Cull buck?

cull or not iwsi

prolly so

Corn and beans..

I wouldn't shoot it

that buck is more than likely at his peak.

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Cull buck?

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Not knowing where the picture is from or the genetic potential of the area here's my thoughts.

He's been eating well but he's not an old deer. IMHO, he's two years or younger. His rack doesn't show any of the mass or junk points you typically see in deer reaching that 4-5 year mark. He's certainly not as his peak as the rack will gain mass and character with age.

To that end.... Is he a cull? Only if you are confident that he's genetically inferior and the area consistently produces better. If he's typical of what you see in the area then taking him out of the gene pool accomplishes very little.

At which point the question really becomes, do I want to shoot him and that's a question only you can answer.

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And that's the double problem. He's a cull even if he's 3.5.

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There's simply no way he's 3.5 unless the area is just really ultra poor genetically. IMHO, he'd be showing some mass if he were any older than 2.5.

My point being, if the area largely produces 6-8 point narrow racks then there's no real genetic boost by taking him out. If on the other hand wide racked 8 and 10's are common then the management decision is really pretty simple and this buck can be culled.

One must consider the potential of the area when implementing a management plan and deciding what to cull. What may be considered a cull in Texas may be as good as its gonna get in the Florida panhandle. The science and research is pretty clear that there's no arbitrary one-size fits all management standard.

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There's simply no way he's 3.5 unless the area is just really ultra poor genetically. IMHO, he'd be showing some mass if he were any older than 2.5.

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Why can't hunters learn that you can't judge deer by their horns. You have to go by what their body tells you and not even look at the horns. That body says 3.5yrs old any where in the south. A 2.5yr old has a much slicker neck and body.

Yes it needs to be shot if you are culling for genetics.

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There's simply no way he's 3.5 unless the area is just really ultra poor genetically. IMHO, he'd be showing some mass if he were any older than 2.5.

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You're looking at the wrong thing.

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Because every authority on deer management associated with QDMA to academia says that antler characteristics are the most reliable means to age deer under most circumstances?

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That's simply false.