Dang things!!!!! Worst I’ve personally ever had it. We lose a few to fighting every now & again but not many.
This is a lesson learned for us…. Yet, I don’t really know how to fix it completely. “The learning never ends”. Really don’t think it can be “fixed” as this is nature but probably some adjustments….
We been very hard on doe #’s. We are for sure down. We are not at all loaded with “high scoring old deer” (as of now- none). We do have bullies & older management bucks that we are hunting… & love it!!
History: last 2 years thinned Doe #’s on one farm that was high. Rest didn’t need it. At same time- we got most every management/older buck we could find. So- overall deer #’s for bucks & does did go way down.
I’m guessing we thinned does “too much”. Made these bucks into crazed fighting lunatics.
We’ve lost a bunch now due to fighting. While tracking a doe - we come across this. A 3-4 year old 8. & a 6 year old heavy brute. Pics don’t do Justice - he’s HEAVY!! I’ll get better pics later. Crap way to die but that’s life in the wild. Called the DNR on salvage tags. He’d been missing for probably 2-3 weeks. How it goes. Can’t control it. Only thing we personally will do is continue to hunt (& love doing it!!!!) bullies & bucks that are ripe or need to go. None get a pass. Where we hunt, we never say “I’ll pass that low scoring older buck to hold out for high scoring deer”….. I hunt them, buddies do, kids, etc. Ticks me off but this is life in the wild. Not a fun way to go & wish it was a hunter that killed him in 5 seconds with smile on face BUT…. This time……
(Buddy identified the 8 & sent me the pic of “it’s him”.).
This is a lesson learned for us…. Yet, I don’t really know how to fix it completely. “The learning never ends”. Really don’t think it can be “fixed” as this is nature but probably some adjustments….
We been very hard on doe #’s. We are for sure down. We are not at all loaded with “high scoring old deer” (as of now- none). We do have bullies & older management bucks that we are hunting… & love it!!
History: last 2 years thinned Doe #’s on one farm that was high. Rest didn’t need it. At same time- we got most every management/older buck we could find. So- overall deer #’s for bucks & does did go way down.
I’m guessing we thinned does “too much”. Made these bucks into crazed fighting lunatics.
We’ve lost a bunch now due to fighting. While tracking a doe - we come across this. A 3-4 year old 8. & a 6 year old heavy brute. Pics don’t do Justice - he’s HEAVY!! I’ll get better pics later. Crap way to die but that’s life in the wild. Called the DNR on salvage tags. He’d been missing for probably 2-3 weeks. How it goes. Can’t control it. Only thing we personally will do is continue to hunt (& love doing it!!!!) bullies & bucks that are ripe or need to go. None get a pass. Where we hunt, we never say “I’ll pass that low scoring older buck to hold out for high scoring deer”….. I hunt them, buddies do, kids, etc. Ticks me off but this is life in the wild. Not a fun way to go & wish it was a hunter that killed him in 5 seconds with smile on face BUT…. This time……
(Buddy identified the 8 & sent me the pic of “it’s him”.).
