[Hawk2]

Its true because its fact. Larger bodied deer eating different flora are not comparable.

Yes, they are. The FACT is, the science doesnt support some massive difference in antler sizes between north and south MO.

 

[Hawk2]

IMO, record bucks are a thing of the past. When hunters went for meat over horns, big bucks became bigger bucks. Now everyone wants a nice set of horns…so hunters pass on many many smaller bucks, resulting in more mid to upper mid bucks being taken. These mid range to upper mid range bucks are now never making it to the true trophy range, simply because they are the new target.

if 100,00 hunters shot the first deer they saw, their season was over. Now people wait and wait for bigger bucks.

Anyways, the Milo Hanson buck will probably never be broken because we as hunters, stopped hunting for meat.

Yet the amount of BC bucks shot keeps increasing....

 

[20']

Yes, they are. The FACT is, the science doesnt support some massive difference in antler sizes between north and south MO.

Well then science must be proving that nutrition means squat then!

 

[WBF]

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/12208032_Effect_of_Metabolic_Acidosis_on_White-Tailed_Deer_Antler_Development

 

[Hawk2]

Well then science must be proving that nutrition means squat then!

Nutrition matters, its just that south Missouri pro ides sufficient nutrition to support near maximum antler growth.

 

[cowboy]

Yes, they are. The FACT is, the science doesnt support some massive difference in antler sizes between north and south MO.

Yet reality does.

 

[Triple Creek Hunter]

Yes, they are. The FACT is, the science doesnt support some massive difference in antler sizes between north and south MO.

Do you have hunting experience in both north and south? I do, many, many years in both. Without question antlers in north MO are heavier. You still get some nice racks in the Ozarks, just not
as heavy for the vast majority of the bucks. Body size is definitely different.
As Cowboy said what does help in the Ozarks is the big timber. We see nice bucks during the rut and Dec that never showed up any other time. I am sure there are 150+ bucks over 5 1/2yrs old hiding out in the timber just not many. Food sources and genetics just not the same as farm country.

 

[Hawk2]

Do you have hunting experience in both north and south? I do, many, many years in both. Without question antlers in north MO are heavier. You still get some nice racks in the Ozarks, just not
as heavy for the vast majority of the bucks. Body size is definitely different.
As Cowboy said what does help in the Ozarks is the big timber. We see nice bucks during the rut and Dec that never showed up any other time. I am sure there are 150+ bucks over 5 1/2yrs old hiding out in the timber just not many. Food sources and genetics just not the same as farm country.

Genetics are the same, food resources are sufficient. Its harvest pressure thats the issue. The end of year map looks almost identical to this.

 

[Triple Creek Hunter]

Genetics are the same, food resources are sufficient. Its harvest pressure thats the issue. The end of year map looks almost identical to this.

View attachment 257191

Delusional that's for sure. Not gonna be drawn into a prolonged argument, but my guess is 9 out of 10 hunters will say you are wrong.

 

[Hawk2]

Delusional that's for sure. Not gonna be drawn into a prolonged argument, but my guess is 9 out of 10 hunters will say you are wrong.

If you trust 9 out of 10 hunters versus actual research and science, I dont know what to tell you. The fact is, they have taken bucks from areas that actually do have poor habitat and food deficits ton places that didnt and 2 generations later the bucks had identically sized antlers as the bucks in that area. It aint genetics. The ozarks have plenty of food to grow big bucks. The problem is there are less deer there and more harvest, and people BELIEVE that the deer are just smaller racked and so they act like it with their harvest decisions.

 

[PoisonSnake]

Antler size varies from region to region within the same area or even the same county in many cases.

Go to El Dorado Springs at one of their deer scoring events. It's easy to determine which deer were killed in Vernon County to the west and those that were killed in Henry County to the east. It's not even funny it is so blatantly obvious.

On another note, if I was forced to hunt Oregon County, I can tell you without a doubt which area I would frequent and those areas that I would avoid. Same with many parts of the Ozarks I grew up hunting. Hell, same in Boone County for that matter.

 

[PoisonSnake]

That being said, I know that in my specific area of Boone County, our age class suffers because of a lot of 5 and 10 acre tracts of land being just overrun with hunters. So I get it to some extent.

 

[Hawk2]

Antler size varies from region to region within the same area or even the same county in many cases.

Go to El Dorado Springs at one of their deer scoring events. It's easy to determine which deer were killed in Vernon County to the west and those that were killed in Henry County to the east. It's not even funny it is so blatantly obvious.

On another note, if I was forced to hunt Oregon County, I can tell you without a doubt which area I would frequent and those areas that I would avoid. Same with many parts of the Ozarks I grew up hunting. Hell, same in Boone County for that matter.

More hunters, smaller properties, more harvest, less deer. Stop high grading and the areas would be virtually identical in scores.

 

[PoisonSnake]

That could be possible in my area of Boone County, yes. But not across the entire landscape of Missouri.

 

[cowboy]

That could be possible in my area of Boone County, yes. But not across the landscape of Missouri.

Large counties in southern Mo with large tracts of national forrest dont conduce to high per square mile harvest. Bucks can get old in them thar hills 😁

 

[20']

If you trust 9 out of 10 hunters versus actual research and science, I dont know what to tell you. The fact is, they have taken bucks from areas that actually do have poor habitat and food deficits ton places that didnt and 2 generations later the bucks had identically sized antlers as the bucks in that area. It aint genetics. The ozarks have plenty of food to grow big bucks. The problem is there are less deer there and more harvest, and people BELIEVE that the deer are just smaller racked and so they act like it with their harvest decisions.

Still don’t know what you are talking about when it pertains to South of I-70

 

[Hawk2]

That could be possible in my area of Boone County, yes. But not across the entire landscape of Missouri.

It would be very consistent across Missouri. The "we just can't grow em like that here" thing is an old wives tale.

 

[Hawk2]

Large counties in southern Mo with large tracts of national forrest dont conduce to high per square mile harvest. Bucks can get old in them thar hills 😁

Far less deer density in those hills, with a higher percentage of them getting shot per year.

 

[Hawk2]

Still don’t know what you are talking about when it pertains to South of I-70

Oh, but I do.... you've just convinced yourself that you need to have lower standards down there.

 

[cowboy]

Far less deer density in those hills, with a higher percentage of them getting shot per year.

Why would there be fewer deer ?