San Juan blacktails.

[blackmouther]

The deer on the islands are very small.  I have seen plenty of them dead and the biggest one so far was a tall dark horned 3pt.  Maybe 80#'s in the above listed state no head hide or legs.  Mostly around 65-70#'s for a large buck and 45-60 for a doe.  Anyone who claims to have hung one over 100# should buy a scale. 

[lokidog]

The deer on the islands are very small.  I have seen plenty of them dead and the biggest one so far was a tall dark horned 3pt.  Maybe 80#'s in the above listed state no head hide or legs.  Mostly around 65-70#'s for a large buck and 45-60 for a doe.  Anyone who claims to have hung one over 100# should buy a scale.

And exactly how many "island" deer have you shot and butchered?    We, friends and family, have taken almost thirty in the last ten years....

[fishnfur]

    WOOF!    Git 'em Loki !

 

[predatorG]

Just for clarification, are you disagreeing with him loki? And how much do you say they weigh on average?

[Gobble Doc]

Here is one up there that my MIL sent me a pic of recently.  Doesn't look too bad.

[fishnfur]

Yum!  Nice looking buck.  Can't be more than 120 lbs I'm guessing.

[JakeLand]

Its funny here I sit at the gate ready to start my ride in and the misconception of island deer being small kinda irritates me. Yes there are some small deer on the islands and there are some small deer up here in the cascades and there are big deer too when I get home I will post some pics of some island deer that ive been able to harvest in past years and some are bigger then some deer that are in the cascades. Lokidog if you ever need help thinning out the deer in your area

[predatorG]

Well I'm excited to see some pics!

[lokidog]

Just for clarification, are you disagreeing with him loki? And how much do you say they weigh on average?

I think it varies substantially between islands.  Then you have to figure out a definition of weight, meat, bones, guts, skin, lower legs, fat, waste trimmings etc.  Some estimates I have read say that meat yield is 40% of carcass weight (hide, head, and guts removed).  If that is the case, all of our bucks have had a carcass weight of 160# or more as meat yield has been 40-54 pounds. Doe yields, at least here, have been more in the 22 to 35 pound range.  Oops, bad math 100-135#

I will total up this year's buck and post his weight later today.

[Widgeondeke]

Just for clarification, are you disagreeing with him loki? And how much do you say they weigh on average?

I think it varies substantially between islands.  Then you have to figure out a definition of weight, meat, bones, guts, skin, lower legs, fat, waste trimmings etc.  Some estimates I have read say that meat yield is 40% of carcass weight (hide, head, and guts removed).  If that is the case, all of our bucks have had a carcass weight of 160# or more as meat yield has been 40-54 pounds. Doe yields, at least here, have been more in the 22 to 35 pound range.

I will total up this year's buck and post his weight later today.

I have only hunted Shaw, but I have E seen some deer no bigger than a dobermen and she had a fawn.

[blackmouther]

I think were all saying the same thing but in a different way.  An 80# carcass 35-45#'s of meat.  i have not seen 30 dead ones but i have seen a dozen and they are not very large animals.   i have a few buddies out right now who usually do well.  I will try and get some weights from them when they drop them off

[fishnfur]

 

And does it really matter how big they are?  They are still a prize if you happen to be good enough to score one.  If you're strictly a meat hunter, and if the island deer are indeed typically smaller, it may be a consideration.  Otherwise, it is just an observation or a data point.  Nothing to get upset about.  I bet the deer couldn't give a ****.

[predatorG]

Good point. it's all meat in the freezer

[lokidog]

52 pounds of meat including the heart for my son's buck.

[JDHasty]

JD kitsap is where I hunt. We saw a really nice 3 point while out bear hunting 2 years ago. I'll have to see if I can find the pic. Also, farmer Georges is the spot we took our elk and deer this year. Great place

We got another pretty decent south sound buck (Kitsap Peninsula) yesterday evening.  120 lbs hanging at Farmer Georges.  I will post photos on the other thread I have been posting on.  http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,110551.msg2434439.html#msg2434439

They are stuck in my phone now.  I have to wait for the wife to send them to email.  Then I can get them into the computer and posted.  I'm too old for all that text message and whatever.

The smaller buck I dropped off last week went just north of a hundred hanging.  That yielded 68 lbs of ground meat, which FG delivered to me today as 1/3 jalapino/chedar brats 1/3 German brats and 1/3 Italian sausage