hammer06

Yea, there are different subspecies. Diet, location, buck to doe ratio, and genetics are all factors contributing to deer weight. I live in Virginia in a county that has some of the Shenandoah National Park where no hunting is allowed. Bucks that come out of the park can sometimes weigh over 200 lbs. Most yearlings in the farmland that we hunt are around 100 lbs, 2 1/2 year olds near 140 and 3 1/2 year olds near 180. It depends on whether the deer is killed before or after the rut, also, hence the buck to doe ratio factor. Deer on the other side of the Blue Ridge near West Virginia weigh less and have less mass in their antlers. Yearlings over there are only about 80-90 lbs and 2 1/2 year olds are only about 110.

ARMallardSlayer

All depends on where you live.........

jbrodie7

ok i see now just thought it was kinda odd thanks for the info

wascassman99

Hello all...Im new to the site..just signed up about 10 minutes ago..the average weight/antler size of a buck depends alot on diet and genetics...and of course survivalable age....ie;if ya shoot them at 1 1/2 they aint gonna get to 3 yrs old...common sense but ya cant imagine how many hunters havent or wont show some restraint...ive hunted deer in illinois since the late 70's..and i imagine we have alot of 200lbers+ taken every season but thats not our average at all...and the 200 mark is batted around alot...had a hunter at the cass co checkin station for gun trying to convince me his doe weighed 170#..LMAO....it was a really nice doe but was about 130 to 135 at best!....ive taken/killed alot of deer and been in on alot of deer harvests thru calling etc...i dont drive deer...and i weighed alot of those deer....you would be surprised by how many people over estimate their deer by FAR!...last year i took a "cull' 5 pt that weighed almost 170#...big deer...and i also took an 8 pt that was about 150# with a very nice rack.(scores about 130b&c).both of these deer were about 3 years old..from the samefarm/area...genetics,injuries etc will also dictate antler growth ,size and body size, healthiness of the deer and this also affects does.....i took 2 bucks (the above mentioned) with gun last year shotgun and muzzleloader.. and i took 5 deer with my bow...4 does and 1 mistake button buck.. and the 5 pt was by far the biggest...i would hazard a guess and say out of all the bucks harvested in illinois in a given year only 5% at best even really approach the 200#mark after field dressing..our hunting group harvested at least 12 bucks last year(I would have to go thru my records)(and we are a "loose" group...we hunt alot of different land and few of us hunt together but we have our deer camp together plus we all live basically in the same general area).. and there was only one bigger then my 5 pt 170#er.....we had several nice mature bucks that weighed in at 150 to 160..and i would say that is about average for this area..maybe even a little above average..well i got jerky in the dehydrator so i better go..nice meeting everyone

IL-Cornfed

jbrodie7,


I LIVE and HUNT the same area you are talking about. I live just south of Galesburg and work there in town. WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT????? Dude, I have NEVER in my life heard of ANYONE shooting a deer that weighed that much in our area!!!! As a matter of fact that is nearly the largest animal EVER taken in the state!!! That buck dressed 320 # and was taken by Bob Estes in '88. The largest buck I ever recall being taken in the Galesburg area was a 287# that was checked in at Griswold's Archery over 10 years ago, that buck was taken near Avon. I think your friends "scales" may be a little off. Realize that we indeed have HUGE bodied bucks in our area but NOT that big. I actually pride myself in following the scoop on local bucks and where, who, how, and when they were taken and I've neevr heard of the like. What checkstation of ours was he checked in at, Farm King, AL's, Griswold's ????? You certainly have my undivided attention.

Shootem up870

i am from peoria county really close 2 fulton. i hunt there a couple of times each year with my uncle. there has been a lot of records from fulton county including the 4 largest deer shot with a bow in the world. i have never heard of a deer field dressing 320 from fulton county. i do no that they produce big deer every year though. i think u mut b feeding them mega grow!

jbrodie7

yeah it does seem pretty hefty but the deer in our area are seeming to get bigger we have been takin some pretty big bodied bucks that last couple years. but he swears by that weight and it was weighed in at AL's sporting goods and when they lifted him up he was still touchin the ground. i go to college here in monmouth and his and my deer are hangin on the walls haha... but anyways his deer was aged at 5 1/2 i think. but he has pictures of it and everything and it looks monstrous. if i had a way of putting them up id do it in a sec.

jbrodie7

I am replying under jbrodie7's name. I was the one that shot both of these bucks. Like jbrodie7 said i do stand by that weight. A close friend an I both read the scale as several other people helped hoist him up. When he was taken to the taxidermist i was told afterwards that they had to use the largest neck form and it almost wasnt enough.(Emken's Taxidermist) I am goin to try to get a picture up. His rack was decent with a 23" inside spread but you can see by his shoulders that he is a more than average deer. The deer i shot this year was pretty hefty also, but never got the chance to weigh it. I might be able to get the pics up tomorrow.

Hiawatha

ya i'd have to agree with most of the people here. Its all about the diet and genetics in the area. In sask here the average bucks are pretty nice because the land is very high in minerals and nutrition to go along with good genetics. oh ya deer do not have the same diets. I have heard in the states lthat deer really enjoy apples or corn. If i put out a pile of apples or corn here for the deer they would think i was losin my mind. the deer here really seem to go for basically any ceral or pulse crop as well as the hay lands.

WV Hunter

wascassman99

Welcome to the board You mentioned something that I agree with 100%.

We also weigh the majority of our deer, and have been for about 15 years. I know how much our deer weigh.
It's always amazed me, that all the guys I know in my area (but don't hunt with) kill deer that avg 150lbs dressed. It's funny how they always tell us "our deer are small". LOL, they hunt the same general areas, and the deer avg the same all over. Yeah you get the rare exception for sure...but not often where I hunt. The majority of folks out there would be extremely humbled by a $40 scale.