A lot of people talk about it but few can actually put it into practice.

You should listen to some of the Mississippi State’s Deer Lab deer university podcast about culling bucks to influence genetics.

Yep you are right. Gotta justify those high lease prices by killing something

If bucks were allowed to live until age 6 with adequate to good nutrition I believe most here would be surprised with what the bucks would grow into. I would challenge folks to shoot the bottom 1/4-1/3 of the age classes at 3-4yo and let the superior bucks go. These Alabama deer have potential. You just have to be patient and allow them to show it.

True statement. On fertile ground with good habitat and age there’s many a deer that can reach 150”+ with some age on them, even here in AL.

Yep

I agree.

Here are our three biggest. None of them break 120(haven’t measured my daughters yet but pretty sure it won’t).

So inside a high fence where there are no cars and I am assuming predators are controlled to some extent and you don’t shoot 3-4 year old bucks, you only expect a 20% survival rate at 5 years old? If that is the case and you can only expect 20% survival rate from natural causes. So taking that and the studies from MS into account you could only expect 5-6 % of all the bucks born to reach a score of 130+ if nobody ever shot one before it was 5. When you take hunting into consideration that drops even more maybe 1-2 % if your lucky enough to hunt in a really good area and more than likely 1% or less in a lot of places in AL.

This whole conversation surprises me. I would have been way off base based on the general consensus. I would assume that most bucks on my property would make 130” if given 4-5 years. Most, certainly over 75% of them imo. The question was how many would grow to 130” if left alone to grow old right?
I can’t wrap my head around 20% good genetics and 80% that’ll never make 130 even at age 5-6??
I had no idea......
If we’re on the same page with the question.

I guess that justifies shooting young bucks, case closed

Globe, that’s correct. Even if given the opportunity to reach 5 years old in most of AL, the majority of bucks will never see 130”. Add to that predation from coyotes, highway mortality, natural fighting mortality, other natural death, and hunting mortality and its very easy to see why a 130”+ is truly a trophy deer. First, only 1/3 or less could ever see it, and he has to survive long enough to get there.

One thing is certain, if you kill them before they reach 130, they never will. Personally, I don't have to kill a buck to have an enjoyable deer season. Hell, I rarely ever kill a doe, that's why the guys I hunt with call me a bird watcher

Yep. I kill a buck probably every 5 years seems like

That is an amazing statistic! I had no idea. So what percentage of the 90-100” 8’s that looked to be 2.5-3.5 I let go will make 130+? I prob passed 8-10 of them this year. I hoped they’d all grow into great deer given time.

My opinion, at year 3 you have a really good idea of what trajectory the buck is going to be on. If you’re seeing clean 6pts at 3yo then they are likely to remain on a lower antler score trajectory as they continue to age. Your good looking 2-3yo 8pts will more times than not impress the heck out of you and go well past the 130” mark if you just let them grow up.

This has been a great informative discussion and I appreciate everybody’s input. I really just hope that everybody is having fun when they’re deer hunting regardless of your standards.

Yep, but globe, a lot of those deer you let walk others are not choosing the same.

Yea - good thread SouthWood - it’s about what u want to get out of your property or hunt

Wonder what percentage of pictures on our deer thread kill pics made 130