My Grandpa’s Other Bench Leg Bucks.

[Onewhohikes]

 

[Boss .300 winmag]

Anyone get a big bench legger this year?

[Bunny Thumper]

Don’t know where everyone’s been but the term “Benchleg” has been around along time. First time I ever heard it was 40 years ago. Definitely not from the internet!

[chukardogs]

 The Cascades are like a big tumbler when it comes to Blacktail/Mulie genes. Things like predators and fires must have a tendency to spread deer populations and therefore the genes. Some bucks put on backpacks and travel long distances during the rut. Considering it's only approx 20 miles between Sulpher Springs campground at the end of the Suiattle road and the community of Trinity at the end of the Chiwawa river road, it seems to me, especially young bucks could end up travelling that far for companionship. 
 Just like the family with a bunch of kids that all have brown hair and blue eyes, every once in a while, there's that one thrown in that's blonde with hazel eyes that cross.
 In 89' I killed, "sorry harvested" a three point on Basalt Peak up the Chiwawa drainage that weighed 192 and had antlers that looked like most three points you'd see in the Olympics. I'm sure when the bucks got together, this buck was teased and humiliated mercilessly, but he sure tasted great. I have a memory from when I was maybe five or six years old, circa 1968 when I was still hangin with my grandfather riding around in the old Willys truck during deer season. It was probably early to mid November, we were driving up the Chikamin creek road, we could see my father and another hunter who were hiking up the Basalt Peak trail and we watched as an empty road below them started to fill with deer. By the time we got stopped and out of the vehicle, there was a herd of 30 to 40 deer standing in a road. They were milling around looking at us and looking at the hunters above them. The thing I remember most is the four sets of antlers that towered above the rest. I know for a fact that the 3 point I killed in 1989, looked nothing like those 4 bucks! If my recollection is correct, those bucks stayed right in the middle of the herd and they all went up and over the ridge without a shot ever being taken.   
 I've heard the term Benchleg before but does the term or designation, come from a certain shape to the antlers or because the deer came from a certain area?   

[Dan-o]

The Cascades are like a big tumbler when it comes to Blacktail/Mulie genes. Things like predators and fires must have a tendency to spread deer populations and therefore the genes. Some bucks put on backpacks and travel long distances during the rut. Considering it's only approx 20 miles between Sulpher Springs campground at the end of the Suiattle road and the community of Trinity at the end of the Chiwawa river road, it seems to me, especially young bucks could end up travelling that far for companionship. 
 Just like the family with a bunch of kids that all have brown hair and blue eyes, every once in a while, there's that one thrown in that's blonde with hazel eyes that cross.
 In 89' I killed, "sorry harvested" a three point on Basalt Peak up the Chiwawa drainage that weighed 192 and had antlers that looked like most three points you'd see in the Olympics. I'm sure when the bucks got together, this buck was teased and humiliated mercilessly, but he sure tasted great. I have a memory from when I was maybe five or six years old, circa 1968 when I was still hangin with my grandfather riding around in the old Willys truck during deer season. It was probably early to mid November, we were driving up the Chikamin creek road, we could see my father and another hunter who were hiking up the Basalt Peak trail and we watched as an empty road below them started to fill with deer. By the time we got stopped and out of the vehicle, there was a herd of 30 to 40 deer standing in a road. They were milling around looking at us and looking at the hunters above them. The thing I remember most is the four sets of antlers that towered above the rest. I know for a fact that the 3 point I killed in 1989, looked nothing like those 4 bucks! If my recollection is correct, those bucks stayed right in the middle of the herd and they all went up and over the ridge without a shot ever being taken.   
I've heard the term Benchleg before but does the term or designation, come from a certain shape to the antlers or because the deer came from a certain area?

https://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,18792.15.html

https://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,190668.0.html

[chukardogs]

Thanks Dan-O, that really cleared it up for me.

[OutHouse]

I just stared wide-eyed at that heavy one for at least two minutes. Awesome thread!

[Dan-o]

Thanks Dan-O, that really cleared it up for me.

I hope you're serious.   

I remember having the same question and these threads cleared it up for me.

I'm sure I couldn't really tell the difference,but it's an interesting concept.

[chukardogs]

I wasn't serious but based on your response, I went back and looked at the threads you referenced and went through them again. It seems like it's just a term that indicates an animal that doesn't quite look like it fits the traditional description of Mule Deer. Years ago, I saw a picture in a guys tool box at Boeing of a buck taken in the Pasayten Wilderness. It had a deep forked, perfectly formed 20+ inch wide 4 point rack but the head and ears looked like a deer we'd see out near Tahuya.