Found my target!

[lokidog]

Saw this guy today in a neighbor's yard.  Luckily, he stuck around for me to go get my camera.  This is by far the largest bodied deer I have seen here or even on Lopez Island. Looks like he will end up a 3X4 with the little knob starting on the back of his left side.

[Timberstalker]

He's a big bodied deer!  Cannot believe how deep his chest is.

[MLBowhunting]

Great buck

[lokidog]

A couple from my back yard, no mashers, but I think I see some genetics from a buck we got a few years back we called Tall Boy.

[7mmfan]

His ears are funny, sticking straight out like that. Are they always that way?

[lokidog]

His ears are funny, sticking straight out like that. Are they always that way?

They went back when he was feeding. We had one doe here for a few years we called Donkey Doe, her ears were always drooping like Eeyore.  We never saw her with a fawn and decided to take her out the next season, but then she disappeared.

[jkthomps]

I hope you are able to follow through and get photos of him through out the season to keep the rest of us jealous, uhm I mean excited for you . 

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[ICEMAN]

Nice find Loki!

[fishnfur]

Nice on Loki!  That big boy's must be one of those Fidalgo deer that made the swim at ebb tide. 

 He's a bruiser.  He'll probably disappear around August 31st, and remain unseen till next summer.   Looks like there's no shortage of bucks in 416 though.

[lokidog]

I'll be honest, I do have mixed feelings about trying to take him out.  It would be nice to broaden those genes into the gene pool.  He has likely spread a few already though, unless he did just swim out here.

Have to fatten those other two up on apples behind the house.      

[pianoman9701]

Nice find. 

[crowinghen]

I'll be honest, I do have mixed feelings about trying to take him out.  It would be nice to broaden those genes into the gene pool.  He has likely spread a few already though, unless he did just swim out here.

Have to fatten those other two up on apples behind the house.      

yeah that's a big bodied deer! It  would be great to get some of that influence in the gene pool there.

[fishnfur]

 Hey Lokidog - no worries about the gene pool.  If you remember that article I posted last winter, the discussion section stated that on islands overpopulated with deer, insufficient maternal nutrition during pregnancy likely resulted in smaller mature buck sizes when they are fully grown.  The deer have the genes to get large, they often just don't have the nutrition on the islands that they need to attain their genetic potential in regards to body size, especially when mom wasn't well fed while pregnant. 
 
I'm pretty sure his pop or grandfather was a dominant buck, so there's probably quite a few siblings running around with the similar genes.  If instead, this one was a swimmer, then there will be others down the road doing the same thing. 

Giving him a year to walk and spread his genes a bit might improve the local gene pool and improve his rack size even more, but you might just see him in December on your neighbors barn too.