Perfect 8

SCOUTING FOR DEER 2014

They say the size of a buck’s rack is all about quality genetics and a high tech deer food plan. And judging by the 3 places I’ve visited that purchased buck’s and does from deer breeder operations, I have to say it must be true … in those carefully controlled (genetic and food) situations.

Where I live, in farm and ranch country, the genetics are definitely inconsistent and the high tech food plan is, well, non existent; and neither the genetics nor food is carefully “controlled”.

Here, there is no such thing as a first or second year buck that is 160 to 170 class. It doesn’t happen. We don’t have any store bought genetics. Actually, the food supply is pretty good; milo, oats, winter wheat and even corn grow locally during the year and a narrow, winding river is our property border on the south and east.

Here, the prime ingredient for a big rack is… age. The older a buck gets the thicker, wider and higher his rack becomes.

Two types of game management are in our area. One is the state regulations for bag limits. The other is the 60+ day general season where hunters can use rifles, bows, crossbows and shotguns. The weapon of choice for most is the high powered rifle. When a hunter goes to his deer lease and gets his scope on a big racked, mature buck it will likely go down. And so do a lot of bucks that have potential but are still young.

That’s the playing field … and it is what it is.

I love living here in the country, where the deer woods is all around my home place. Where I can take pictures of deer and other wildlife 360 days a year if I want to. And I can hunt with my bow year round too, if it’s not deer or turkey season there are always wild hogs to hunt.

Onward …

In these pictures the deer racks are developed but still in progress. Here is a buck that my hunting buddy Robbie Cramer has seen from one of his bow stands. He calls him “Perfect 8.” And here he is — in my area.

His rack just popped, the main beam width is locked and the tines are moving upward. He just walked out of the gulch and right off he headed over to a doe.

The doe ignored him and he looked around and spotted another doe. He went towards the doe.

Perfect 8 walked past the doe and stopped a couple of steps ahead of her and off to her right. As he looked around I could tell he saw something of interest.

This is another Robbie Crammer buck, this one he calls “S & L” because one of his brow tines is short and the other is longer. He is a young buck but he is aggressive. He just checked these two does out and is headed in Perfect 8’s direction.