What is the deal with all of the small bucks???

[dave29]

I have never seen so many small bucks as I have this year. I usually see a small number of mature bucks, some does, and a few scrub bucks. This year is all small bucks. I have been hunting pretty heavy since Oct. 23rd and I haven't seen a big racked buck yet. I have seen a bunch of small 8 and 6 pointers and some other small scrubs that will be much better in a year or two. I won't take a buck unless it is a 130 class deer. I have seen 15 different scrubs in the last week alone while in the stand.

I have talked to a couple friends that hunt in different counties than me and they are seeing the same thing. Could there be a number of small bucks this year due to the drought?

I guess another way to look at it though is that there will be a good buck heard in a couple years....

So what are you guys seeing? A bunch of small bucks?

 

[loony1]

LOL, i read it wrong originally. I saw around 6 or 7 today and nothing bigger than a 6-pointer (but they did look like they were well fed), does however looked above average (monrovia area)

 

[jd4320t]

How long does a decent rack take to grow?

 

[dave29]

How long does a decent rack take to grow?

Usually a 3.5 year old deer has a decent rack. (depends on genetics of course)

 

[Bunnykid68]

Lots of deer sex last year.
I prefer my racks to be at least 18 years old. For legal reasons

 

[SmileDocHill]

I heard on NPR that inflation somehow had something to do with the bucks getting smaller? I may have been over thinking it though.

 

[Bradsknives]

During bow season I saw nothing but small bucks and passed on all of them. However, my trail cameras tell me that there are plenty of mature bucks in the area (3 bucks that should score over 140). All of the pics were taken at night.....so it looks like the mature bucks have been nocturnal. That will change as the rut gets into full swing.

 

[booey50]

when do you think the rut will be here(full swing)?

 

[mfrobert]

when do you think the rut will be here(full swing)?

I would say another wk we should be in full rut. I saw plenty of does running around w/ rocket ships up their a$$ followed by bucks w/ hard ons. So I'd say we are awfully close

 

[Field King]

when do you think the rut will be here(full swing)?

November 19 thru 29th is prime, up to you!

 

[dukeboy_318]

I saw 2 small 8s this morning, 4 does nothing came with in range of my 12 ga, all in open fields. I think the drought hurt a little bit but there's been several years recently where record numbers of mature deer have been taken so im sure that factors in as well

 

[wabash]

 

[firehawk1]

Whaa...... this can't be! Joe Bacon's one buck rule was supposed to have taken care of this problem. Guess maybe the State biologist that told me it would not work might have been right? Hummm... a biologist or Joe Bacon, I know which one's opinion I took.

 

[Frankingun]

Who exactly is Joe Bacon, and why is he making wildlife management decisions if he doesn't have the proper education or background?

 

[42769vette]

i always see alot of 1.5yr olds, but in my area that doesn't mean ill have alot of 4.5 yr olds in a few years it means the neibor is shooting most of the little guys

 

[dave29]

when do you think the rut will be here(full swing)?

We are right in the middle of it now.

 

[shadow6492]

Place where I checked in my deer yesterday had a board with all the deer check in showed more bucks taken than does or button bucks. Said half were 1-3 year olds

 

[Titanium Man]

Place where I checked in my deer yesterday had a board with all the deer check in showed more bucks taken than does or button bucks. Said half were 1-3 year olds

It's hard to live past 3, (as a deer), in this state.

 

[koenig clone]

been hunting heavy since mid october. ive seen 6 or 8 small bucks. thats been it. very few does. very odd. everybody thats hunts the adjoining properties shoot everything that moves.

 

[jbwhttail]

Joe Bacon

Hello All!

I was directed here as it seems someone likes to toss my name around. Funny how every time the "one buck rule" is brought up I am the sole person responsible! Now that is alot of power with our department of Natural Resources. There was support from sportsmen and women to improve the age and sex ratio that is why we have a one buck rule today. After the first five years the support grew from 56% to 72%, now the question is how did just one sportsman(me) garner all those Hoosier deer hunters?

As far as our previous deer biologist who FireHawk claims to have talked to.......... He stated in public that Indiana would never get a annual harvest of male antlered deer below 56% of 1 1/2 year old bucks. Uh, Jim (deer biologist) it is now stable at 40%!!!! I have nothing against our previous deer biologist other than he was a traditional deer biologist. If it was brown and had a white tail it was a good deer. The deer hunters of Indiana wanted more older age deer and now we have them.

To answer the original post. There is nothing wrong with what you are seeing, it takes some young bucks to survive to get to older age class. The older age deer are there, what happens as it does some years is the gun season opened in the beginning of the breeding phase. Many of the older age bucks are with does. Next weekend we will slay those big bucks as they will again be looking for love. Last week warm weather all but shut down daylight movement. You need to realize that older deer have learned the mating game, they set back let the youngsters chase. They are conserving energy, when the time comes they walk in and take control.

Again I'm not a deer biologist, but managing deer is easy, managing deer hunters is usually the problem.