High Elevation = Larger Bucks?

[HiMtnHntr]

I wouldn’t think the theory of bigger bucks at higher elevations would be proven out at all overall.

 

[Bubblehide]

The largest antlered bucks I've seen have been in high desert country.

Here is something to think about. If the country is thick, bucks with large wide racks will have difficulty moving that large wide rack around their territory. If they have difficulty, they have a high chance of getting their rack hung up, and predated upon. This does not mean an area with mixed, open and thick country doesn't hold large wide antlered bucks, as they can still get around.

Both migrating and nominating bucks, need to be able to travel about their territory and to and from wintering areas. This fact alone is good reason for controlled burns.

 

[Hnthrdr]

I think the big deer are where they are. You probably just have to weed through a lot more of the medium sized ones to find a bigger one. And, there could be a bigger one this year in your normal spot.

IMO there’s no formula, if you’re not finding what you want then you’ll need to keep looking..high or low, cover the numbers

Accurate! I think guys think that big bucks stay higher longer… maybe it flies in the face of a lot of monster bucks that will be down with the does in Nov, late October I would be finding does and looking 500-1000 ft above them elevation wise

 

[willfrye027]

Accurate! I think guys think that big bucks stay higher longer… maybe it flies in the face of a lot of monster bucks that will be down with the does in Nov, late October I would be finding does and looking 500-1000 ft above them elevation wise

Yup. Last year my buddy killed a great buck (for California) down on the winter range in October. Very few deer had migrated down, but that one did. He was hard up about a doe that was probably going into estrus.

I also have some trail camera pics in the summer range at 10k feet of bucks up to their bellies in snow late November with a few does that had for whatever reason, not migrated down yet.

I don’t believe there is a true rule of thumb, other than big bucks will be somewhere that allowed them to survive the year before when they were nice bucks, or even legal bucks depending on the unit!

 

[HighDesertDrifter]

Here in AZ we have big wide mulies in the flats down in the desert and up on the Strip. I think it has to do with ease of access and how the areas are managed along with nutrition.

 

[Hnthrdr]

Here is a random example of my success, I hunt in units that range from 12-13k to 6.5k in late (early Nov) deer hunts, I’ve killed all my bucks and biggest bucks around the 6.5-7.7k elevation band, we have looked higher, but typically we just don’t see many deer up there 9.5k and up , so we hunt them where they are

 

[TimberHunter]

Appreciate the insight. I think I’m going to stick around the same spot but push a bit deeper to pockets I haven’t looked at before


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[Hnthrdr]

Appreciate the insight. I think I’m going to stick around the same spot but push a bit deeper to pockets I haven’t looked at before


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Seems like a wise decision