217 in

That is a huge buck... its got nothing on the Amish though...

What a monster. I do believe I would have a small heart attack if I saw that.

Damn!!! That looks like a Canadian whitetail What mass for a Texas buck!!! Great deer, any more info?

http://www.loscazadorescontest.com/category.asp?contest_id=1&division_id=1&category_id=9&cat_div_id=1010

44 in mass

17 points

I would have a heart attack if I saw that outta my stand this weekend...

One look at that guy and I could almost hear the conversation:

"Hey honey, what should I do with this $20,000 laying around?"

"Why not go shoot a deer in south Texas?"

Low fence my ass. Probably high fenced on only three sides. But then again I don't know much about the Chaparrosa.

BTW, nice vest and hat.

I am very familiar with the Chaparossa I know the wildlife manager and was down there on the ranch in March. I can promise you it is all low fenced. It is bar none one of the best managed ranches in Texas and has one of the best deer management programs anywhere.

That is the owner of the ranch, Mr. B as he is called, behind that deer by the way.

[This message has been edited by CT'97 (edited 10/31/2006 9:08p).]

The bucks where I hunt would use that one for a girlfriend.






















Not really.

Thats ok I guess. If you like deer.

I didn't think the Chaparrosa was high fenced at all.

I also know someone that manages the Chapparosa(sp?).....it is low fenced all the way around!!

quote:

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That is the owner of the ranch, Mr. B as he is called, behind that deer by the way.

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So that's what he looks like... the elusive Mr. B.... Mexican National with more $$$ than God, right?

Does Bill H. still run their cattle op?


[This message has been edited by BRP (edited 10/31/2006 11:28p).]

I passed a similar buck last season.

I guess it's just me, but I'm getting tired of seeing freaky big bucks on managed ranches. Even if it is low-fenced, it just seems to take some of the fun out of it for me. Even 20 years ago, bucks like this would be insanely huge. Now, managed ranches produce dozens of them each season.

B&C scoring bucks just don't seem to be as big of a deal anymore when ranches breed deer from Championship lines, then feed them the best protein, etc. Even if it's low fenced.

Probably just sour grapes on my part.

Rant over.

Yeah man me too, I will have to settle for my family's low fenced place up in east Texas that has never and will never have any sort of game management.



It also happens to be my favorite place in the entire world, so that works out...

BRP, Yes he does, great guy.

SR90,
You are wrong, they produce 1 or 2 deer like that ever 2 or 3 years on a 80,000 acres ranch and it takes a lot of hunting and being in the right spot on that 80,000 acres at the right time because that deer will only be that size for 1 or 2 years if he survives.

CT, how many B&C bucks do they harvest yearly? This may be the top of the line for this year at that ranch, but I'm sure they'll harvest plenty in the 170+ range, which is still insanely big.

What do they consider a cull buck? 140? That figure will give you an idea how many monsters they have on their property.

My point isn't meant to single out this ranch in particular. But just look on the contest site--there are 5 bucks on that site scoring over 180. And that's in a limited geographic area in just the first couple of weeks of the season.

SR, the rest of the world goes on much as they have for decades, with 140 class deer being a buck of a lifetime.

I'll disagree with you somewhat, SR, but there has been a huge amount of progress in recent years in deer education. The key is not just feed management, but population and habitat management. The better managed ranches have learned to keep the deer populations down by whacking does and inferior deer, while letting promising bucks mature. This in itself will do far more good than all the processed feed you can poke down a deer.

I realize I'll never see a 140 class deer anywhere around the B-1 83 ranch. First there are far too many local yokels that simply must kill a buck every year or risk not being able to get an erection (so it seems). This might mean a young 4 pt, 6 pt, or 8 pt. Second, I run a constant battle with neighbors and my hunters to kill the $%#@ out of the does. They still view this as "seed stock", even though the habitat won't support the numbers already there.

There's much more to it than high fencing, bringing in "pimped" deer, and feeding protein.

My 2 cents worth.

By the way, I thought their manager was PR at the Chaparrosa.

[This message has been edited by B-1 83 (edited 11/1/2006 12:21p).]

I understand, guys.

But B-1, weren't there culling operations at deer ranches long before the super protein feeds/genetics/selective breeding? Isn't the whole idea of "breeding championship bucks" a relatively new endeavor?

Not trying to be argumentative, just trying to figure out which is the primary reason why certain ranches are consistently producing 180+ class deer.

Seems to me that while culling inferior bucks and does is very important, it's not something recent. I was under the impression that people have been doing that for decades, but the protein feeding and selective genetics is by comparison relatively new.

I'm not sure the culling thing is that old. Only in the last 20 years has the deer business become so lucrative that landowners were willing to sacrifice any buck for the sake of producing those of 150+ scoring. The genetics thing is fairly new, and keep in mind, nobody wit half a brain is going to pay high dollars for those deer and risk having them jump a low fence on to a neighbor's land.

WOOD........

















I STILL HAVE IT.

SR90,

I know they feed protein on portions of the Chaparossa, but if you asked the wildlife manager which was more important he would tell you shooting does and reducing the population. When asked which does to shoot young or old, his answer was all of them. Shooting the numbers of deer they do every year is work, and they donate trailer loads full to the county sheriff to give out to poor families in the county.

I don't know how many B&C deer they shoot of the place each year and I don't imagine they will open their record books even if I asked. I can tell you this, if you have enough acreage and people to cooperate anybody willing to put in the work can have those kinds of deer.

Keep the herd below carrying capacity and let high potential bucks get to 6.5+ in age. Protein might add 10-15 inches of antler but in the big picture it's population and age that are the big factors.

Anyone know who the old man is? Looks a lot like Dick Cabela...

The gentleman in the photo is Mr. B. He's the owner of the Chaparossa.

Thanks, CT. I'm not trying to slam on the guy--it sounds like he's a good guy. I guess it's just frustrating to think that the only way I'll ever get a chance to hunt something that large is if I win the lottery.

Jealousy is an ugly trait, I know. And not a great reason to object to something but there it is.

quote:

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I can tell you this, if you have enough acreage and people to cooperate anybody willing to put in the work can have those kinds of deer.

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That really depends on where you are as well. For example in Brazos county you may get the occasional 170 class deer but they are few and far between. The genetics just really aren't there to produce that size rack.


We do fairly well but are low fenced and lose some good deer every year unfortunately. 150 class being about the best.

having a rich father must be sweet:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alberto_Baill%C3%A8res

The old man is Alberto Balleras. He is not a real popular man around that area. He is a very wealthy individual from Mexico and has been known to try and throw his weight around in Uvalde and Batesville. The Chapparosa is actually mostly high fenced, with a low fenced pasture being a part of it. Balleras is the only one allowed to hunt in the low fenced area, and it has been rumored that some of these deer are being raised in the high fenced portions of the ranch. But it is 100% false that most of the ranch is low fenced. How do I know this? My family has a 103 year old 17,000 acre low fenced ranch in the same area of Zavala County. He bought the ranch from BK Johnson, a friend of ours, and proceeded to high fence most of it. He has also finished highly in the high fenced division as well in past years.

Here is a deer of his that scored around 181 in the high fenced division of his all "low fence" ranch.

http://www.loscazadores.com/contest_archives/2003/D2/160+BC.html

In the late 80s, I bowhunted the Chaparossa for 3 consecutive years (spent the week before my wedding trying to stick a big Chap buck). At that time, it was a low-fenced operation that was regularly producing B&C bucks.

Back in BK Johnson's day, the Chaparossa was a pioneer in advancing deer management. We always saw lots of deer...and more turkeys than you could imagine. My first trip to the Chap was the first time I ever rode in a highrack (the Jeep had switches up top to alert the driver below when to brake).

Back in 1989, I watched a Chap hunter put the tape to a 161" bow-killed 8 point. Despite years of hunting since then, that 8 point is still one of the most impressive deer I've ever personally laid eyes on.

do ya get a free bowl of soup when you buy a hat like that?