Culling wild bucks?

What is an inferior buck?

IMHO, this year's proclaimed inferior buck could be next year's stud buck and this year's stud could be looking not so studly next year. Just too many variables in a bucks life / environment year to year to say for certain what buck is or will be inferior.

Over the years it becomes quite apparent by a bucks' third age whether they are going to become something a hunter personally would desire. MSU biologists, numerous hunters who observe far more than us, and even in the captive industry...that third year tells a ton of the deer's future - of course nothing is guaranteed but typically speaking that is when not only skeletal framing but majority of antler genetics are starting to have been displayed.

Now I'll shoot a five year old buck regardless of the headgear but I personally have far less excitement for a five year old that told me when he was three he wasn't becoming anything special.

I actually am in a place this year where I have my one buck that is 7 1/2 and then the gap to the next regulars falls to a couple suspected 4 year olds that truthfully the one is a short tined genetics buck that will NEVER be anything P&Y while the other is a main frame big eight with a nub right side G4 and could be special with his frame.

When I get back from Thanksgiving and we are into December I'm going to do card pulls and likely might switch gears to removing does and some of the young bucks actually purely from a buck numbers stance - give a few of the three year olds a few more years and maybe even protect the one four year old (at least from me or Pops shooting them) and instead fill the freezer and eliminate some buck numbers from the lower age brackets.

With Indiana's OBR, that doesn't leave much leeway for any management. I have on on cam for the past 2, maybe 3 years a spike buck. Each year the spikes are bigger, IIRC I have a pic of him this year and the spikes are 2x as tall as the ears. SO, if I take that one out, then I'm done for the year. With a small property that cannot hold deer on it 24/7/365 what is the point? The neighbors aren't with the program, so seeing one that is older than 2.5-3.5 YO is a miracle.

I have passed probably 10-15 bucks this year so far. Some probably are duplicate sightings but none are bigger than 8 points. The neighbor shot a big bodied 6 point on Sunday afternoon that I most likely passed Sunday morning.

About 5-6 years ago I found a gut shot 10 point that wasn't more than 1.5 years old. Still had a short nose, small body and the rack was all within his ears. I would have loved to see that one make it to 6 years old.

What would you estimate you spend a year providing food and nutrition?

People tell me all the time, "Well, if I don't shoot it, someone else will." I always reply, "The buck always has a chance of making it through the season. If YOU shoot it, it has zero chance."

Good question?? I run a hay business on side through farm, which generates approx. $15k-$20k annually, that money goes back into farm to cover equipment payments, fuel, feed/mineral, seed, help etc. (I raise alfalfa and various hay types from clover mixes, to grass hay.) I also plant approx. 10 acres or various things for deer such as corn, soybeans, clover, cereal rye, brassicas etc. on a rotation basis. (Some years more, some less). That money pretty much covers my whitetail addiction. LOL. My farm is 134 acres, and I lease a adjoining 95 acres of hunting ground. I hay farm approx. 250 acres total.

That happened to us more times than I can count, but that is part of the game. The guys on the next 80 acres killed 4 bucks opening day. We had all four on camera and had passed up the two lesser bucks.