Bully bucks

Originally Posted by SteveBartylla  The other I had tons of encounters and history with. It’s not a great picture of him. Because of history and encounters, I know he was 3.5. He essentally got beaten to death by the bully.

A special 3 1/2 year old indeed, Steve. He was essentially beaten to death by a bully, was he killed? I’m assuming that his bully was not an equal age peer but an upperclassman. I too have dealt with the bully factor here from time to time, usually a 5 1/2 year old that has to prove himself by picking on his underlings. Chubby was one good example of that, when he became 5 1/2 there was no peace on the evening foodplot for anyone. I was conflicted about the obvious need to use one of my tags on him. Closer to rut that year Chubby had his butt handed to him by an equal age peer in one of those epic prolonged battles. I was concerned for Chubby’s next victim and in the fading light I couldn’t tell who was who. When the fight ended Chubby was the one limping past me heading north never to be seen again until a friend shot him where he relocated about 400 yards north.

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Originally Posted by SteveBartylla  Remove every 3.5+ year old buck that doesn’t display the traits of being special (points, beam length, tine length and so on). Wait until a buck hits 5.5 to harvest if he does display special characteristics. Make 4.5 and older bucks that appear aggressive, yet don’t offer impressive head gear a top removal priority.

The idea of shooting every unremarkable 3 1/2 year old is what I call into question. While I showed an unremarkable 3 1/2 year that put on 50-60″ in the following two years, the other buck that I shot that same year is a good case in point to the contrary. Incidentally, my count of special 3 1/2 year olds now encompasses two hands. This 3 1/2 came out looking like next years 160-170 and when I shot him as a 4 1/2 year he was net 150″. Very little change from 3 1/2 to 4 1/2. A fine mount none the less with swept back G2’s, the cleanest, most unblemished, hide that I’ve ever seen on an Iowa buck. He wasn’t much of a brawler, I accused the taxidermist of using another doe hide. Steve one thing that throws people off is that I’m pretty sure that the majority of deer here are of the smaller bodied macrourus subspecies.