Field judging Blackbuck

[BLee15]

Look for one that’s jet black. He should be big enough to shoot

[Shane]

Some have tighter curls (fewer inches per curl) than others. Counting curls doesn't really tell you anything. Like cantexduck said, length is length. When their horns are about the same length as their head/neck, like the ones pictured above, they're nice. But when the horns are obviously longer than their head/neck, it's a trophy.

[crimson-talon]

Was always told curls were a deal, but I’m not too knowledgeable with blackbuck either, but was lucky enough to hunt this guy last year. Beautiful animals for sure


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[junkmanhunter]

I always go by when the BB is feeding and has his head down, if it's horns don't come up past it's back, we wouldn't shoot. Whether or not that is something to go by, not sure but that's what I go by.

Like I always say though, if your happy with it and you're proud to shoot it, then by all means pull the trigger.

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[Capt.Bryan]

[QUOTE=ttaxidermy;15269267]The one Landrover posted a pic of is about 2.25 curls and around 17" long.
Mass and length make him a trophy. It usually takes 3+ curls to get 20 inches but that's not a rule..
Their ear is about 4.5 inches long. Use that as a gauge to determine approx. length. Males turn black with age..[/QUOTE

Tim, do you see alot at your place in Brady now? 2 years ago my dad took me and the wife up and let her shoot a black buck next to your place. We had a heard of 15 in front of us when she shot hers.

[PondPopper]

[quote=Capt.Bryan;15271650]

The one Landrover posted a pic of is about 2.25 curls and around 17" long.
Mass and length make him a trophy. It usually takes 3+ curls to get 20 inches but that's not a rule..
Their ear is about 4.5 inches long. Use that as a gauge to determine approx. length. Males turn black with age..[/QUOTE

Tim, do you see alot at your place in Brady now? 2 years ago my dad took me and the wife up and let her shoot a black buck next to your place. We had a heard of 15 in front of us when she shot hers.

We see a bunch of them on the place your Dad hunts or hunted.. I guess they put them in there huh?? When I was up there this past weekend I saw at least 50 on that side of the fence and a dang good whitetail buck(140's easy).. Every now and then we will see a BB doe or 2 on our cameras on our side but never any bucks.. Have not had any on our cameras this year.. Does your Dad still have that place? I was going to call him but I lost his number in my old phone..

Oh and one big Black buck was wounded really bad on your dads place.. Big nasty wound...

[Texastaxi]

Decide if you want length or curls , they don’t necessarily go together. The longest one we have shot was a hair over 25”. It didn’t have the most curls by a long shot. We have shot several 20” that were 4 curls and a few 22-23” that had below 4 curls. The dark
Color is a combination of dominance, age, time of year and genetics.

I agree with this 100%.
They can have very loose curls, but be super long, OR could have more, tight curls, but still be under 20".

When his head is up, his horns should extend to the back of the front leg (or further) UNLESS he's wide, then he might appear shorter.

[texan16]

Another thing about BB is they are NOT very big animals, so dont pass up a good one because he "doesn't have much meat" or his body "looks small". Even the big ones are small.

[uncle jesse]

Some older bucks will never turn completely black. They can end up mostly black with tan highlights. We have been watching a few over several years. Like mentioned before, I think genetics are a part of the equation.

Good luck

[AntlerCollector]

3 1/2 curls minimum and the darkest one in the herd.

[PROD49]

Some older bucks will never turn completely black. They can end up mostly black with tan highlights. We have been watching a few over several years. Like mentioned before, I think genetics are a part of the equation.

Good luck

Agree, I have a gold class that looks in color to be young. I also have a female that is super dark like a juvenile male. 3 curl is a good rule of thumb

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[buck_wild]

head down, horns to top of back usually means 18"+ which most would begin to call trophy.

[BuckySWT]

Ok, so we’ve been watching this guy since we got on the lease. There are 2 or 3 bucks running around I believe. This one is the boss.
Other two are brown. One is wider but a loaner. The second one has 2-3 ewes. This guy has 5-9 depending on when we see him. Haven’t seen em since late summer, but they always show up eventually.

What’s the consensus on this guy?

[DKirk]

Turns out neither of the two he’s currently seeing are shooters so maybe next year, thanks for all the replies.

[buck_wild]

Bucky SWT-- I'd say 16.5-17"