Is a Buck a Buck?

Trail cameras are an astounding way to get shots of the bucks in your area. Depending on the quality, you can get a really clear idea of what size bucks are roaming around. You can also get a look at some bucks that may not be so desirable. These bucks are the ones that are having a rough go around when it comes to injures or the gene pool. It’s amazing to see how one three and half year old buck may have a very nice classic example of the eight-point typical structure while another buck of the same age has a different look. Some antlers I’ve seen over the years have been incredible. They come with anything from nothing but a stubby main beam with a foot long brow tine to antlers that look like moose antlers. Many hunters, especially those paying for a hunt, aren’t about to waste a buck tag on a deformed antler rack. For this, I cannot blame them but some would also say that they are hurting their deer population by letting the bucks with bad genes to live. In the eyes of most hunters, this would seem to make rational sense. If a deer with bad genes is mating with does while the well framed typical bucks are being killed, this could present a problem. But there is also the side that says most bucks only mate with around four or so does a year and the significance is small. Either way, you’ll always have undesirable bucks roaming the area and the decision is ultimately yours to make. In the end, the hunt is about the chance to shoot a mature whitetail and that is what matters.