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deer management????

since I don't have anything else to do (achilles tendon) I've been watching too much of the outdoor channel and I noticed that these "professionals" now are just shooting mature bucks. What are your opinions on it. A guy passed up a 170" buck because he said it was just 3 years old and shot a 5 year old 135" buck. What type of bucks do you shoot? are you more concerned with taking mature deer or are you more concerned with how big his rack is? Or do you just don't care as long as it is a buck? I realize in WV we don't have many mature deer but do you do some type of buck management?

In places where you know that a buck that you pass up will probably not get killed its reasonable to pass bucks up until they are 6.5-7.5 years old. For that to work you have to have big acerages of 10-30 thousand acres under strict control. (Or a state that has the testicles to mandate that thru buck limits and/or antler restrictions.)

We have a 130 minimum on our lease in Mingo county. Each buck killed has to be scored by a group and a fine of 30 dollars per inch is imposed on any buck less than 130 net.

On my farm I have a 15 inch, 8 pt. minimum. Normally killing 1-3 bucks per year. Last year I had about 5 or 6 that would have been legal. However, we just decided not to shoot any of them. Don't get me wrong, I like to shoot deer but how many 15 inch 8 points do you need? After killing dozens of them I just didn't feel like doing it again. We saw several up into the last weekend of gun season.

Will it help make a difference? IDK, figure I'll get an idea this fall.

Over my 40 plus years of bow hunting i have killed a ton of deer small bucks included in Fayette and Nicholas counties (brown it's down counties), seems like in last 10 years since I started hunting the bow only counties and practicing Quality deer management I have changed my view ,small bucks just don't turn my crank as I see them as fruit not ready to pick...maybe it's maturing as a hunter I don't know but I do know with the right area the right hunters with a like mind set, letting them walk till they get a few years on them,,,,so I guess I'm hooked on mature deer with nice horns....here's a group from the lease gobbler and I have in mingo

Here's one ready to pick this fall

I eat so I shoot em where I hunt. I could wait til hell freezes over and not see much less kill deer over 120 inches. When inhuntbthe midwest and Out west I wait for a big deer., I shoot does here in WV.

I hunt in McDowell County and the past year I passed on several bucks that was in the 100's to 110's because I knew there was much larger bucks in the area (ended up with a tag sandwich). I know I run a risk of others poaching them or them falling prey to the coyotes, but hopefully a couple will make it. I would not pass on a 140 or better buck due to where I hunt at.

I hunt in McDowell County and the past year I passed on several bucks that was in the 100's to 110's because I knew there was much larger bucks in the area (ended up with a tag sandwich). I know I run a risk of others poaching them or them falling prey to the coyotes, but hopefully a couple will make it. I would not pass on a 140 or better buck due to where I hunt at.

I'd just be happy to see a decent rack back this year I never seen anything last season that made me pick my bow up

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