BizCT

https://www.wideopenspaces.com/top-10-worst-deer-hunting-states/ We can all be proud that NY is the worst state in america for deer hunting.

Who's ready for 10/1?

Maybe they were related. 2016 and 2017. We haven’t seen a big 4pt since. But I think I had one on cam a few years ago. I’ll check the folder Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Agree 100%

Not true at all. My rule is 2.5+. Never an inches minimum or points minimum. in 2016 and 2017, Hank and I shot two beast 4 pointers. Both 15" inside.

Olivia likes venison japaleno cheddar hot dogs, and she ate some backstrap from my 2021 buck. But she wanted to dip it in ketchup! haha

was it a doe with antlers?

I picked up the Millennium M7 Microlite this year. I don't need my seat cushion with it, so 1 less thing to bring in. I think I'll bring the M7 out of the woods in January even if I leave the sticks up because of the soft seat

knowing the herd, like i just mentioned above. our 1.5's look like baby goats with long legs, the 2.5's still have that higher backside and the 3.5's or older look more like racehorses. But we also don't get huge weights in 3N where they eat tree bark and climb hills all day. 2017 or 2018 my Dad shot a nice 8pt. We thought 3.5, The biologist at the butcher said 5.5. It was december and he was rundown from the rut. He weighed 108lbs at the butcher. not a typo. I scored him around 88". Going forward we will just keep sending the teeth in to deerage like we did last year.

Agree, know your herd. I think I posted in another thread a side by side 1.5, 2.5, and 3.5 in same exact spot for reference. After running cams in the same spots for 10 years, it becomes pretty clear with the rare outlier. Also, simple math right to your point. If 6 adult bucks are killed per square mile in 8R vs. 0.9 in 3R (where @Chef) hunts, then he's got roughly 1/6 the amount of adult bucks. That's why some guys see 30 deer a day and others are happy if they just see 1.

Same. You can't control inches unless you're willing to travel far or blessed to live in a great genetic area. Age matters most.

well 2.5 vs 1.5 is obvious on tooth. sure there are 2.5's in there as well. I measured several of the bigger ones and there are a few 108's I recall. Not sure there is any 110's actually. 9/10 times a DEC biologist is at the butcher we use. I take their info with a grain of salt though. The browless 7 below they said 5.5 as well as afew others . A bunch of smaller 8’s not pictured were told 3.5. The heaviest buck is the smallest rack pictured 8pt in orange jacket. It was 185 or 188 dressed and empty. I'm also measuring the best I can and if anything I'm slightly low on the gross scores. But we don't put the nose in the ground, sit far behind and call a 100" a 120" like many do (not you).

Only a half body pic. But looks like a 1.5 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

2.5’s or better is my rule. And I gave up the xbow in 2019. I’m content videotaping the younger ones and sending you the footage. I rarely gun hunt besides 1-2 days per year Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

I think it’s something like 45 in 56 gun seasons in NY (not counting whitetails from TX, GA, etc.). he had a few gap years between bucks in 70’s in Catskills when they were nearly impossible to find. Then 2 bonus bucks with xbow which we he picked up recently. Zero from a treestand or blind in NY. Georgia was a tower blind I think. Texas was a ground box wood blind. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Bone in rib-eye is my favorite by far. I do porterhouse sometimes at home and give the filet to my daughter since it’s tender Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

That drives my point home. 3.5+ and the average is 116”. That’s 3.5 and all the older ones. Again makes the point many of these bucks are older than we think. I shot 3 3.5+ in last 6 years. Two from the ground, 1 from a 4ft treestand. So what dinks? My last 1.5 was in 2012. We just don’t have your genetics but the result is the same. I’ve showed you pics, my dad has 25-30 3.5+’s. None are 115” And In super low deer density areas (1/3 to 1/6 the numbers of WNY/CNY). You can’t shoot what isn’t there. If chef didn’t tell you that buck is 4.5 at a minimum would you call it a dink because it’s not 115”? Are you Aging by rack? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

I ate filet Mignon beforei hit puberty and I make it for my 2 year old Daughter. A steak has bone in it! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Yikes. Would it kill you to simply grill a Porterhouse? enough with the 3rd grade birthday party dinners!

anyone who judges age by rack alone

awesome buck

Not sure what you mean on either account. Chef hunts rockland county. Not NYC. And secondly, we know WNY has great genetics. Looks at the big bucks taken each year. You're blessed, but most of the eastern part of the state is not. The average 3.5 in SENY is under 100". Edit to add chart. 103" average and that's 3.5+. I've said it for years, a lot of people on this forum underestimate age due to antler rack which is silly. Know your herd and learn. If more people who shot "little bucks" looked at the molars, they would be surprised how many are actually 2.5 (not 1.5)

Cool. the forum used to allow videos, but now it doesn't. I just text screenshots of paused videos. OR you can upload it to youtube and post a link?

Agree that he is 4.5 to 13.5, somewhere in there. Without the official certificate, 99.3% of WNYers on this forum will say he's 1.5 because he's not 120"

Just call CT DEEP. they will answer you