The Big M 8/20/2013

[Feathers and Fins]

God its horrible I blew up the picture to score the deer Assuming mature 3 to 5 year old with 8 inch ears it would green score roughly 145. Now exactly where was this deer sighted

[Calwood kid]

Awesome photos. That Is probably one of the nicer bucks in that area, but not 140. Not even close. He will be lucky to hit 120 seeing as he only has 6 points. Impressive brows, though. I built a retaining wall in the emerald beach subdivision this past winter, and would see literally 40-50 does per day, all in family groups. Hardly saw any bucks, but the ones I saw were decent 2-3 year old deer. There just aren't big deer down in that neck of the woods, compared to other parts of the ozarks. I've seen several 140-155 inch bucks around Greene county, but they're rare, even rarer down around the lake. Better move north, fellas.

[jeb]

I don't really study deer much, but it is funny how the northern deer are bigger than the southern ones, by and large. I'd think it'd be like fish where the milder weather would allow them to get bigger. I lived in MN for 35 years before moving here and just spent 2 months in Wisc, and the deer up there are much bigger body wise. Antler mass is usually bigger on the nice bucks, too.

Here in Ark, we have a herd around our house all year as my wife spends a lot of our money feeding them via the electric deer feeder and hand spreading feed. Up to 28 at a time this summer. I try to get her to quit for the summer, but it's no use. I do see the occasional nice buck, but usually it's only during the rut/hunting season. We have a decent 6 pointer in the current herd, but nothing to write home about.

Anyway, thanks for the report, Quillback. Sorry the fishing wasn't a little better.

[Quillback]

Thanks for the compliments on the pics, I was worried they would not come out well, the sun was very bright and behind me, so I could not get a good sight picture on the camera. I was by myself, so I as I was idling along I had to steer with one hand and take the shots with the other. And that deer was swimming fast.

[Quillback]

God its horrible I blew up the picture to score the deer Assuming mature 3 to 5 year old with 8 inch ears it would green score roughly 145. Now exactly where was this deer sighted

Last week, I was heading to Big M going through the Mark Twain forest on HY 112 at O-Dark-Thirty from the direction of Seligman, Had about a 2 second glimpse of a buck off to the side of the road back in the bushes a bit. He also had a pretty tall rack and somewhere between 6-8 points. I bet he's one wily deer as that area gets hunted pretty hard.

[Sprint21fter]

Definitely a shooter in these parts. Nice photos.

[Feathers and Fins]

There is some real nice bucks in that area Quill suprisingly there are tons of people who have hidden feeders and they grow them big.

[Bill Babler]

I could not see any brow tines. And I am assuming some of the mass was due to velvet. Any brows at all would put him as a 4X4 and put him between 120 and 135. I've got a dozen on my wall between that 135 and 165 number to judge by.

I have now forgotten the number, but I saw a herd launch one day off the Ramp at Emerald and swim the lake that much have had close to 20 in it. I think I posted the number back then but it was just surreal.

You can always see does on the shoreline where that buck swam across, near Buzzard Cove behind the big dock. The Cedars on the inside of Viney hold just bunches of deer and I have counted aa many as 40 does in the yard of the house on the point going into viney.

That however is the first buck I have ever seen on that side of the lake and of Viney Creek. Most times the bucks I see are over in the park itself after the tourist have gone home for the year.

In that area, it is pretty easy for a buck to get 5 to 7 years old and that is what it takes to get BIG. I'll bet there are does that have lived their entire lives there and died of old age. I'm really surprised with the numbers there and I have mentioned it with friends that they have not gotten sick and had problems. They have most every other place when there gets to be a herd of that size. They have been like that for 20 yrs. over there and seem to be fine however.

[Bill Babler]

Awesome photos. That Is probably one of the nicer bucks in that area, but not 140. Not even close. He will be lucky to hit 120 seeing as he only has 6 points. Impressive brows, though. I built a retaining wall in the emerald beach subdivision this past winter, and would see literally 40-50 does per day, all in family groups. Hardly saw any bucks, but the ones I saw were decent 2-3 year old deer. There just aren't big deer down in that neck of the woods, compared to other parts of the ozarks. I've seen several 140-155 inch bucks around Greene county, but they're rare, even rarer down around the lake. Better move north, fellas.

I don't think those were Brows. Looks like he has nubbins for brows or just short 3 inchers.

[Crappie Catcher]

I saw four bucks last spring at Stockton swimming across the lake. I'd guess it to be four hundred yards and they made it across there in no time. Pretty cool