scouting

[littlebigtine]

obviously dependent on the specific deer and region your looking at. for the guys that have followed a deer from july to september, how much gross score would you expect or have seen a high country buck put on in the next two months? got a wide guy im looking at but right now his g3s and g4s are 3-5 inches…

 

[Mykolaivka887]

Too many variables (genetics, age, habitat quality) to really know from a mere text message. However, based on what the remainder of the rack looks like right now, that should give you at least some sort of "possible" inclination.

 

[littlebigtine]

Too many variables (genetics, age, habitat quality) to really know from a mere text message. However, based on what the remainder of the rack looks like right now, that should give you at least some sort of "possible" inclination.

ya, i have figured as much but i was looking more for some real world examples that guys or gals have. ive never been able to follow a larger deer through the summer so im just curious not looking for a one size fits all answer

 

[Mykolaivka887]

You can't get a real world example of that particular buck, by a simple literary description of what you yourself saw, because there's not enough information. There's too many variables at play (genetics, habitat quality, global latitude, age of animal, and not knowing precisely what you yourself observed, etc). However, based on my own antler experience and when considering how late in the season it now is, you could get anywhere from 2 to 8 inches of additional tine length by early August.

 

[littlebigtine]

thanks for the input. just to be clear: i am not asking for someone to hypothesize what this buck might become. i am asking the experienced people on here for examples that they have personally seen. just curious what people have witnessed as far as antler growth in the last two months of velvet. sorry i wasnt clear intially but thanks again

 

[Mykolaivka887]

thanks for the input. just to be clear: i am not asking for someone to hypothesize what this buck might become. i am asking the experienced people on here for examples that they have personally seen. just curious what people have witnessed as far as antler growth in the last two months of velvet. sorry i wasnt clear intially but thanks again

Yep, I got that part .....

 

[InkedElkSlayer]

As stated, no definitive answer that covers AZ to MT. That said, here are some thoughts…
In my area, mid-May to mid-July are the major growth months.
No matter how many muleys you’ve looked at, you still over estimate them in the velvet. Especially when they are in full growth, super vascular and hydrated.
In my opinion, scouting in the summer is similar to initially sizing 1 up hunting. Look at the overall frame first. Or in this case, how the frame is developing. Look at antler mass, but look at his body (especially chest and front shoulders) and watch how he interacts with the other deer if he’s in a group. Some of that will judge maturity or dominance, not necessarily B&C.
My oldest got the first pic of a buck last year before Memorial Day. He was just barely starting to fork at his ear tips, had defined brows and had mass, so we knew he had potential. My boy got a glimpse of him during the summer and knew his frame was very nice. We didn’t find him during the season, but got his sheds this February very close to the original pic. He was a straight up typical 175. A very nice buck for our area.
The 2-8in of tine length answer is obviously a huge range, but realistic when you don’t know the area or potential. But you HAVE to account for the shrinkage of loosing the velvet.
Didn’t answer your question of tine length or B&C… but unless you drew a premier tag, most of your judging is going to be on frame, mass and maturity. Hopefully that helps. Glassing for these bucks is a blast.

 

[littlebigtine]

he got bigger. what do think he grosses in velvet right now?

 

[Mykolaivka887]

Maybe as much as 180" with the velvet on the antlers.

 

[Elk_Reaper]

That's a nice buck, defiantly keep tabs on him. I bet he'll keep putting on the inches.

 

[littlebigtine]

looking good, t- 15 days until the opener

 

[InkedElkSlayer]

That’s a nice buck. Hopefully he doesn’t have a calendar and knows what day to disappear. Good luck