usefull research

[3waycross]

Jeez, larger animals have a smaller surface area compared to their body size than smaller animals. The significance of this is there is less surface area for heat to escape (relative to size) ergo it's easier to maintain body temp in cold climates. Just another heat loss preventative.

LOLOL is there an echo in here.

 

[aussie_cowgirl]

Jeez, larger animals have a smaller surface area compared to their body size than smaller animals. The significance of this is there is less surface area for heat to escape (relative to size) ergo it's easier to maintain body temp in cold climates. Just another heat loss preventative.

LOLOL is there an echo in here.

Seems there is need for it :P

 

[jhambley]

Nature has already run one of the experiments for you...they're called Bison.

"A full grown adult bull can weigh 1650-2000 pounds. Cows (female bison) average around 1,000-1,100 pounds. Bison calves are usually born from late April to Mid June. They weigh about fifty pounds at birth. A bison has a shaggy, long, dark brown winter coat, and a lighter weight, lighter brown summer coat. The heads and forequarters are massive, and both sexes have short, curved horns, which they use in fighting for status within the herd and for defense."

That's the animal natural selection built. Any deviation from that model is moving away from the most efficient form.

Here was their native range:

JH

 

[djinwa]

Jeez, larger animals have a smaller surface area compared to their body size than smaller animals. The significance of this is there is less surface area for heat to escape (relative to size) ergo it's easier to maintain body temp in cold climates. Just another heat loss preventative.

While this is true, there are other factors. How can a mouse survive winters without weighing a ton?

 

[aussie_cowgirl]

Jeez, larger animals have a smaller surface area compared to their body size than smaller animals. The significance of this is there is less surface area for heat to escape (relative to size) ergo it's easier to maintain body temp in cold climates. Just another heat loss preventative.

While this is true, there are other factors. How can a mouse survive winters without weighing a ton?

Why are there so many different animals? One way of adapting to a set of conditions can be just as effective as another. Diversity comes from a niche in the environment. A mouse and a cow/bison what ever, fill different niches. There are different advantages to size but when asking the question WHY certain animals are bigger in the colder areas, the short answer is to limit heat loss. This is comparing animals within the same species, not other species.

 

[Northern Rancher]

Bison are large animals to be sure but other survival mechanisms they used were very small calf crops in bad years-they also had the ability to roam wherever they neded to look for feed. It would be interesting to turn some beef cows loose and see where they shook out after a few ten or so generations-the breed with the most surviving mature animals might just not bother reproducing in tough years much like some of the larger cattle up north here.

 

[upfrombottom]

The Texas Longhorns are proof, cattle will adapt to their environment to survive. And so are feral hogs.

 

[MF135]

Well we ranch probably within 50 miles of the north end of where whitetails roam in Saskatchewan-it's true that deer do get larger as you go north but only to a point-I guess we need to discover what the point is on the cattle side of things. I'm not sure if our whitetails are any longer legged than ones in south Texas but they are considerably heavier-we giggle watching guys on TV shoot a buck then grab one horn and start dragging it. As for research it would be interesting to dump a 100 or so cows along with bulls from several breeds on some range where you can winter graze then just leave every thing alone for twenty years then come back and see what shook out. Another thing would be to take several of the gurus-give them each a place-6 figure debt-no ther income but what they make from cattle and see how they shake out lol.

We giggle hearing about guys flying in to Saskatchewan to shoot a 250lb whitetail that scores sub 140 B&C... Imagine paying 10k for a hunt and not even getting a book buck.. what a shame

 

[3waycross]

Well we ranch probably within 50 miles of the north end of where whitetails roam in Saskatchewan-it's true that deer do get larger as you go north but only to a point-I guess we need to discover what the point is on the cattle side of things. I'm not sure if our whitetails are any longer legged than ones in south Texas but they are considerably heavier-we giggle watching guys on TV shoot a buck then grab one horn and start dragging it. As for research it would be interesting to dump a 100 or so cows along with bulls from several breeds on some range where you can winter graze then just leave every thing alone for twenty years then come back and see what shook out. Another thing would be to take several of the gurus-give them each a place-6 figure debt-no ther income but what they make from cattle and see how they shake out lol.

We giggle hearing about guys flying in to Saskatchewan to shoot a 250lb whitetail that scores sub 140 B&C... Imagine paying 10k for a hunt and not even getting a book buck.. what a shame

The real bonus there is they are wild deer. Not the result of AI to some million dollar buck. They are also not shot over a pile of corn or inside a 10' fence.. Correct me if I am wrong but isn't that where the world record was killed.

Don't get me wrong I am a big fan of Texas and Texans in general but I always have to laugh when you folks call it deer HUNTING to me at least that would imply that at some point you actually leave the airconditioned stand and walk around looking for a deer.LOLOLOLOLOL

 

[TexasBred]

Don't get me wrong I am a big fan of Texas and Texans in general but I always have to laugh when you folks call it deer HUNTING to me at least that would imply that at some point you actually leave the airconditioned stand and walk around looking for a deer.LOLOLOLOLOL

Surely you jest. These folks down here wouldn't think about hunting in the elements. Stands have heaters and/or A/C (whichever is needed at the time), recliner, tv and the ever present "cooler".....just waiting on a deer dumb enough to stumble by...he may have 180 B&C spread but won't field dress 120 lbs. and has been on protein since February and corn since 30 days prior to the opening of the season. Real sport.

 

[3waycross]

Don't get me wrong I am a big fan of Texas and Texans in general but I always have to laugh when you folks call it deer HUNTING to me at least that would imply that at some point you actually leave the airconditioned stand and walk around looking for a deer.LOLOLOLOLOL

Surely you jest. These folks down here wouldn't think about hunting in the elements. Stands have heaters and/or A/C (whichever is needed at the time), recliner, tv and the ever present "cooler".....just waiting on a deer dumb enough to stumble by...he may have 180 B&C spread but won't field dress 120 lbs. and has been on protein since February and corn since 30 days prior to the opening of the season. Real sport.

What the he[[ was I thinking. Of course you are right. :tiphat:

 

[Northern Rancher]

[I

MG]http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/Rancher1962/field%20pics/BucksandBears025.jpg[/IMG]

 

[Northern Rancher]

All public land deer shot within twenty minutes of my front step except the two mulies. If you pay 10,000 bucks and shoot a sub140 deer in Sask. your pretty much an idiot-you don't get big bucks by cranking the first little one you see. I got quite a few more deer pics lol. When I guided I had a guy from Conneticut pass a 187 6x6 that because he thought it didn't look wide-the next guy didn't make that mistake. If all goes well there could be another good deer pic up in next two weeks.

 

[upfrombottom]

That is some serious ivory. Lord only knows what kind of sacrifices you had to go through to make room for that Christmas tree. :lol:

 

[3waycross]

Great pictures of the bucks and the kids. I am not so sure about the looks or condition of the "older" fella :lol2:

 

[Northern Rancher]

My mulie from last fall-I shot him while packing my chemo pump-Ty and I did a mile or so sneak on him but I was getting wheezy at the end lol.

Sara made a nice shot on this buck a little over 300 yards across a coulee with Ty's 25.06

We hunted this buck for years-Ty lunged him then his buddy hit him in the styomach and convinced Ty they should flip a coin for it-Ty lost and had to give a 176 away lol.

Sara's whitetail from last year

Emily's first deer-pretty happy camper

 

[Northern Rancher]

I apologize for the thread hijack I get kind of worked up over big deer lol.

 

[KNERSIE]

I apologize for the thread hijack I get kind of worked up over big deer lol.

I enjoyed the deer pics, looks like the old bull also breeds better than he is himself, or it was a good selection on the female. ;-)

I did not know you're battling cancer, sorry to hear that.

 

[TexasBred]

I apologize for the thread hijack I get kind of worked up over big deer lol.

All the racks are impressive but what caught my eye was the body mass....very large heavy deer. If they saw one of those down here in Texas they'd think it was an elk. But then we have some city folks that come to the country and think deer look like jersey cattle too. :cry2:

 

[Northern Rancher]

Sara's first mulie-I think the one she got last year and that big whitie that her and Emily are holding the head up on are two of the biggest deer body wise we ever shot. That mulie last year it was all two guys could do to drag him twenty feet at a time-I wasn't one of the guys lol.

Drawing a bead.

Fancy schmancy blind.

Not a monster but Sara is pretty happy about her first deer.