The first picture is of Doc's buck. It is the smallest of the three taken. You may remember I posted a picture of this buck a couple of months ago. CF, you will remember this buck by the broken brow tine. This buck went an easy 250 lbs. and was a difficult retrieve. For sake of scale you can use my Tundra pickup truck and the cart. I thought you should see this picture first so you have an idea of what you are looking at in subsequent pictures and are able to judge size of the other racks.
This second picture is a picture of the three racks taken this year. Doc's buck, the one in the picture above, is the rack on the bottom. The buck in the middle is the eleven point that Shrader killed. The palmated buck is on the top. That should give you some size perspective of all the antlers. And it should also tell you why I was so caught up in the pursuit of this buck. The mass is the hallmark of the palmated antlers. And it is due to this mass that this rack could well push 160 P&Y. You have to really go back and forth and look at the rack in the truck and then look at the palmated rack to get an idea of how big this rack is. Even by my standards, and I say this humbly with head bowed, this is a honking big set of headgear!
This is another view of the three racks taken this year. If you look hard you can see the eleventh point on Shraders buck. It is a dagger coming right out of the base of the left antler and it is like four inches long. What a deadly little weapon that would be when bucks lock up for a little sparing. Talk about poking somebody's eye out!
We are really starting to see results from our management program. We are also starting to see behavioral changes as we continue to harvest more doe's. The bucks are reacting more to calls and other stimuli. And it is amazing how fast all this can take place when you allow three year old bucks and younger diplomatic immunity. The three farm alliance is starting to produce some very viable bucks and the numbers are starting to get impressive. If we continue to implement the game plan it should even get better.
Becker is the one that got us into this. He was the one with the foresight to see that the most valuable farm animal in all of North America is the whitetail buck. And they increase the value of your land more then any other known improvement. I am really starting to see that we may actually have hit a home run by investing in the farm. It is worth way more now even under these harsh economic conditions versus what we paid for it. All we did was participate in a plan to grow mature whitetail bucks. And best of all, we get to hunt them! Of all my investments, the one in the farm is the one that pays the dividends I really care for. And no matter what Wall St. does, that dividend can never be taken away!
I am still undecided as to what to do with the palmated rack. I wanted to mount the buck so very much and I am deeply disappointed that I am unable to do so. Deep down I feel that a board is just not going to do this buck justice. And I will not kill another buck just to acquire a cape. CF was correct when he said any buck I take is going to be a buck that I probably will want to mount. Such a dilemma!
And FredBear, the "wrestler" lives for next season!
