What constitutes a cull buck?

Joshua

Well-Known Member
What is determined as a cull buck each season. Say for Roe Deer, what would you be looking for when deciding wheter to shoot or not

Cheers.
 
For me it goes something like

Weight/size of deer. This can be a little bit difficult in wintercoat, but you get the hang of it.

Size of antlers. Bigger they are - less likely they are a "cull buck.

Behaviour

Bark, if you can hear it.


People will have a much better idea than me - but thats what I normally go off.

Sam
 
For me it goes something like

Weight/size of deer. This can be a little bit difficult in wintercoat, but you get the hang of it.

Size of antlers. Bigger they are - less likely they are a "cull buck.

Behaviour

Bark, if you can hear it.


People will have a much better idea than me - but thats what I normally go off.

Sam


Thanks Sam. Just curious what to expect if I go after a cull buck.
 
A cull Buck, A thats the Buck the you see and stalk before anyone else gets the chance to shoot , Bucks are like good hazel sticks cut it when you see it , shoot them before someone else does. better on your plate every time .
 
A cull buck is as said in the cull plan so if you are leaveing a few good middle age bucks all the rest are culls .If your out with a pro semi pro anything with 6 points and or 8 inch is normally not a cull buck and will be £ charged.
 
Look at the quality of the beast, shape of rump, belly, back and shoulders. It helps if you can get an end on view too as it gives a better veiw of carcass depth and finally the head. You are looking for beasts with a sagging back, angular rump, no depth to the chest. Kill anything with long single tines (murder bucks). It's the same principal as judging conformation on cattle or sheep.

So anything that looks a poor doer gets shot, anything decent lives. I have a two superb fallow bucks occassionally on my patch, the other local stalkers and I have decided to leave them, but anything old/going back or a runty youngster ends up in the chiller.
 
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Kill anything with long single tines (murder bucks). It's the same principal as judging confirmation on cattle or sheep.

ft, I was always taught these were a "switch" - I may be wrong. I echo your comments about shoot on sight, same principal with a "hummel" - antlerless staggie. I have also heard that you should shot any mature busks you see on sight - due to the fact that they are knackered if they let you come within shootable distance. IMHO this is arse gravy - but if any of you know otherwise I would love to hear if anybody who operates with the policy - on a non "shoot on sight" cull plan. :)


Sam
 
Thanks Sam. Just curious what to expect if I go after a cull buck.

Joshua - if you are on bought days, rather than asking for advice on how to put together a cull plan, then always always always ask the stalker before you go out - if you can, ask before you book the day. A good stalker will talk you through what he considers a cull buck or not anyway on the day, but if you'd rather spend your money on the best buck you can get on a cull, then see if you can find a stalker with plenty of deer!

One mans cull plan will be different to the next, and will especially depend on the weight of numbers he's got on the land, as well as what the owner wants done with them. If it's an estate that sells a lot of days (especially to foreign clients with money to burn), then their cull plan may not even include 4 pointers... If, however, the land is owned by a farmer whos getting lots of damage from deer, the cull plan may be 'shoot everything that moves'... :)

If you're concerned about what kind of trophy you might get (even for a cull buck) then try to 'shop around'...

Of course there's never a guarantee that you'll get any kind of decent buck in front of you on the day - or even any buck at all! Sometimes you just have to take what you can get...

Good luck...

Pippa
 
ft, I was always taught these were a "switch" - I may be wrong. I echo your comments about shoot on sight, same principal with a "hummel" - antlerless staggie.

Sam

Interesting point - I've always seen reds referred to as "switches" but roe as "murder bucks". I'd not seen the latter until I went stalking with stone last year.

So far as hummels, I'd be interested to know whether they really should be shot on sight. The ones I've seen have been larger than 'normal' stags, so in terms of meat in the larder they are good ones to take, but I didn't believe the science had shown that a hummel will produce other hummels. I know morena was keen to get any photos of hummels shot, as there is a lot that is still unknown about them.

willie_gunn
 
ft, I was always taught these were a "switch" - I may be wrong. I echo your comments about shoot on sight, same principal with a "hummel" - antlerless staggie. I have also heard that you should shot any mature busks you see on sight - due to the fact that they are knackered if they let you come within shootable distance. IMHO this is arse gravy - but if any of you know otherwise I would love to hear if anybody who operates with the policy - on a non "shoot on sight" cull plan. :)
Sam


Sam, I suppose it's because i only shoot fallow, roe and the odd munty where i am, that I called it a murder buck, thats what Ian Ballard told me they were, so thats what I have always called them. Sorry if I am wrong.

ft
 
Sam, I suppose it's because i only shoot fallow, roe and the odd munty where i am, that I called it a murder buck, thats what Ian Ballard told me they were, so thats what I have always called them. Sorry if I am wrong.



ft
Correct Flytie
Any buck with single antlers or bucks of 3 years old without any tines should be culled irrespective of condition or body weight as they will kill and injure any other buck they come into contact with by racking their flanks
 
Suitably Chastised :oops:. Murder Bucks will be what I call the roe/fallow now :D A real pot of usefull information this place


Sam
 
Murderer Buck`is the well known name for adults which do not have other tines. Below is a fine example which I shot in Sweden and below it I will post a pic. of another which I arrested here in the Lake District, had it been seen before the day of its demise it would have been taken into custody sooner.
To operate a cull plan as opposed to `shoot on sight` involves observing the resident stock, assessing the holding capacity of the area but taking into account the owners wishes.
He may want more removed.

I have had my principal Roe stalking lease for 23 years and have a good idea as to what is a sustainable yield coupled with a minimum damage level.
In any coherent management plan ALL age groups must be culled from yearlings upwards with emphasis on the female of the species as this is where population growth problems arise.
HWH.
CULLBUCKS001.jpg
 
Sorry to add to the confusion Sam but I have never seen a fallow 'murder buck', don't confuse fallow prickets (male falow, first antlers in second year of life) here, single spikes are normal. To be honest, I am a little uncomfortable with the term 'Murder Buck', I have seen some very good yearling roebucks shot because they had single spikes or only tiny brow and back tines. If you shoot anything with unusual antlers, have a good look at the teeth as age can be a factor. You often see fantastic fallow prickets shot because they are misidentified as poor sorrels, I do it myself a couple of times each season. Only by inspecting the teeth (PM4, the third deciduous pre-molar (PM1 not present in deer) has three cusps. The adult replacement has two) can you learn from these mistakes. JC
 
"Should hummels be shot",Good question. In my limited expeirience with hummels, I have seen 10 or so,culling 4 of them,3 in the hill and were all over 95 kgs(15 stone),the other was a young woodland beast about 3/4 year old,all of them had balls,some say hummels have none,but they were all heavy big beasts.Obviously at this time of year hummels arnt putting ANY goodness into horn,so a healthy one is bound to be putting on good body mass.Should they be shot?I've asked myself the same question.I really dont think that a hummell would "breed" a hummel the next year,but genetics down the line may pump one out,like humans and twins,I heard its not genetic but just your(bad?) luck.Interesting tho,would be good to find some more about them.Id defo pop one if it was an old bugger.
 
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