Biltmore Deer?

[flathead977]

I have read several posts on here referencing big bucks from Biltmore. Do any of you have pictures of them? Just wondering, from what I have read, there must be some really nice ones on the estate.

 

[cloningerba]

Im curious as well??

 

[alt1001]

I do have trail cam photos from the Estate that will make your mouth drop. I'll think about sharing them. Me and my father hunted over there for nearly 10 years, and he killed a couple of real nice deer. Back then they had a kill 2 does before you can kill a buck, policy.

It's just unreal the amount of deer they have over there and the quality as well. If you look in the regulations book, you'll see one green speck in Buncombe county that has a 'gun - either sex' season. That is the Biltmore Estate, not that it matters any way because they have depredation permit.

 

[hunthard2]

Oh c'mon you can't hold out on us now!!

 

[alt1001]

This is one my father killed in '04

 

[GregC]

Dang....Biltmore NC right? Dang.....yeah I would keep that a secret...

 

[flathead977]

Are you still able to hunt there?

 

[alt1001]

Are you still able to hunt there?

Nope. Only the folks that live on the estate can hunt now. It's about 10 people for nearly 9,000 acres. My guess is that eventually they are going to do paid hunts.

 

[dpc]

I thought they thinned the herd out recently? I know at one point Biltmore Forest was over run with them and residents were getting pissy. dam that is a nice deer!

 

[hunthard2]

Holy crap...

 

[dpc]

Nope. Only the folks that live on the estate can hunt now. It's about 10 people for nearly 9,000 acres. My guess is that eventually they are going to do paid hunts.

for what they charge a nights stay would think they would consider you a resident,

 

[alt1001]

Holy crap...

Honestly, that's nothing compared to what's there. Lol

 

[alt1001]

I thought they thinned the herd out recently? I know at one point Biltmore Forest was over run with them and residents were getting pissy. dam that is a nice deer!

Biltmore Forest did. Biltmore Estate keeps a running depredation permit.

 

[hunthard2]

Is there a specific reason these deer are of this caliber or is it simply they are allowed to grow to full potential?

 

[alt1001]

Is there a specific reason these deer are of this caliber or is it simply they are allowed to grow to full potential?

There are 3 very distinct reasons:

1. Being allowed to grow.
2. Genetics. Gerorge Vanderbilt transferred a lot of deer from the Midwest over 100 years ago. A lot of those genetics are in NC.
3. Location. Biltmore is a prime agriculture property, because it lies directly in the flats of the French Broad River basin. There are tons of minerals, and tons of food.

 

[dpc]

grow to full potential. estate is surrounded by city limits and parkway. it's like I private island for deer with excellent food sources and cover.

 

[hunthard2]

I'd love to just sit Ina stand on that property. Gun or no gun it'd e am awesome experience

 

[lasttombstone]

Is there a specific reason these deer are of this caliber or is it simply they are allowed to grow to full potential?

1. Being allowed to grow.

grow to full potential

alt1001 and dpc agree on the primary point and I have to agree as well. Many deer have the potential to become like the deer in the pic but a very small percentage make it to an age to actually realize their potential of growth. Just the way it is around most areas.

 

[CRC]

I thought they thinned the herd out recently? I know at one point Biltmore Forest was over run with them and residents were getting pissy. dam that is a nice deer!

They did.

The police apparently shot the deer down.

As I understand it deer trapped from the Biltmore Estate were stocked at Jordan Lake in the 1970s.

 

[Doc]

Age age and age fellas. Other deer in nc that have access to agriculture, and food plots, can also be big like these deer. You gotta keep in mind how many deer are on biltmore. Then think about the fact that ALL of these bucks live to at least 4.5. Usually longer. They get a chance to express full antler potential. Plus they weigh 200+ at 4.5.

They have no secret formula. Just food and age, with age being the most important factor, IMO. sometimes when it snows up here, you can look into the estate while driving down the interstate and see some monsters.

The problem that most of us have, that keeps us from killing the 140" buck, is that he gets killed as an 80" buck. Not slamming guys that shoot smaller deer. If killed legally, I'll help anyone drag the deer regardless of antler size, and give them a pat on the back. Just stating that you can't kill 140s when they are shot as an 85" 2.5 yr old, Simple logic that is proved on biltmore estate.

I'll also add that pisgah used to have same quality of deer (maybe minus a few inches due to no ag available) back in early-mid 20th century. I've seen pics, held horns, and know the guys that have killed them in pisgah. Clear cuts and timber management allowed for perfect deer habitat and browse. I know of two guys that live within a mile of my house (both about 80 years old) that have 145" deer taken in pisgah. One of the deer is 24" wide. I hope one day in my lifetime that all that public land returns to its old times hunting reputation. So much land, it would be hunting heaven.

Basically I just typed all this out to say "I think that age is most important factor in letting a buck get big body and horns." Even with no access to ag he can get big horns off natural browse IF it's available. Whether it's on biltmore, in Piedmont, or way down east. We might not get 200". But 140" deer all over nc is very realistic, with or without agriculture. And is being proven over and over by the harvests the last couple of years. And by the deer taken in pisgah back in the 30s-50s.

 

[alt1001]

Age age and age fellas. Other deer in nc that have access to agriculture, and food plots, can also be big like these deer. You gotta keep in mind how many deer are on biltmore. Then think about the fact that ALL of these bucks live to at least 4.5. Usually longer. They get a chance to express full antler potential. Plus they weigh 200+ at 4.5.

They have no secret formula. Just food and age, with age being the most important factor, IMO. sometimes when it snows up here, you can look into the estate while driving down the interstate and see some monsters.

The problem that most of us have, that keeps us from killing the 140" buck, is that he gets killed as an 80" buck. Not slamming guys that shoot smaller deer. If killed legally, I'll help anyone drag the deer regardless of antler size, and give them a pat on the back. Just stating that you can't kill 140s when they are shot as an 85" 2.5 yr old, Simple logic that is proved on biltmore estate.

I'll also add that pisgah used to have same quality of deer (maybe minus a few inches due to no ag available) back in early-mid 20th century. I've seen pics, held horns, and know the guys that have killed them in pisgah. Clear cuts and timber management allowed for perfect deer habitat and browse. I know of two guys that live within a mile of my house (both about 80 years old) that have 145" deer taken in pisgah. One of the deer is 24" wide. I hope one day in my lifetime that all that public land returns to its old times hunting reputation. So much land, it would be hunting heaven.

Basically I just typed all this out to say "I think that age is most important factor in letting a buck get big body and horns." Even with no access to ag he can get big horns off natural browse IF it's available. Whether it's on biltmore, in Piedmont, or way down east. We might not get 200". But 140" deer all over nc is very realistic, with or without agriculture. And is being proven over and over by the harvests the last couple of years. And by the deer taken in pisgah back in the 30s-50s.

You hit it on the head.

Some of the biggest deer killed on the east coast, are in the steep mountains of southern WV in the archery only counties. If you seen the territory, you would never think big deer grow there but they get huge, regularly 150"+. There are no crops. There aren't many plots. They just grow because of restrictions.

WNC could do the same and the rest of NC could really take off.

Logan, McDowell, Mingo and Wyoming counties, Google the deer out of those counties in WV.

 

[alt1001]

They did.

The police apparently shot the deer down.

As I understand it deer trapped from the Biltmore Estate were stocked at Jordan Lake in the 1970s.

Wasn't the police, it was a hired firm.

Also, you are right about deer being transferred throughout the state from Biltmore.

 

[OnslowDeerMan]

I'd love to just sit Ina stand on that property. Gun or no gun it'd e am awesome experience

I'm with you!! It'd be great to sit and watch all those deer and maybe see a few monsters

 

[OnslowDeerMan]

You hit it on the head.

Some of the biggest deer killed on the east coast, are in the steep mountains of southern WV in the archery only counties. If you seen the territory, you would never think big deer grow there but they get huge, regularly 150"+. There are no crops. There aren't many plots. They just grow because of restrictions.

WNC could do the same and the rest of NC could really take off.

Logan, McDowell, Mingo and Wyoming counties, Google the deer out of those counties in WV.

I hunted McDowell county for a couple years, you aren't joking, there are some absolute monsters up there!! I've got family that still hunts it and consistently kill solid mature deer.

 

[btsharky]

The problem that most of us have, that keeps us from killing the 140" buck, is that he gets killed as an 80" buck. Not slamming guys that shoot smaller deer. If killed legally, I'll help anyone drag the deer regardless of antler size, and give them a pat on the back. Just stating that you can't kill 140s when they are shot as an 85" 2.5 yr old

You said it all right there and around here people can't seem to understand it. I have permission on one farm along with another guy. He will shoot every buck that he sees because he is afraid that I will kill it. I have taken one buck there in 3 years but have seen bunches. I try to tell him just what you said above but I am just being a "know it all". Oh well, great potential on that farm getting wasted.

 

[alt1001]

I'm with you!! It'd be great to sit and watch all those deer and maybe see a few monsters

When I was about 12 or 13, I remember dad taking me to spot where we crawled up under a Laurel tree over looking a small ravine. Dad didn't have his 2 doe quota for that year yet and you could only hunt archery or with a shotgun. Anyway, my dad is an honest man so we watched multiple bucks just pass us by. One was a really nice 8 that got within about 7 yards from us before he realized something wasn't right. It was one of the coolest experiences of my life. He stayed there, snorting, wheezing, stomping his foot and doing circular motions with his head for what felt like eternity, trying to get us to move. Finally he just moseyed on. Not 10 minutes after him, about a 130"-140" 8 or 10 pt (we couldn't tell), walked down the same ravine and stood at the bottom eating for about 10 minutes, not 30 yards from us. I know my finger was itching but dad knew the opportunity he had to hunt there, and would have done nothing to screw it up, so we also watched him walk. Haha.

All in all, for a boy getting into hunting, it was one of the best experiences of my life. I got to experience everything that deer hunting had to offer, and never had to leave WNC.

The cool thing about it is that Biltmore grows these deer, but isn't a deer farm. They are just a farm in general. A lot of the property is fenced along the roads, but only to keep trespassers out. There are still tons of area that are not fenced and the deer have free opportunity to roam. That same deer herd is what is still genetically tied to the herds in Pisgah Ranger District of the PNF and Mills River, which is why you still hear of some monster bucks coming out of those areas, especially if they are allowed to grow.

 

[bryguy]

I do have trail cam photos from the Estate that will make your mouth drop. I'll think about sharing them. Me and my father hunted over there for nearly 10 years, and he killed a couple of real nice deer. Back then they had a kill 2 does before you can kill a buck, policy.

It's just unreal the amount of deer they have over there and the quality as well. If you look in the regulations book, you'll see one green speck in Buncombe county that has a 'gun - either sex' season. That is the Biltmore Estate, not that it matters any way because they have depredation permit.

Brother in law works over there........got some sheds we have picked up that are incredible............to bad they shutdown hunting because of some idiot shooting one of the employees dogs.................

 

[bryguy]

Nope. Only the folks that live on the estate can hunt now. It's about 10 people for nearly 9,000 acres. My guess is that eventually they are going to do paid hunts.

Thought that they had even changed that to only the rangers and local LEO could hunt it now......all due to the dog incident over there a few years ago.......

 

[alt1001]

Thought that they had even changed that to only the rangers and local LEO could hunt it now......all due to the dog incident over there a few years ago.......

Nope, not even all the LEO's are hunting. Only a couple have rights to hunt on the depredation permit, but they can only kill does. Mainly just the people who live on the estate have free range to hunt. As for the dog, it wasn't an employee's dog, it was Cecil family!

 

[alt1001]

Brother in law works over there........got some sheds we have picked up that are incredible............to bad they shutdown hunting because of some idiot shooting one of the employees dogs.................

The dog incident was just the tipping point, there were actually other events leading up to it from what I heard, like a guys killing and dragging deer within view of the guests, and another being caught hunting near the house! Biltmore is a business before all else, and when guests start complaining, it will get noticed. From what I understand now, folks aren't even hunting on the guest side of the estate.