The chances of killing a B&C buck...

[jlcrose]

Very interesting PS, please allow me. The chance depends on every hunters own ability and LUCK. It depends on the habitat/carrying capacity of the area hunted and the genetics w/in the population being hunted. Each of those is important, but as important as anything else, HUNTERS MUST HAVE A WILLINGNESS TO ALLOW THOSE 42 MONTH OLD AND YOUNGER BUCKS TO WALK BY AND HAVE A CHANCE TO REACH THEIR POTENTIAL!!!!! There are very few B&C bucks less than 42 months of age! Most are at least 54 months old. In <u>most cases</u> B&C = MASS, and MASS only comes with age.

One more thing, poaching lessens the odds for each and every one of us.

[Triton X2]

PS that is kind of what I was thinking. When you kill your first "good" buck that you just have to have mounted, you have something to gauge for your next buck or if you even want to harvest him...Down here I dont know if I would ever get to kill a 170 class buck, but where we hunt north of Columbia, we have a lot better chance because of habitat and luck....and luck. I can still see the monster I didnt get 2 years ago...I hope that was not the last time I see a deer that large. But, with your stats, I may need to fish more and hunt less...lol

[PoisonSnake]

I'm still working on letting everything under 3.5 years old walk CAPT. In fact, my last 3 MO bowkills have been 3.5 years old. Good deer, but not great deer. I have got to discipline myself for sure, and I pass on a lot of bucks each year. Another thing I find about MO is the small acreage factor coming into play. I think it would be great if I could afford a square mile of land. But, I can't, and I have some neighbors that will shoot a 1.5 year old 8 pointer if it walks up. They are getting better. Now, I just need to work on myself a bit.

[2BHNTN]

MOCraig said:
That has to be bunk. 2B passes on Boone and Crockett bucks all the time. Ask him.

I don't mind you giving me hell about what I post. As long as it is true. MoCraig, that is a flat out lie. I never said that or posted such.

[2BHNTN]

counts said:
I see a B&C every year. I must be real lucky.

I do too.

[PoisonSnake]

I'm beginning to think now that killing a 140-150" deer is a big dang deal. If I accidentally kill a 160" deer, I might just quit.

[hunting170]

PS,

You`re quest for a 160 is in your hands, and no one else`s. If you truly want a 160" buck all you have to do is shoot the first one that walks by, and nothing else. You can`t worry about what the neighbors are shooting, or what your friends/peers expect you to shoot. It`s a thrill to have a 130-140" buck in bow range, and know that if you wanted to kill him you probably could. That one buck can be your inspiration for the following season. Wondering if he`s still in the area, how big he is now, and if you`ll be fortunate enough to see him in bow range again. Yeah you might go a season or two without killing a buck. Your friends won`t make fun of you. The guys on this site probably will, but your friends won`t.

On the topic of B&C bucks...I think I have seen seven,maybe eight, in 27 years of hunting. On two of those occasions Robin was with me, and saw them too. It takes an incredible buck to net over 170 inches. I have been fortunate to kill four of the five biggest bucks to come within bow range of my tree stand. The other has a 3-blade Muzzy scar in his backstraps, just over his vitals. I saw it three months later, chasing does by the road. That was the last time that I saw him. They are few and far between, but they are out there. The only thing certain about them is that they will never be a Booner if you kill them when they are 140s.

[2BHNTN]

170. Boy's, I have seen some of 170's pic's. He tells no lies.

[PoisonSnake]

Kill them when they are 140s? How about 120s? That is my problem. But, you are 100% correct on what you state. First and foremost, I need to work on the 120s problem. Then, I will work on the 140s problem. Oh, there are a few 160" deer around here, but not as many as there are in IL, for example. I've never had a 160" deer walk terribly close to me that I am aware of. I'm kindof like you. The biggest bucks that I have drawn an arrow on, I have killed. But, they aren't anything close to 160". Once it gets close to P&Y, I get terribly excited.

[2BHNTN]

I have seen several 150+ deer on stand here in Missouri. Just none close enough ( for me ) to take a shot. They are here, maybe not in the #'s that you see in Illinois, but they are here.

[hunting170]

There are a couple of articles about MO deer in this months North American Whitetail. Pretty awesome bucks.

[PoisonSnake]

Well, you should feel blessed, because I have logged a lot of hours in this state to have seen maybe a half dozen and 3 of those are dead. Of couse 147 and 148" of gross antler isn't 150", so I guess just one of those is dead. BTW, 170, is the buck you hit this year the one of which you speak of in the above post? I thought [email]Keith@aimlow[/email] said you saw him a week or two later.



Yeah, I just read that one from cover to cover. It is now in the trash. Every year, we have some dandies killed over this way. I know of 3 or 4 170/180 inch deer killed within 5 or 6 miles of the HFA.

[hunting170]

No, this was about four years ago. When I saw him again in February chasing does, I took several pictures of him. That is the day I learned that when you are taking pictures with a 400mm zoom lens, and using your steering wheel for a rest, you need to turn off the ignition on your truck.

[PoisonSnake]

Now that is funny right there.

[2BHNTN]

My point is: the reason 170 is killing big bucks is not just because he lives in Illinois. I lived in Central Illinois most my life, seen some really awesome bucks. Have sat on stand many hours in both states. Missouri ( varying locations ) has been just as good to me.