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In this photo you see a 4x4 muley buck in the upper left I spotted three days ago while scouting. You will note extremely high antlers while with is well under size. Not very visible is a traditional 3x3 buck with a solid 26"+ spread laying under a tree to the lower right. Both bucks are about the same body weight. If you were hunting & came upon this duo which would you select? I believe I would go for the traditional 3x3. Hmm.
Here is another photo of both bucks together. This gives a better view of the 3x3 traditional muley.
Beautiful country side!
Because I am a meat hunter my first inclination would be to shoot whichever is in fact bigger in body. That 3x3 may become quite a buck in time and I should like his genes to be added to the pool, so I shall remove the non standard one.
Now these are the kind of photos I had in in mind when I designed this category. Thank you Dom - and a good eye you have, and good photography too.
After seeing no mature bucks for a couple months I came across this mature 4x4 in the same area of the previously pictured bucks.
I don't understand why I'm getting these some what distorted pictures.
Here is more of a straight on shot of this 4x4. A nice typical 4x4.
I should note that the vegetation is Pinion, Western Red Cedar, & Gamble oak. This area is just about 60 to 70 miles east of the Colorado Arizona desert border. North of me about 20 miles the vegetation changes dramatically with large green pine trees & what is traditionally thought of when one thinks of Colorado Rocky Mountains.
Dom I was going to ask you about the area - whether it is at your property. Particularly the first set of photos may well have been taken in the "Water Mountain" region three hours north of Pretoria. One ranch where I hunted a number of years ago is called "Twenty Four Creeks" being the number of perennial streams running through the property.
Beautiful 4x4 that last one - I probably could not shoot it because of the good genes.
This is an area of public land adjacent to areas of private. I've been hunting it for years so know where to step & where not to. This time of year it has deer but no elk until December depending on snow. Elevation around 7200 to 7700' above sea level. My secret spot. Some areas are so chocked with brush only rabbits can negotiate. Gets a fair amount of summer rain but water for big game far & scattered. As for hunting not for the faint of heart. Pack in, pack your meat out. I spend a considerable amount of time scouting this area for deer. Have taken elk here occasionally.