when to start culling stags

User00003

Well-Known Member
I usually start culling reds in late september, but this year I believe there are so many button bucks, spikers, and other cull stags I need to get on with it earlier.

so when do you guys start culling stags? and when do you feel you can accurately judge their cull-ability based on them still being in velvet if done earlier in the summer months, if at all?

not that I'm a dodo, but just to summarise, what other cull 'identifiers' do you look out for, ex. injuries, soiled rear ends, poor condition, meagre, etc. etc.
 
We usually get going first week of season . Other than obvious poor do'er's ie jaggy coats ,small bodied knobbers, tucked up, lean,spare looking or injured. we look at head carry and gauge antler growth or potential against a subjective guess at age.
we tend to look at the stags in groups and try to judge like for like among the age groups, look at the poorest and judge if it should be given another year or come out. It's hardest to differentiate between stags of 3yrs-6yrs olds and antlers is probably the least use in making a choice you take in a whole reel of information , head carry , face length bagged up ,heavy looking or sleek, wooly top knot and you can still get it wrong when the animal is grassed , you find out it's a young good'un.
Looking at a group of spikers you might see 4 with only 2/3rds the growth of the others so i would target them, anything that is less than the average.
I dont like to see 6 pointers at any age many people by pass them by as being young, up and coming stags but from our larder records this is rarely true, most we have had, have been mature if not old and possibly were never better than 6's. In velvet ,double brows one or both sides with switch tops would draw my attention. In hard antler anything that was weak above the trey tine , especially with switch tops.
Many people get distracted by number of point and ignore the quality, a 14pointer can be crap and a cull and a strong 8 pointer excellent and a keeper but may not advance in points further than an 8.
 
that is exactly the detail I was hoping for, and will further help advance up my learning curve. many thanks for the time/input. :tiphat:
 
We usually get going first week of season . Other than obvious poor do'er's ie jaggy coats ,small bodied knobbers, tucked up, lean,spare looking or injured. we look at head carry and gauge antler growth or potential against a subjective guess at age.
we tend to look at the stags in groups and try to judge like for like among the age groups, look at the poorest and judge if it should be given another year or come out. It's hardest to differentiate between stags of 3yrs-6yrs olds and antlers is probably the least use in making a choice you take in a whole reel of information , head carry , face length bagged up ,heavy looking or sleek, wooly top knot and you can still get it wrong when the animal is grassed , you find out it's a young good'un.
Looking at a group of spikers you might see 4 with only 2/3rds the growth of the others so i would target them, anything that is less than the average.
I dont like to see 6 pointers at any age many people by pass them by as being young, up and coming stags but from our larder records this is rarely true, most we have had, have been mature if not old and possibly were never better than 6's. In velvet ,double brows one or both sides with switch tops would draw my attention. In hard antler anything that was weak above the trey tine , especially with switch tops.
Many people get distracted by number of point and ignore the quality, a 14pointer can be crap and a cull and a strong 8 pointer excellent and a keeper but may not advance in points further than an 8.

What a super post that is, makes reading all the other sh@te on here worth while.
Cheers GT
 
Come on Grouse Track give us some of your knollage i will happily take it from you, come on have a go, if you think things are sh@te only one way to change things
Regards TH

Well we could start with a simple spelling lesson, Knowledge!

I come on here to learn views from experinced stalkers and men of the hills. You dont often get such a well written informative post as that. Recently for example I asked what sort of Roe buck heads would people shoot a certian times of the season. Other than one all I got was the ones with the crosshairs on them. Sure quite witty but not very informative.

I think this is a good site with good stuff on it but there is a lot of stuff to troll through before you get to it that was all. More than a compliment than a dig.
GT
 
agreed, hence my OP.

We should have a forum section on Stalking Skills/cull management where 'best practice' is shared.
 
Back
Top