The pic of the small 3pt was yesterdays kill. Animal was taken with RRA Ar-15 24" heavy barrel using Black Hills 75gr BTMHP. Animal was sniped at approx. 50yds, The event was videoed, but Ihave not figured out how to uploadthe video yet.Where I hunt we are allowed to kill 2 bucks, 1 cull and one trophy. This of course is my cull, the photo of the larger buck pictured is the one I am still hunting for. The Hog pictured was taken last Thursday evening with same rifle at approx. 75 yds.

damn you blew that things head open. great shot placement lol i used photobucket to upload my video. i cant wait to see the video!

When I attempt to upload from photo bucket, it shows there is nothing on my sd card, when you look at the file types it does not show mpegs, which is what the video is. I can view it on my computer, I just can't get it uploaded. I guess I will have to figure something else out.

Got Video worked out and added it to original post.

I'll start by saying that it's no secret that I hunt. I love hunting, like fishing. Freezer hunting is for Does, as they need to be thinned out on occasion to get closer to the magic number buck/doe ratio of 1 to 1. Mature bucks are for the wall, bragging rights, fireside camp stories and the freezer.

I'm not trying to get all "holier than thou" on you, but why did you shoot that little fella? He would have grown out to be a nice buck in a few seasons. If I had to shoot something, I would have whacked the guy he was running with, although he looked like a 2.5 - 3 y.o. buck and not mature yet.

Please explain the "cull" comment. Down here, we call bucks with bad genetics "culls", i.e., 2-3 y.o. bucks with large pronghorn spikes with no tines or older bucks who are regressing.

Am I out of line? If I am, please overlook!

Yup recoil, That's how we cull bucks. I haven't shot a "good"buck in about 8yrs. Before I moved from NY. I got a lifetime lisence and in NY. you can fill other peoples doe tags I usually shoot about 5 a season and put someone on a nice buck..nothing under eight. Neighbors got on board about 4yrs. ago and we are starting to see a fair amount of trophies. one thing though I still think our ratio is about 5:1 who do you guy's get an accurate assesment of buck to doe numbers?

RR,

Did you mean you guys "cull" smaller bucks in NY, before they get an opportunity to mature and be productive?

It's not hard for anyone to do a google search and find beaucoup articles on 1 to 1 buck/doe ratio's being optimum, in MOST situations, but there are exceptions to every rule.

I do a lot of scouting in summertime and early fall, before archery/gun season begins, to assess movement, rublines, scrapelines, etc. If you are seeing does all the time and bucks rarely (when not in season and not under pressure) then odds are your ratio is skewed. I mean, let's face it, more people (at least in the south) shoot more bucks than does. This drastically reduces the numbers of bucks in comparison to the number of free-ranging does out there. I mean, how many times has a hunter buddy told a story like: Well, there I was....when this big doe came out....bam....! You know what I mean? Does are frickin stupid and easy as hell to hunt, that's all there is to it. When you see a large mature buck, he didn't get that way by being stupid or taking dumb chances! The only time a mature buck will be stupid is during the 3 stages of the rut (quoting Peter Fiduccia, which by the way is a New York State hunter and I really like his books).

It's really all about management RR. You have to be proactive and get out in the woods often. Is it possible to literally count all the deer which are open ranging on your property? No. But, you can get a good guesstimate of population density and ratio by being vigilant and just taking notes. I can tell you that I have a serious over population of does on my property and in the surrounding areas. I'd say the numbers are 5 to 1, maybe even as high as 7 to 1. That makes the rut not as intense, because the bucks who are dominant can take their time to service all the does. Season goes out here on 31 January. The rut is still happening and continues on into Feb. That sucks!

Mem,

Here's the description from the author of that video you posted. It wasn't an unethical shot, to the contrary, it was two bucks sparring, they got entangled, one died, the other had been eaten on while alive by coyotes. The hunter actually got permission to shoot the live deer and put him out of his misery.

Here is the writeup:

This is a few miles from Muscoda. Pretty cool footage.

The Hunter received permission, from the DNR since 1 of the deer was
dead,
to put it down. He was trying to get a taxidermist to mount them both,
as
of Saturday. The deer were both witnessed, as being attacked by
coyotes,​
note the back end of the live deer........could you imagine !!! The
dead
deer is a 12 pt. and the live is a 10 pt.

Where are you getting a 3:1 number? Nevermin​d. I was just reading that although 1:1 is "optimum", it's hypothetical and isn't realistically attainable. So yeah, 1:2, 1:3 is more easily obtainable and realistic.

Looks like you found the "OFF" switch.... :)

In Az. there are so few deer thatwe have a lottery draw system to get one tag a year, bucks only, no point restriction (IF YOU GET DRAWN... I haven't been drawn in the last 3 years). I have only seen one "antlerless deer" tag in my lifetime issued by the Az. Game and Fish, and it was an archery only tag. The doe population out here is about 10-1 if I had to guess... That reminds me... have I mentioned that deer hunting in Az. SUCKS and you guys that get a tag or multiple tags every year, to include those tasty creatures calls "does" make me sooooo jelous that I want to scream?

-Tac (who is a jelous S.O.B.)

Recoil,

Nope we don't cull small bucks. We go about it as you do. when I said I haven't shot a "good" buck I meant the last3bucks I shot were, three legged, old as hell, and a 3x1 and the one grew down like a chin strap. observation is the only method I've ever used to estimate ratios. Since I spend alot of time in the woods all year round I think I have a decent feel for the buck to doe ratio. Just wondered if there was anyother way.also I've noticed the problem of late rutting on my land also. I've been hunting coyotes in late Dec. and witnessed chasing and mounting. I really only hunt deer for meat anymore anyway so I don't give a shit about "trophies", I like to see big bucks as apposed to shooting them.

I should also add that in my part of the state I can only kill two bucks. One being 13" or greater and the "cull" which has at least on unbranched antler. I have let several more than legal bucks bucks walk because they were only 3-3.5 yrs. It's been approx 5 yrs since I have taken good buck that was of appropriate size and age.

Here is little bit better explination than I can gave. The following is a study done by the Kerr Wildlife Management Area. The below study is lenghty, but good info. Pages 23 and 24 kinda get to the heart of it. We have to go to meetings every so often to be in the program and this is one of the studies they talked about.

MEM thanks for the advice, after reading so many of the other post I should have know better and been more explanitory. To answer you earlier question about the property, yes I am fortunate to have a family with land, we have aprrox. 793 acres.

http://w​ww.tpwd.state.tx.us/​publications/pwdpubs​/m....._w7000_0155.p​df

The hunt club I'm with dose the same thing. They have a 5 gallon bucket rule. If the antlers fit in the bucket you pay a fine, except for spikes. We have a guy in the club that came up this rule and we have nice bucks ever year. He says that some deer have bad genetics. I dont know but it goes with what LGPD said. Hey it has worked for us so far, at our club the small guy would have been taking.

I dont know about all of it I just go along with the club, I guess everybody has there own way.

CD

those axis bucks are badass I would love to be able to take one of them.

no laws on them thats great hunt all year. I love the hunt at night really?

you go to jail around here for that.

I am with tac in envying you guys. there are so few deer in az it is tough to get drawn for deer. I get a tag every year for archery which is over the counter but they are slowly making archery a lottery process also.