So i have seen a couple bucks that interest me lately. One is a smaller body 7 point but the rack is wide and baskets quite nicely. The other is a big brute of a deer. He is a full 8 point but the horns dont really wrap around much and the rack is definetly smaller than this 7. Which would you rather take. A 7 with a noticeably larger rack but smaller body. Or a bulldozer of a deer with a not so big 8 pt rack?
Bulldozer for sure. Enjoy the burger. Let the younger (assumed) deer go - he'll have the body to match in a year or two and should be sporting some serious headgear at that point if he's already outpacing the older deer.
I'd take bigger rack over bigger body majority of the time...assuming both make my harvest requirements. When showing off my trophy collection I'm not interested in a "but you should have seen the body on this guy" side note. I enjoy admiring my mounts more than I do choking down rutted up bulldozer burger.
I'm taking horns also because out in the field it's sometimes to hard figuring out bodyweight.
Few years ago at the Jerome Market buck pole a guy had a 180" buck hanging there and the dressed weight of the deer was 155lbs.. Oddest looking thing I'd ever seen...
I don't know, a few years ago I was sitting my favorite stand, when I seen this buck step out of the corn into the woods, it looked to be a good buck so I grunted and he turned and head my way. I grabbed my bow and stood for the shot, at 20 yards he didn't look so great, small body and his antlers where spindly and no mass, so I let him walk, this bucks rack was really wide but that was it, no mass and he wasn't a very big deer.
20 minutes later another buck was heading my way, this bucks antlers was heavy, not long tines and not wide, but his body was huge, a older deer for sure, I let this buck pass also, still don't know why I did, guess it's like old graybeard said, neither buck fired me up, but now if I had to to it over again I would shoot the bigger body deer.
Flight
If youre into QDM sounds to me like the 8 pt may most likely not grow much bigger...horns...the 7 pt sounds like he would be quite a buck next year...IF you can chance waiting. Decide pretty quickly because once the rut kicks in...all bets are off and they will leave.
Why don't you think the 8pt will get any bigger? Just cause he has a big body? You can't judge antler growth by a bucks body, if he isn't gonna grow much bigger than the buck would have to be 6.5 yrs old which don't happen often in Michigan.
It sounds to me that neither one of these have you that excited to take as you gave your negatives on each. In the long run its your choice and you have to take which makes you the happiest if your 2nd guessing each of these bucks for their own reason then I would let them both walk and grow bigger. When I'm in the field or looking at pics deciding which deer I want, it's the one I look at and he really gets my blood pumping with anticipation on him closing in for a shot. Also which would I be happy with spending the $500 on to get mounted, that's a rule I have for myself and my property. If I or anyone else takes a buck it's getting mounted, I feel the buck deserves that if it makes sense. So I don't shoot a buck every year but every year I'm out there is a successful year. Good luck on your decision and closing the deal, you also have to remember lots of bucks will be moving from their home base soon so you might be choosing a buck you never seen before in the next cpl wks. Keep us posted
That's a excuse for people taking young deer in Michigan that you don't hear in any other state. It's always if I don't shoot it the neighbors would. I know if I thought my neighbors were poaching I'd contact the dnr or I'd have my ass on the property line waiting for them to poach and I'd be calling the co right away. For how much money we pay for deer hunting property no way I'd let some neighbor slob get away with poaching deer if I knew about it. Making excuses why you have a hard time passing up deer is no excuse in the long run your shooting that deer cause you want to. There is poachers everywhere it's our job as sportsman to help stop it if we know that it's taking place
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