Not much tallow on deer.

[Boxcar Wllie]

I picked up a big doe on Saturday morning and butchered her last night. There was very little tallow on her.

My theory is that we are going to have a very mild winter.

I remember back in S. Dakota when I was growing up we would find thick tallow on the deer and notice how severe the winters were after the deer season. Especially in '96-97!!!

Anyone else notice this ever before?

[Archerysniper]

Skun and quartered the doe I shot Sun morning and she had a 1 1/2 to 2" of tallow on her by far the most tallow I had ever saw on a deer

[TNFL]

if tallow is fat, then both our bucks had a lot of tallow. There was food everywhere this year and the deer took advantage.

[Arctic]

LOTS of fat on the four deer we shot this weekend. Maybe the initial poster's deer would not have made it through the winter.

[MNHuntress]

We did a buck last night, a young 8 pointer and there was not much fat on him either. We hunt out by Willmar (corn country) so no shortage of food out there. Also I don't think he was run down from the rut because the bucks were sniffing but not in the heavy chase stage from what we saw.

[tipup]

First thing I noticed when I gutted my doe yesterday. Wow she had alot of tallow on her, more so than I can remeber for many years. I thought that meant we would have a good year for icefishing and snowmobiling!!!

[brassman]

Over two inches of tallow on the doe I shot, my father commented that it is the most he has ever seen on a deer.

[Big Dave2]

We just butchered a nice buck shot by my buddy tonight. The first thing we noticed was the thickest layer of fat we had seen in a long time, maybe ever on a deer.

[harvey lee]

The two doe I skinned had next to no fat and the buck had a little bit. I thought maybe there was less than normal this time of year.

I have never been able to corulate fat on a deer to a hard or easy winter.

[stick]

I shot a yearling in October with my bow, and I was surprised how much tallow there was on it. Must be hit or miss based on where you are.

[pulleye16]

Boy, I never thought about the amount of tallow vs good/bad winters, good (excellent) theory but I wonder if it works. Just by reading this forum it sounds too inconsistant and unreliable. I am going to keep an eye on future deer I shoot and compare it with the winters...Sounds like a fun little scientific experiment!!!!

[Code-Man]

I shot a 9 pointer with the bow on Oct 26th he had a lot of fat on him. Shot a 10 pointer Nov 9 he had almost none half mile apart. But the 9 pointer was 280 lbs and the 10 pointer was 220. I talked to an entemologist in NW MN and he said according to bug life cycles he expects a Warm Wet Winter. Well we've had for the most part a Warm Wet Fall if you don't think so talk to a farmer trying to get crops off. See what happens.

[Musky Buck]

Code-Man 500 pounds of buck this year. I would love to see the 280 pounder because I have never seen that big of buck in MN. A 272 pounder in 1984 is the biggest I've ever seen. Back to deer fat. I wouldn't relate fat to winter too much. Every critter is fatter now coons, squirrels, etc. Did any of us predict October ? 1st poster though I think your doe was old, like this winter might have took her down, past her prime like a buck going downhill I'm sure does can go downhill to. Like my grandpa said, in April you'll know what kind of winter we had.

[bobbymalone]

Sounds like a crock to me.

[Steve Foss]

Like my grandpa said, in April you'll know what kind of winter we had.

That made me chuckle.

Just to add to the data stream, the 9-pointer I shot on Saturday near Bemidji had 1/4 to 1/2 inch of tallow. For the record, it weighed a lot less than 280 lbs.

Anyway, Code-Man could be talking estimated live weight while the naysayers are talking field-dressed weight. There are tables/charts out there for the subspecies of white-tail we have here that, if you take a girth measurement, will estimate live weight to within a pretty accurate range.

When I was paying attention to big buck contests out in eastern and central N.D., it always took a buck over 200 (field dressed) to win, and not infrequently they'd hit 230 or a bit better.

White-tailed bucks seem to hit their peak weights at 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 years old, does a year or two earlier. As far as my searching has panned out, the largest Minnesota buck on record was the 402-pound (dressed weight) buck killed by Carl Lenander Jr. in 1926. Conservation officials estimated the live weight at 511 pounds. The largest I've found was shot by John Annett of Ontario, in 1977. The deer field dressed 431 pounds on government-certified scales. That would have given it an estimated live weight of more than 540 pounds.

I'm just saying.

[Code-Man]

The weights I said were on the hoof. My 9 pointer that I shot we are estimating at 4.5 or 5.5 and that is coming from my taxadermist. He also commented that he is going to have fun when putting the cape on the mount because of the size of the deer compaired to usual size.

[HC Eye Hunter]

I worked at a locker plant skinning and cutting up deer. Out of 370 deer it seemed the average 1.5 year old buck was about 135 lbs and rarley did we see anything except for a few bucks over 200 lbs dressed.

As for what I have seen for tallow, usually the dominant bucks in the area will loose alot of weight during the breeding season due to all the running and rutting activity. That is why some bigger bucks don't make it through a cold snowy winter. Some of the younger subordinant bucks in the same area may not see that much rutting activity and not loose that much tallow. Does on the otherhand should be stacking it on for the winter as well as thier fawn gestation period unless it is an old doe ready for thev bone yard..

[MNfan]

I shot a 9 pointer with the bow on Oct 26th he had a lot of fat on him. Shot a 10 pointer Nov 9 he had almost none half mile apart. But the 9 pointer was 280 lbs and the 10 pointer was 220. I talked to an entemologist in NW MN and he said according to bug life cycles he expects a Warm Wet Winter. Well we've had for the most part a Warm Wet Fall if you don't think so talk to a farmer trying to get crops off. See what happens.

Hey Code what zone is that I need to hunt a zone where I can shoot two bucks.

[RumRiverRat]

Originally Posted By: Code-Man

I shot a 9 pointer with the bow on Oct 26th he had a lot of fat on him. Shot a 10 pointer Nov 9 he had almost none half mile apart. But the 9 pointer was 280 lbs and the 10 pointer was 220. I talked to an entemologist in NW MN and he said according to bug life cycles he expects a Warm Wet Winter. Well we've had for the most part a Warm Wet Fall if you don't think so talk to a farmer trying to get crops off. See what happens.

Hey Code what zone is that I need to hunt a zone where I can shoot two bucks.

I want to know as well.

[benbosh]

take your pick:

(from the DNR Regulatoins book)

Managed deer areas. If you hunt a managed deer area, you may take

a deer of either sex and you may hunt bucks throughout your selected

season. No application for an either-sex permit is necessary.

In the following areas, firearm, archery, and muzzleloader hunters may

take deer of either sex on their regular license and purchase one bonus

permit to take an antlerless deer.

2009 Managed Deer Areas - 110, 114, 126, 152, 156, 157, 159,

167, 168, 170, 172, 178, 180, 181, 184, 197, 199, 201, 214, 215, 240,

242, 248, 251, 263, 264, 266, 292, 293, 298, 338*, 339*, 341*, 342*,

345*, 347*

*Denotes both seasons

Intensive deer areas. If you hunt an intensive deer area, you may

take a deer of either sex or you may hunt bucks throughout your selected

season. No application for an either-sex permit is necessary. In the following

areas, firearm, archery, and muzzleloader hunters may take a deer of

either sex on their regular license and purchase up to four bonus permits

to take antlerless deer.

2009 Intensive Deer Areas - 105, 111, 182, 203, 208, 209, 210,

221, 222, 225, 227, 236, 241, 243, 256, 257, 260, 261, 265, 267, 268,

287, 343*, 346*, 348*, 349*

[Steve Foss]

Originally Posted By: Code-Man

I shot a 9 pointer with the bow on Oct 26th he had a lot of fat on him. Shot a 10 pointer Nov 9 he had almost none half mile apart. But the 9 pointer was 280 lbs and the 10 pointer was 220. I talked to an entemologist in NW MN and he said according to bug life cycles he expects a Warm Wet Winter. Well we've had for the most part a Warm Wet Fall if you don't think so talk to a farmer trying to get crops off. See what happens.

Hey Code what zone is that I need to hunt a zone where I can shoot two bucks.

He didn't say he tagged two bucks. He said he shot two. He can shoot both bucks legally if he's party hunting the gun season. He just can't tag them both. I've got a buddy who has shot seven deer during gun season before. All fully legal under the party system.

Some of you guys have been getting a little chippy over this thread. What's up with that?

[RumRiverRat]

take your pick:

(from the DNR Regulatoins book)

Managed deer areas. If you hunt a managed deer area, you may take

a deer of either sex and you may hunt bucks throughout your selected

season. No application for an either-sex permit is necessary.

In the following areas, firearm, archery, and muzzleloader hunters may

take deer of either sex on their regular license and purchase one bonus

permit to take an antlerless deer.

2009 Managed Deer Areas - 110, 114, 126, 152, 156, 157, 159,

167, 168, 170, 172, 178, 180, 181, 184, 197, 199, 201, 214, 215, 240,

242, 248, 251, 263, 264, 266, 292, 293, 298, 338*, 339*, 341*, 342*,

345*, 347*

*Denotes both seasons

Intensive deer areas. If you hunt an intensive deer area, you may

take a deer of either sex or you may hunt bucks throughout your selected

season. No application for an either-sex permit is necessary. In the following

areas, firearm, archery, and muzzleloader hunters may take a deer of

either sex on their regular license and purchase up to four bonus permits

to take antlerless deer.

2009 Intensive Deer Areas - 105, 111, 182, 203, 208, 209, 210,

221, 222, 225, 227, 236, 241, 243, 256, 257, 260, 261, 265, 267, 268,

287, 343*, 346*, 348*, 349*

Where does it say I can shoot 2 Bucks and tag them both?

[wannafish2]

so in managed you can take 1 buck, intensive you can take up to 5.....where were you?

[Code-Man]

You can only tag one buck last time I checked not 5. In intensive zones thought you could take up to 5 does or 4 does one buck. If you party hunt and have a valid tag you can shoot multiple deer last time I checked. Correctly me if I'm wrong.

[Fishin Dood]

Last year my cousin shot a nice buck and a doe. The buck was chasing the doe. He shot the buck and dropped it then the doe. When we skun them out the doe had at least an inch and a half of tallow. There was nothing but this yellowish film on the bucks hide... not an ounce of tallow on him. It seems to me that the hide is usually a nice bright white. Anyone else notice this on big older bucks?