Deer Hunting Report

[Phil Lilley]

Vince and I went up to Sullivan County east of Trenton, MO. We hunt on about 800 acres owned by 5 buys who fish here in the winter. They've been hunting together since they were teenagers... now all over 50, they just completed a dream guy's hunting lodge on land they've groomed into quite a deer hunting meca with big timber, brush and food plots. If only the big bucks would cooperate.

Over opening weekend, 8 hunters reported seeing over 80 deer. Of course the numbers dwindle after the guns start and human odor permeates the woods. But we saw quite a few deer- mostly young bucks though. In the north part of the state a buck has to have 4 points on one side to kill. We saw 3-4 legal bucks but the farm rules say the antlers must be outside the ears which these were not. Our group did see several shooters but did not have good shots.

I ended up killing a doe and a button buck. Gerry, one of the owners, gave us another doe. He killed a big doe on Wednesday, field dressed just over 150 pounds.

Weather was great and so was the fellowship.

[Terry Beeson]

Phil,

I would think good management for trophy bucks might include taking legal bucks with narrow racks out of the gene pool as a good practice. Do they not stay narrow and pass this gene on to their offspring?

Sounds like a good place to spend a hunting trip.

[Phil Lilley]

I would think so too... but who wants to waste an anydeer tag on a basket rack? That's the mindset sometimes but I agree with what you say. My button had antlers which were curled back on it's head. It probably would not have made a good rack at maturity. I thought it was a doe when I shot and even didn't see the small antlers when I first inspected the deer.

I may bring this up to the guys next time I see them. The only other thing is you can't control what others take around you... almost negates the purpose of trying to manage a deer population.

[flyfishmaster]

Well it was opening firearms weekend in Illinois. I hunt in Monroe County, just south east to St. Louis. Prior to the season it sounded like the season would be very questionable. There has been a disease this year in the deer populatution called "blue tounge", this is due to low water level and stagnet water. The three farmers in my area have found 18 dead deer in fields (how knows how many are in the woods) that are with in a 1 1/2 radius of my hunting area. That is a lot of deer!

Any way, I was able to go out Saturday and at 7:10 a buck can with in 20 yards so I took it. The 5 pointer did not go a foot before it droped. After looking at it, both horns were broken so I was guessing it should have been a 6 or 8 pointer.

On Sunday, I was walking the woods a kicked a monster that my buddy was able to get a few shot at, but missed. That is all the deer I saw. I'm use to seeing atleast 15+ deer per weekend.

Our next weekend starts on Thursday Nov 29. Good luck to all the hunters.

FFM

[Terry Beeson]

Well, there was this guy... see... a few years ago... a friend... not me... that had a buck come out on him that had very stunted antlers. It was a mature buck but had a larger base with 8 inches with nub forks... very stunted... Well I.... I mean my friend... wanted to take him out of the gene pool. So he wound up in the freezer.

I don't recommend that, but if I were in a hunting club I would vote to take legal bucks with basket racks out of the pool... Maybe limit it to a certain number per season.

For me, yes I would "waste" a tag on one like that if it meant a better chance of a trophy down the road.

[Seth]

I've read that the only way you can control the gene pool of deer is if they are in a fenced preserve. Wild deer move around too much to effectively be able to change the overall genetics of a deer herd.

Also read that you can't judge what a deer will look like in 4 or 5 years by it's first rack. Some bucks can be basket 8 pointers and others can be spikes, but until the actually reach maturity you won't no what there head gear will end up panning out to be.