New Bucks Behind the House

[lokidog]

So the one with the notch has been around since last year (Tall Boy), but he has some competition this year.  Back to back pictures show two new bucks with him.  The smaller one with one brow tine was out in the back tonight when I pulled my card.  We thought Tall Boy was big, I think we'll call the other one Big Boy.   

Weathergirl's got her sights set on one of these bigger boys this week.   

[crow killer]

Nice bucks I don't know what the minimum over there but those look like shooters       

[lokidog]

If it's brown, it's down are the rules over here.....   

We've been trying to leave the yearling forks alone and trying to talk the other hunters we know into not shooting spikes (1 1/2 year olds anyways).  For every year older, they seem to add about ten pounds of meat.  Both of the bigger bucks are definitely shooters here, the smaller fork with one brow tine, we'll try to leave for next year or the year after.

The most meat we have gotten from one dear was 54 pounds, the nicest rack I have gotten as well out here, being a fork with brows, but something hauled the skull off the night after I butchered it.   

[6x6in6]

Looks like there eating well!!  Plump!!

[JackOfAllTrades]

The deer swim between the islands. There are a couple different gene pools out there.. Look at the big bodied young bucks and let them live if you can. There is a visible difference. The reward down the road will be worth it. Take doe's (2?), to assist with buck to doe ratio.  My friend has taken several deer in the San Juans.  Most his bucks have rewarded more than 100 pounds of meat each. (Some would say shoot the scrawny doe's to kill off that pool)...

-Steve

[Button Nubbs]

killem loki 

[lokidog]

The deer swim between the islands. There are a couple different gene pools out there.. Look at the big bodied young bucks and let them live if you can. There is a visible difference. The reward down the road will be worth it. Take doe's (2?), to assist with buck to doe ratio.  My friend has taken several deer in the San Juans.  Most his bucks have rewarded more than 100 pounds of meat each. (Some would say shoot the scrawny doe's to kill off that pool)...

-Steve

I don't think the deer swim as much as people think.  In five years out here, I have heard of two from our island, one chased off by dogs (this one died upon reaching the other shore 1/2 mile away on a tiny island) and one swimming sort of towards us.  There are only two spots where Decatur is closer than a mile to other larger islands, most of it is at least two miles from Lopez.  Lopez deer are much bigger than Decatur deer.  If we killed off the "small" pool, all we'd have left would be rabbits. 

This is back to the whole nature versus nurture thing.  I believe that larger bodied deer that have, per chance, reached Decatur have not survived as well as smaller bodied ones because the food sources out here are not that great.  A smaller bodied deer has a better chance of survival when food is scarce than a larger one.  Through time, the smaller bodied gene pool has pretty much taken over as there is actually very little genetic exchange with the other islands.  I would love to be able to afford to sponsor a sudy comparing the genetics of the deer in different areas on the island to each other.  In an area on the island that does not allow hunting, I have seen no bigger bodied deer than the one I got 54 pounds of meat off of (roughly), I have seen larger sets of antlers, but they are still on smaller than average deer.  So, the idea that hunters are taking the larger ones is probably not valid either.

So, we will do our part to keep the population in check (unless the state raises the prices for 2nd doe tags more), and we will continue to try to improve the habitat on properties to which we have access.

-Ed

[MtnMuley]

Nice. I have seen zero sign of any velvet coming off, and mainly still summer coated deer on the dry side.

[Reid23]

Looks like one I shot last year. Exept mines bady was about half the size

[C-Money]

NICE! Good luck! Cant wait to see all the success threads!

[Craig]

Cool pictures. That buck in the second picture has some trophy sized ears on him.

[Malardman]

Hammer down on'em looks like a few healthy meals