted is a big buck. Where I hunt south of the freeze line, 200# whole is a big buck.

Antler typically correspond to the body size of the animal. Once they hit 140/150 they seem out of place on a "normal" size deer.
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Re: What's a "big buck" too YOU??

Unread postby hunter10 » Mon Dec 05, 2016 9:14 am

To me sometimes inches don't matter. The deer I got last night wasn't the biggest I have shot but he acted mature and deserved the category "big buck"

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magicman54494
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Re: What's a "big buck" too YOU??

Unread postby magicman54494 » Mon Dec 05, 2016 9:18 am

Edcyclopedia wrote:+200 lb club
The Benoit way...!

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I like the wide bodies too. I don't put a weight limit on them though because a buck runs off a lot of weight during the rut so a 230 pounder in Oct might only weigh 180 in december.

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stash59
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Re: What's a "big buck" too YOU??

Unread postby stash59 » Mon Dec 05, 2016 10:30 am

!70#+ dressed weight.

!50" rack size.

That said I'd be thrilled with a 150# dressed 130" buck!!!!
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Re: What's a "big buck" too YOU??

Unread postby xpauliber » Mon Dec 05, 2016 1:29 pm

Zona wrote:My PA opinion
100" = nice buck
120" = dandy buck
140" = big buck
Anything above that, I have better chance of seeing a leprechaun peeing off the roof of my house.

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Pretty much spot on for me here in central-PA as well. I have several "nice" archery bucks mounted, a couple "dandy" archery bucks mounted, and I've yet to kill a "big" buck in PA.

A good indicator for me that I'm choosing to shoot the right bucks for my area is when I visit the local taxidermist after all the seasons are closed. There, you get to see a sample of pretty much the best your region is going to offer. Sure, there are some 150-160 class there but the norm is definitely in the 100-140 class. And that doesn't even show you all of the 1.5 year olds that got shot that people didn't decide to mount. You can't really ask to shoot a Booner or even a 150" if they don't exist where you hunt. It is a matter of perspective.
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Re: What's a "big buck" too YOU??

Unread postby moog5050 » Tue Dec 06, 2016 7:15 am

xpauliber wrote:
Zona wrote:My PA opinion
100" = nice buck
120" = dandy buck
140" = big buck
Anything above that, I have better chance of seeing a leprechaun peeing off the roof of my house.

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Pretty much spot on for me here in central-PA as well. I have several "nice" archery bucks mounted, a couple "dandy" archery bucks mounted, and I've yet to kill a "big" buck in PA.

A good indicator for me that I'm choosing to shoot the right bucks for my area is when I visit the local taxidermist after all the seasons are closed. There, you get to see a sample of pretty much the best your region is going to offer. Sure, there are some 150-160 class there but the norm is definitely in the 100-140 class. And that doesn't even show you all of the 1.5 year olds that got shot that people didn't decide to mount. You can't really ask to shoot a Booner or even a 150" if they don't exist where you hunt. It is a matter of perspective.


Similar to where we hunt in NY. We generally call a shooter a "big buck", but that usually is one we think is 3.5 or older and that typically means a rack around 110" give or take 5" at 3 years. Hunting 5 years now, I have killed 3 that we think are 3 year olds and the racks range from 105-115" and one that was much older (hunted him for 4yrs and he was at least 3 when we started) that was a touch over 135" gross 8pt. My jaw drops on some of the bucks I see killed on this forum.
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Re: What's a "big buck" too YOU??

Unread postby Edcyclopedia » Tue Dec 06, 2016 8:33 am

magicman54494 wrote:
Edcyclopedia wrote:+200 lb club
The Benoit way...!

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I like the wide bodies too. I don't put a weight limit on them though because a buck runs off a lot of weight during the rut so a 230 pounder in Oct might only weigh 180 in december.

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NH gives out 200 lb patch. I want a darn patch...

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Re: What's a "big buck" too YOU??

Unread postby WISCOANDY » Tue Dec 06, 2016 1:37 pm

I have only gotten one larger than 120", so for now, that's my benchmark. I have been a member for 24 hours and already read so much...in that time I have seen the error of my own ways, but at the same time the opportunities that exist to simply hunt smarter.

My trail cam was in an awful spot, I would burn up key hunting spots with less than optimal winds, and most of all, not hunt beds. All that changes now. I'm excited.

Hunting private land, I don't know what a good goal is. Probably "the" dominant buck in the area...

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