re: Togo Island/Swamp Donkey Sting

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Meh, the term is maligned unnecessarily.

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I agree. You don't shoot management bucks to increase antler size. You shoot them to reduce deer population.

Last weekend my nephew killed a 225# buck that was 15 inches wide and a 6pt with heavy horns. Probably at least 5yo or maybe 6 or 7yo.

We shot him because we shoot our bucks when they get to that age regardless of antler size. If they antlers are big, then it's a trophy. If the antkers are small, then it's a management buck

I've been trying to get someone to shoot this one all year, his horns have been that way for two years now.

Management, Cull, whatever you want to call it I'm tired of feeding him

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positively effect

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I know this is the popular thing to say, but the fact remains that this buck will no longer breed. He will no longer eat. We must shoot bucks.

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We must shoot bucks.

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Absolutely

Point out where I said otherwise.

I’m simply stating that if your goal is quality management of your deer herd, eliminating deer based on perceived genetic inferiority ain’t the way to go.

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It’s the predicting the future part where people go wrong.

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Agreed

So in the early 2000’s we had a buck on our place in Illinois that was easily identifiable. It had a half tail. We figure a coyote may have gotten it when it was young and it eventually escaped. Anyway, it was easy to confirm which buck he was from the time he was young.

When he was four, he was a narrow, thin eight and some in our group used the “management buck” criteria to put him on the shooters list.

When he was five, he was again a narrow eight, but had gained some decent mass. Still, he was only about 14 inches wide and so when he walked by a friend on a late October hunt, he shot him. Right square in the arse.

Non fatal, the deer disappeared for the remainder of the season.

As a six year old, he was again a narrow eight point but now he had some really nice mass. I field judged him at 140 to 150 inches. Again, he was placed on the shooters list but no one got close to him.

And then came the year he turned seven. The growth was astonishing. He blew up into a 10, probably 18 inches wide but with mass you dream about. He was killed that season on the adjacent property and scored 173”.

That one encounter with a free ranging deer, combined with research from guys like Charlie Alshiemer taught me that we can never fully know what a deer is going to grow into given enough time.

And for that reason I simply refuse the “management buck” theory on free range deer.

Younger bucks need to be killed as you mentioned in order to gather baseline data and determine if your management plan is actually working. However, those deer shouldn’t be shot under the guise of helping to genetically alter the local wild herd.

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Do you have more than one season of photos of him?

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Yes, his rack was smaller last year but the left side only had that spike horn.

We assume he was injured or something, I've heard if they have a limb injury it can cause this but who knows.

Everyone has stopped hunting so he will make it another year if he survives natural death.

My guess is the state is happy to offer more buck tags in their battle against CWD. Especially if the club will shoot older bucks, which have a higher rate of CWD.