Is there really a type of antler the preserve will pay more for by the inch?

It seems to really depend on the preserve. I know of some that pay the same for any 180" buck, some pay more for a cleaner 180" buck, and some pay a price for 180" buck but do not count any of the extra stuff on the bases. I would think it comes down to your marketing plan and what you want your preserve to be known for. Keep in mind though, some hunters like those extras. If you have to buy some of those bucks, some farms will want to get paid for them. If you have to pay for the extras but do not charge the hunter for them, it might cost you some in the long run. Good luck with the new preserve.

I believe if the buck made the inch he should be credited for it in his score and likewise the farmer should paid for the inch regardless of where the inch is located on the rack!  I was warned by a buddy that i was breeding to clean when i was breeding the likes of Arty.Romeo,Bigfoot together. I believe to a point he was right. If a clean great looking 150-180in 2 year old will only bring ya 1500-2000 it would be tough to sell them at 2. Now throw some high scoring bucks together and you can make 200in at 2 pretty constant but they sure dont look as good as the clean boys, yet they bring ya more money.


 You would think if the market and industry is seeking those 150-180 clean great looking bucks the farmer would be paid a tad bit more for them?  It would be nice to see some price lists from some ranches but it seems like that is taboo to show to the farming public.

Bell962151408332486



I believe that I can make it selling 180" clean healthy two year olds. I think I can find a share in the preserve market by not charging the hunter for extras. I am not looking to make millions. We own the farm already. I believe offering the hunter something different might get them to come and if they like what they see maybe they will keep coming to our preserve. I agree that those who enjoy raising nontypical bucks should be payed for every inch and I have no interest in pursuing that hunter.




Do you say that you could make it selling 180's to preserves or selling 180's to hunters?

Bell962171408333479



Mike

I edited "in our preserve".

I hope to raise most of the two year olds we shoot. I have been culling out my doe for 10 years to get these 40 big girls we have. Hurricane Creek Outfitters is on a part of Dads farm. It will complicate things if we have to buy bucks with extras. If we were to buy a nontypical we would pay for every inch.




Yup you have a great plan there. For a guy to try and raise the great looking clean 150-180 inch bucks that most ranches want would go belly up unless you had like 20 a year to sell. Then to have 20 a year to sell you would need 20 yearlings coming up from behind and then you have your 20-30 breeding does. That is 50 plus animals on your farm to feed so those 20 150 to 180in bucks that the ranches seem to beg for would just pay the feed bill with very little left over.


 


Seems like its a losing deal to raise the size deer most ranches really want. That then makes you breed for extras and now your pushing 200in but most then lost that great look that many hunters like to see. I guess thats why 200 inches is now the new 150 inch hunts!

We have a preserve and have run one for at least 15 years. Most hunters don't really know what they want until they see it. Many are only familiar with deer they have seen in the wild, and don't realize what a whitetail can do. When they see some of the deer we have they are blown away. Many will say they want a typical this or that, but end up shooting something entirely different because they didn't know it existed. You need a variety of styles of deer because every hunter is different. Hunters aren't going to shoot the same clean typical 10 or 12 point year after year. A deer can be nontypical as long as it is balanced, that is the main thing. Preserves will pay by the inch for any balanced deer.

I agree, If deer were all the same 5x5 or 6x6 it would get pretty boring. I have friends that have elk preserves and their clients usually shoot about one big 6x6 bull, 90% of the bulls look just like the one standing next to it. Most people don't care to have 3-4 6x6 bull elk hanging together on the wall , just my opinion. You have to have a variety, that's what makes whitetails so interesting to people, every year they are looking for something different. I know after outfitting in the wild for 20 years on my home farm, if a buck has anything "not" typical, it's the first one people want to shoot. The reason very few non-typicals exist in the wild is simply because the are usually the first ones shot at an early age at the first sign of having any non-typical points. Wild bucks usually don't start showing any extras until the reach 4-6 years of age. Very few places in the wild have deer that can actually get that old because there isn't any people management. Deer can manage themselves just fine, people are the ones who need managed if they want older mature big deer. I will guarantee you if you have a clean 170 buck and a 200 inch buck with the same type of frame and 30 inches of extras for the same price, the 200 is gonna hit the dirt first. Don't limit yourself or give something away that people are willing to pay extra for. Most people like big pretty typicals, me included but these same people usually have never seen a big non-typical alive and get pretty excited when they do. I'd agree with Mike, If my 2 year olds were all 150-180, I'd wouldn't be able to afford raising them. I believe the reason preserves want to buy all the 150-180 inch bucks is because they would rather raise the bigger deer themselves and buy 3 times as many smaller bucks for the same money as it would take to buy a 240. It would hurt a heck of a lot less if I paid 1500 for a buck and he got killed in a preserve BY ANOTHER BUCK as opposed to paying 6-8000 for a 240 plus and have it get killed by another buck. If I can find someone who will raise me deer for the same amount as it would take to feed them and do all the work for nothing, I'd love that guy, and yes his deer would be in "demand". This is why preserves are looking for the smaller bucks to buy. Just my opinion.

Wild Rivers Whitetails962251408374759



We have a preserve and have run one for at least 15 years. Most hunters don't really know what they want until they see it. Many are only familiar with deer they have seen in the wild, and don't realize what a whitetail can do. When they see some of the deer we have they are blown away. Many will say they want a typical this or that, but end up shooting something entirely different because they didn't know it existed. You need a variety of styles of deer because every hunter is different. Hunters aren't going to shoot the same clean typical 10 or 12 point year after year. A deer can be nontypical as long as it is balanced, that is the main thing. Preserves will pay by the inch for any balanced deer.




I agree with all of that for sure. I guess it would be easy for the ranch owner to make the sale, have a happy hunter and put a little change in your pocket but for the farmer its not so cut and dried. It kind of changes the way a guy can breed his deer to pay the bills and make a little profit. It also changes with the size of your farm and numbers of deer. It makes it rough on some of the newer,smaller guys that only have a few deer and limited breeding options. The ranches want their smaller bucks and the farmer kinda has to sell but he also lost money in the process. Its a vicious circle. lol