A few "managed" deer

MikeG · #1 06-19-2010, 02:34 PM

Got my deer back from the taxidermist - what a great job she did. We have an opportunity to take animals like this because the habitat and population are managed to let the deer grow up, and not get overcrowded. We do it on low-fenced property, too. The property has other uses including cattle and also oil production, so it's not just a big deer plot. Actually there are many other uses for the property and suspect we raise more feral hogs and rattlesnakes than anything else.....

Big thanks to our lease manager (you know who you are!

) for fostering these conditions. It's up to the hunters to implement the plan and we have a good group there dedicated to doing things the right way.

MikeG · #2 06-19-2010, 02:38 PM

Speaking of management, sometimes you need to shoot the ones that aren't a trophy "Boone and Crockett" material and get them out of the gene pool. The skull behind my 10 pointer is a 6-pointer that I shot the previous year. There is a strain of 6-pointers on the property that never grow any more tines. The 6-pointer was actually a slightly larger deer, probably by about 10 pounds or so, and he has a greater inside spread and heavier bases. The perspective makes him look smaller because he's behind the other deer. The inside spread is about a quarter of an inch larger on the 6 pointer, and the bases were about half an inch larger in diameter.

There is, or was, an even bigger 6 pointer that one of the hunters saw last year. This was surely one of his offspring. Well, he ate good that's for sure! I was pretty happy about getting him, especially because my son with with me at the time.

MikeG · #3 06-19-2010, 02:41 PM

For hunters who might feel that the 6-pointers should be left alone, they do present a real hazard on the lease..... at least after they drop horns. Gotta be careful driving around in the green grass in the spring!!!

I won't say who's truck this happened to but his initials might have contained the letters T, P, and V

kdub · #4 06-19-2010, 03:56 PM

Nice 10 ptr, Mike -

Yes, sometimes you just have to help out the gene pool. A rancher friend here in Arizona encouraged me to shoot a 12 pt whitetail on his place because the head and rack all fit inside a 5 gal bucket afterwards and he definitely wanted it out of his gene pool.

Used to be an extremely large 4 pt running around in the North pasture I always hunted. Wonder if he's still making little bucks? Offered to crop him for Tom, but Tom wanted to see if he would do something different the next season. Never heard any followup.

MikeG · #5 06-19-2010, 04:31 PM

He'll change his mind if he runs over a shed from that 4 pointer...

tpv · #6 06-19-2010, 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeG

For hunters who might feel that the 6-pointers should be left alone, they do present a real hazard on the lease..... at least after they drop horns. Gotta be careful driving around in the green grass in the spring!!!

I won't say who's truck this happened to but his initials might have contained the letters T, P, and V

That's the second time that has happened to me. The first time, no one knew about it!!!

The only kind of bucks worth shooting are the old ones, I'm real glad you got him. With all of the spring rain we've had, range conditions are excellent for this coming season. There was also some good bucks that didn't get shot last year, so it should be good.

Shawn Crea · #7 06-19-2010, 08:46 PM

Nice mount Mike!

There is a unit in S Idaho where F&G for many years had a hunt for 2-point muley's only as there was a strain developing there. Another unit, I see a strain of 3-points, although some of those get very big.

MikeG · #8 06-19-2010, 09:01 PM

Thanks for the kind words, guys.

Just to show it's not all for horns - here was dinner this evening (tenderloins). Can't say for sure which deer these came from, but they sure were good. Definitely off of the same lease as the central Texas deer don't get nearly this big. Sure were good......

broom_jm · #9 06-20-2010, 04:27 AM

Horns are nice 'n all, but that platter...THAT is where it's at! For God so loved the world that me made the creatures therein remarkably tasty! (Please don't take that as sacrilege...I know what he really did to show his love for us.)

Mike, thanks for this mid-summer reminder of what we need to prepare for, this fall. For a lot of us, including my family and me, shooting is definitely fun, but hunting is what it's all about.

tpv · #10 06-20-2010, 06:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shawn Crea

Nice mount Mike!

There is a unit in S Idaho where F&G for many years had a hunt for 2-point muley's only as there was a strain developing there. Another unit, I see a strain of 3-points, although some of those get very big.

Shawn,
Is that three on a side?
You know down here, we count everything. That's just the way we are

MikeG · #11 06-20-2010, 07:05 AM

When it's a hundred degrees every day, and humid - about all you can do is dream of the next fall hunt!!!

kdub · #12 06-20-2010, 08:42 AM

Think I'll thaw some West Texas venison breakfast sausage for in the morning - should have had it this morning for Father's Day, but didn't think of it in time!

Supposed to be over 112 by mid-week. So hot, I'm reconsidering a range outing. Have to work out there Tuesday when its only to be 110 degrees.

Shawn Crea · #13 06-20-2010, 03:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tpv

Shawn,
Is that three on a side?
You know down here, we count everything. That's just the way we are

Yup, that's 'western count' tpv, one side. And with muley's, that's not counting eyeguards because sometimes they just don't have any. If you get one with eyeguards, that's a bonus!

Nice looking steaks Mike. I think I'll thaw some out!

Sorry about the 100++ days fellas!

oloutlaw · #14 06-27-2010, 08:47 PM

VERY nice heads guys....

and "West Texas Venison breakfast sausage" sounds almost too good to be true ..... YUMMMMM !