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Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 1,691
Campfire Regular
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OP
Campfire Regular
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 1,691 |
The beauty of deer antlers is the endless variety of shapes, sizes and general makeups they come in. I've personally seen the following that embody what I'm talking about: super wide rack but with no tine length, tall tined rack with no spread and short main beams, incredible mass but no tine length or beam length, short kickers and split tines on a generally small rack.
When you are deciding whether not to use your prized buck tag and assuming the buck is considered mature for the area, what antler characteristic in a rack will tempt you even if the rack as a whole doesn't quite measure up to your preferred standards?
For me any buck that has stickers, kickers, drops, splits, burs, palmations or any other form of non-typical points gets me excited. The muley buck in the attached photo had great height going for him but very short forks, no width and ok mass but his overall appearance was enough to convince my trigger finger. What trips your trigger?
[url=http://i1243.photobucket.com/albums/gg546/jaymeo/IMG_0593.jpg]
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Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 19,110
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 19,110 |
Lots here with 3 or 4 on one side and a spike or 2 on the other is always a death sentence, if I am able to get a shot. miles
Look out for number 1, don't step in number 2.
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Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 123
Campfire Member
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Campfire Member
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 123 |
Tall symmetrical 6-point!
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Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 23,126 Likes: 2
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 23,126 Likes: 2 |
Whether it has any or not.
"You can lead a man to logic, but you cannot make him think." Joe Harz "Always certain, often right." Keith McCafferty
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Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 17,101
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 17,101 |
Mass. I don't care about score, nor do I much care about width. But I like to see consistent mass
The government plans these shootings by targeting kids from kindergarten that the government thinks they can control with drugs until the appropriate time--DerbyDude
Whatever. Tell the oompa loompa's hey for me. [/quote]. LtPPowell
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 28,268 Likes: 7
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 28,268 Likes: 7 |
It is irrelevant what you think. What matters is the TRUTH.
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Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 17,247 Likes: 1
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 17,247 Likes: 1 |
I like mass and long, dagger-like tines. Spread does little for me, and a wide buck with short tines is just not as handsome to me, especially if his main beams don't ever turn back in toward the center. Thick chocolate horns get me going the most. But that's a still a minor deal, as I just like mature bucks and don't pass a husky-bodied older deer around here, regardless of how "pretty" his antlers are. I'm going to be happy to get him.....
Now with even more aplomb
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Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 13,219 Likes: 4
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 13,219 Likes: 4 |
Tall eye guards. Love 'em.
P
Obey lawful commands. Video interactions. Hold bad cops accountable. Problem solved.
~Molɔ̀ːn Labé Skýla~
Member #547 Join date 3/09/2001
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Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 2,332
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 2,332 |
Width and kickers. I like'em trashy.
“Lighten up Francis”
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Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 8,467 Likes: 2
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 8,467 Likes: 2 |
I'll generally shoot the first legal thing that crosses my path. Blacktails where I hunt are usually pretty "typical". Most racks are balanced. We'll see 3x4s or 2x3s fairly often, but nothing real weird. If I do see something weird, I'll kill it.
One of the coolest weird things I've seen was a buck with a double rack ... two main beams coming up from the skull on each side. It was a 5x5, but it was a 2x3 plus a 3x2 rather than having single main beam on each side. The whole thing was a "basket" about the size of a medium cantaloupe. It was mounted on my grandpa's wall.
I also saw a 4 x "cactus" once ... but not in deer season. Never found it again.
Tom
Anyone who thinks there's two sides to everything hasn't met a M�bius strip.
Here be dragons ...
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Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 46,745
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 46,745 |
Legal Antlers.
Last edited by tzone; 09/01/15.
Camp is where you make it.
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Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 20,918 Likes: 2
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 20,918 Likes: 2 |
"I never thought I'd live to see the day that a U.S. president would raise an army to invade his own country." Robert E. Lee
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 5,470 Likes: 1
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 5,470 Likes: 1 |
Tall eye guards. Love 'em.
P +1, that and being a clean 4x4 with good mass. Been looking for one like that a long time:) One day maybe!!
"Rather hunt Mule deer than anything else" "Team 7MM-08"
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Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 7,006
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 7,006 |
I'd rather be a free man in my grave, than living as a puppet or a slave....
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Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 5,735
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 5,735 |
The absolute best is a hair covered bump. They are far and away the very best eating and whether I shoot 'em or not, half of them will not live to see next year. That makes them almost freebies!
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Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 96,121 Likes: 1
Campfire Oracle
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Campfire Oracle
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 96,121 Likes: 1 |
Thick then symmetrical. Nothing sexier than a BIG/THICK 8 point.
"Dear Lord, save me from Your followers"
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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 5,932
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 5,932 |
Tall, wide 8 points with good mass from base to main beam tips. Two to three inches outside the ears and I draw my knife.
Beware of thieves, scammers and dishonest members on the "Fire" classifieds. Ya there is a thief here too. Whatever!!
They're all around the CampFire and everywhere.
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Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 2,315
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 2,315 |
Think John Breen buck. Big even typicals,and if you want to tack on a bunch of mass I won't complain. Like someone said. Wide racks with short tines don't get it. Same for muleys. Big heavy clean rack on a big old stud of a deer.
"Political Correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end."
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Joined: Oct 2010
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Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
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Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
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Posts: 9,534 Likes: 2 |
Buttons.
I must remain competitive in the Dink-a-thon.
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