Big Bucks and Tags

**Sparkleberry Ridge Runner** · 09-28-2015, 10:00 PM

Tags for deer, what a great discussion topic. Some of the earlier posts have me thinking about how many people want tags in order to have larger deer. I am no biologist but I do know that you can not make chicken salad out of ....... JWilliams mentioned it in another thread, how many others will admit that it is nearly impossible to have 140+ class deer in SC? Jess how many acres do y'all have and how many years have y'all been selective with harvest? I can assure you that area has some GREAT genes. Yes there are 140+ class bucks killed each year in SC but they are few and far between. How many on here "manage" for big bucks and can consistently have 140+ class deer? Anyone? Why would tags make it better?
Ruth himself stated at the Florence meeting that a young buck will leave his home area after 1 1/2 years. The study DNR used in their presentation stated that the bucks left the property at 1 1/2 and were killed on OTHER property. They are NOT coming back whether they are shot or not. Believe it or not, but I am actually raising deer for my neighbors. If my neighbor shoots it as a basket 8 point, why should it matter to me? That buck is not coming back because I have X number of more mature bucks on my property and the property can only "carry" so many deer.

**Highstrung** · 09-28-2015, 10:12 PM

I have killed a 140 class deer as well as my father in the same county, net. I wanted to just post that, no reasoning. I mean it is cool.
We manage a decent size tract, and have been doing it for close to twenty years. Other than that I really have nothing to say about the tag system.

**jevans** · 09-28-2015, 10:21 PM

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say more than you might think. I can think of 3 right off the top of my head that has been killed this season already. I didn't say it's common, or even likely, but I think there are more killed than you and I hear about.

**Swamp Rat** · 09-28-2015, 10:25 PM

Purely on the subject of the likelihood of regularly having 140 class deer in SC - from what I've read, it would be difficult. I think a lot is tied not only to genetics, but to nutrition/minerals. But, I'm also not a biologist.

**Sparkleberry Ridge Runner** · 09-28-2015, 10:28 PM

Yes there are 140+ class bucks killed each year in SC but they are few and far between. How many on here "manage" for big bucks and can consistently have 140+ class deer? Anyone? Consistently being a key word.
JWilliams summed it up well in another thread when he stated "My general thought is that if you cant be happy shooting a 5 year old 115-125" buck, or even a 5 year old 100" buck, you definitely need to travel out of state to hunt. The biggest reason imo being #'s of deer/vs food. I'm not a fan of the 1-1 or 2-1 ratio, simply because stuff happens"

**Highstrung** · 09-28-2015, 10:33 PM

I'm happy with every deer I shoot.

**Timberman22** · 09-28-2015, 10:46 PM

I hold 1.5, 2.5, 3.5, 4.5, 5.5 yo bucks on 180 acres annually. Every 3-4 years we will have a couple bucks that will be 130+. Generally speaking a 3.5 yo and older buck will tend to hone his home territory down as he gets older.

**Swamp Rat** · 09-28-2015, 10:56 PM

Originally Posted by Highstrung

I'm happy with every deer I shoot.

^^This

Well, unless I screw up and shoot a button for a doe.

**Bigtimber2** · 09-29-2015, 04:01 AM

Most mature bucks in SC do not net 125" in SC. The bar is set correct in SC for trophy animals.

140" deer will continue to be rare in SC and some Midwest states. If tags and lower bucks limits improve the age structure of bucks in SC like they have in most every SE state where implemented there will be an increase in trophy bucks due simple statistics, but it will not lead to a mature buck behind every tree.

Some supporters are naive about the results, but most know what to expect and not expect. In all the states that have added tags most show an average of an one year improvement in age class and within 2 years the same number of bucks killed. For management the trophies mean little just a by-product, but the increase in age structure is a true positive. Plus, Bubba has to shoot less to feed the neighborhood because older deer weigh more.

**Calibogue** · 09-29-2015, 05:48 AM

Originally Posted by Sparkleberry Ridge Runner

Tags for deer, what a great discussion topic. Some of the earlier posts have me thinking about how many people want tags in order to have larger deer. I am no biologist but I do know that you can not make chicken salad out of ....... JWilliams mentioned it in another thread, how many others will admit that it is nearly impossible to have 140+ class deer in SC? Jess how many acres do y'all have and how many years have y'all been selective with harvest? I can assure you that area has some GREAT genes. Yes there are 140+ class bucks killed each year in SC but they are few and far between. How many on here "manage" for big bucks and can consistently have 140+ class deer? Anyone? Why would tags make it better?
Ruth himself stated at the Florence meeting that a young buck will leave his home area after 1 1/2 years. The study DNR used in their presentation stated that the bucks left the property at 1 1/2 and were killed on OTHER property. They are NOT coming back whether they are shot or not. Believe it or not, but I am actually raising deer for my neighbors. If my neighbor shoots it as a basket 8 point, why should it matter to me? That buck is not coming back because I have X number of more mature bucks on my property and the property can only "carry" so many deer.

I'll be your Huckleberry!
As I've said before, we've been doing it pretty much since forever.
The length of time a place is quality managed will not grow bigger antlers, but will grow old deer both buck and doe.
At this point we harvest 7-10 year old deer EVERY SINGLE YEAR!
And more so to answer your question, we harvest 140"+ bucks consistently EVERY SINGLE YEAR!
The oldest ever harvested were 12 years old (1 buck and 1 doe aged at Matson's by CA) and the largest racked buck was approx. 170"
Yes, I agree that genetically SC is limited to what our native deer herd has to offer.
So what, it is what it is because we manage the deer on our place for age, not antlers!
Today, very few 1.5 YO bucks are killed by our neighbors....everybody wins and everyone kills big mature deer EVERY SINGLE YEAR!
That said, since we manage for age I am tickled pink to harvest a 7 YO that barely hits on 100"...

**Catdaddy** · 09-29-2015, 05:49 AM

When we get the buck tags down to two, there will be one or two on every property.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

**Calibogue** · 09-29-2015, 05:53 AM

And for the record, we are not on any special protein feeding program and such!
We plant and feed lots of corn........

**FBT** · 09-29-2015, 06:04 AM

Pressure, or lack there of, has a lot to do with it. Constantly checking cameras, feeding, planting, "scouting", etc..... All things that leave your calling card. Stay out. Let them (big bucks) get comfortable and let the first time in be the best time in. Some people play the camera game and probably get as much enjoyment out of it as actually hunting. That's ok if that's your thing. Cali's success is knowledge based. That dirt is probably pretty good too.

**Calibogue** · 09-29-2015, 06:14 AM

there is absolutely nothing special about our soil conditions and also we have very little agriculture less than 10% of our property is tillable

**rocketman** · 09-29-2015, 06:25 AM

we consistently kill bucks in the 130in range every year. tags won't affect us, negatively anyway,since we are only allowed 3 bucks per season on our club. if and when it gets to 2 then, imo, it'll just male it better for us as a club. that's what we want older mature deer. we do provide them with the best minerals we can find and plant tons of spring and fall plots, but no agriculture near by. just poor upstate red clay soils
it won't affect the neighbos much, they'll still kill every buck they see regardless of the rules, and they kill them in spite of us. we are bordered by the biggest bunch of outlaws in the state, but still manage to produce some above average bucks year in and year out.

**santee11** · 09-29-2015, 06:35 AM

I don't understand why you think SC can't produce 140 inch deer consistently. The state to our north and to our south both do it. It would be very easy for SC to do if we shot deer based on age and got better about shooting culls.
The place Jwilliams hunts is great but it is a huge red river bottom. The age class is where it needs to be but the deer in there don't grow the horns that a farm land buck can grow. This year we put out minerals in that swamp and put out the same minerals that our farm in colleton county. The deer in the swamp have gone after the minerals hard, digging them up and eating the dirt. The deer at the farm have not even touched the mineral sites I made. That tells me something is missing in that swamp soil that the deer need, and that is the reason the deer don't all grow huge horns.

**jwilliams** · 09-29-2015, 06:43 AM

I think we had 5 killed last year that were between 120-130".....As my hunting buddy said...There were 16 heads on the wall at XXXX taxidermy. 7 of them were from our club....

B/c we haven't developed enough food plots yet and have no agriculture, we are held hostage a bit by droughts, etc.

**britton40** · 09-29-2015, 07:11 AM

Originally Posted by rocketman

plant tons of spring and fall plots, but no agriculture near by. just poor upstate red clay soils

What do you have success with planting in the spring? Cowpeas and sorghum are really the only things that seem to do well in my red clay. Ladino Clover does ok.

**rocketman** · 09-29-2015, 08:04 AM

along with the peas and sorghum, we plant lab lab, buckwheat and sunhemp. every once in awhile we'll get some soybeans in the ground as well, but not on a yearly basis.
this seems to do pretty well for us. Spartanburg/Union line