Roe bucks after the rut?

[wildfowler.250]

Interested to hear views on this? Often you’ll see a nice buck shot in April / May on FB and folk will often say, “should have taken it after the rut”. Now, there is logic in this but it may also just be coming from folk who can be slightly negative, who knows.

Anyway, once the rut is past, the decent bucks tend to disappear. Maybe to be reseen in October when you have 2-3 weeks to catch up with it? Plus most deer will have past on their genetics to some degree by the time they have a good head on them.


Is leaving bucks until after the rut sound management or impractical and jealousy based? I’m more curious to read opinions and won’t knock folk either way.


Cheers!

 

[sako751sg]

The "should have left until after the rut" is the default setting for many a gabshite.

A beast with a few years on the clock should have a decent legacy already and a more valid point would be to have left for another year to fulfill potential but that's a different argument altogether.
The amount of folk that claim they would have left it is comical,especially when much of their stalking history is very available on social media.

We all have differing aims in stalking and as long as legal then it all should be good.

 

[cjm1066]

If it's a good buck he will have the same gene's next year

 

[gixer1]

The thinking for me would be to make sure he’s passed on good genetics to the next crop, but as Sako says this would have happened as soon as the thing could get a shottie of a doe!

Regards,
Gixer

 

[sakoson]

If you see a shootable buck then take him as you may never see him again

 

[Ratel]

It all depends on your interest. You may perhaps want to watch a particular animal over a number of years to see how he develops and declines (if of course you have the land long term) and the health of his progeny. If he is a good buck hefted to a particular area killing him may cause a lot more damage to crops by disputing bucks. Remember good heads don't necessarily mean good bucks body wise. If you are wanting a trophy then watch any good buck you have and when he has passed on his genes take him. At that time other bucks may still be looking for does but won't do much crop damage. Most of all use that declining factor Common sense.

 

[StephenToast]

Just shoot them when you see them

 

[homer]

Those that "leave him for another year to spread his genes ", are probably the same stalkers that then, shoot all his mated does and his offspring young bucks from last year!

 

[T.eddie]

On the farm I shoot where the roe are pre-rut I aim for smaller / younger /old or ones that could potentially do some damage. After the rut it will be whatever presents with the aim to try and keep numbers as stable as possible. My theory is the bigger bodies bucks will have bred the does more consistently each year so aiming for the younger ones pre-rut should ensure the best genes carry on and post rut there should be plenty of the better genes generation's knocking about. Just my thoughts on it and it's a luxury as if the ground was overwhelmed with them it would be a shoot as many as possible to get it back to good standing

 

[lochty]

It depends who your neighbours are. Part of my place borders some "managed" forestry where if it has Clove hooves, it dies. So if a chance presents itself, I would take it. The other part of the ground is managed properly where decent animals are left to mature.

 

[wildfowler.250]

Very interesting replies and quite varied which shows there’s no right approach.

Certainly the neighbours are probably a big factor. Small parcels of land and folk shooting next door makes management difficult.


I think the one big appeal of roe bucks for a lot of folk is the early spring mornings. Even shooting them in the rut can be so on and off, never mind after.


Funnily enough on the yearlings side of things, I suppose you’ll have to leave some to come through and to improve. Although they do the most damage to trees etc. Must depend on priority but there’s not one textbook answer.

 

[David Barker]

The best way to improve the deer on your ground is leave the best to breed and remove any pour quality deer. That in most cases wont happen as most rec Deer managers don t have the time or the reason to leave good deer infact they will aim for medal roe or big does for food. Most that manage deer for quality sell them on to rich guests. (This is a good reason to have quality)

 

[NickJ]

To get to a stage where a buck has a 'decent head' he's going to likely be older and thus has had a number of breeding seasons where he has had an opportunity to pass his genes on, so it's nonsense really.

It's obviously more important to take the right number of the right animals, X young, Y middle aged and Z old, whatever time in the season.

I have a number of woods with few rides or clearings surrounded by sheep ground where April and during the rut is the only time you can get at the bucks