Use to be like $1200-$1500 a straw didn’t it? May be more now, or I may be mistaken.

I watched an auction and a guy paid $1 million for 1/2 interest in a buck and didnt take it with him. He just got half of what it produced from then on. Big money in big bucks

Most of the breeder bucks in Alabama fall in the 250" range at 2yo and the 3yo's generally are in the 350-400" range.

That being said I have a client in North Alabama that has numerous bucks over 500" each year and he had a 650" deer that died last year of EHD.

If they grow like that what do they feed them?

Steroids? Lol

It’s genetics. Selective breeding. Nutrition helps, but that is not why they are that big.

Yep, one of my close friends had some awesome bucks and he said it was almost entirely genetics. His family got out of the business when CWD restrictions became too much of a pain.

I agree on genetics I been looking at my pictures this morning. I have a lot of tall rack deer. Narrow racks

Its a mix of genetics, breeding the right doe to the right buck, and feed.

Most folks feed high protein deer feed mixed with various supplements to keep them heathly. Also the bigger bucks generally aren't put with too many does. If they breed too many their antlers will be smaller the following year.

Woah!!!! Say what?!?!
You mean if too many does are on the landscape and exhausting bucks with longer ruts it can negatively impact their health? No way.

I’m obviously being sarcastic. This one hurdle is too high for many to overcome.

Nothing about that buck appeals to me at all.

Me either but someone would pay a small fortune to kill it.

How do you know if there are too many does?

Like if I sit there on a good weather day on my property and see 10 is that too many? What if I see 15 one day and then zero for the next couple times I sit there?

Just because bucks are being overharvested doesnt mean everyone needs to shoot a bunch of does to try and fix it

What should you do?

Say it aint so Matt. LOL

All depends on how many breeding age bucks you have on the property to service those 10 or 15 does. Prolonged rutting activity causes tremendous stress for bucks. If your does start into heat in late Dec and you still have does being bred beyond the end of January, you've either got too many does or not enough bucks. 2 cycles should be the norm with the majority of does being bred in their first cycle. Generally rut/breeding activity beyond 40 days is indicative of a balance issue and not good for the health of your bucks or overall herd for that matter. In a perfect world, all your does would be bred on their first cycle and you'd have a very short concise rut. The earlier that the fawns drop the better. The rut in a lot of places in AL lasts 3 to sometimes 4 solid months due to lack of age structure and out of whack sex ratios.