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year over year antler developement

mrex

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There's an added satisfaction from taking a deer you have history with. Passing on buck that most consider a shooter and then having the oportunity to hunt him in future years when he's at his peak is the summit of whitetail deer hunting IMO.

Most of the bucks I’ve been able to keep tabs on over the years make their largest step change in antler development between the ages of 3.5 and 4.5. In my experience, what you see at 4.5 is basically what you get as far as the basic frame is concerned, although some bucks certainly put on more inches at 5.5 / 6.5 and beyond, but usually in the form of nontypical points.

Some deer, however, can fool you and just never really amount to much. Kind of like the 5'10" / 165 LB running back on the freshman football team that never grows an inch or gains a pound in high school. This is an example of a deer that appeared to have great potential at 3.5 that didn’t materialize.





He does have an abscess on his chest which may have impeded antler development some, but for the most part, his antlers are unchanged from last year.
 

at1010

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WOW

I have never seen a buck that literally has the SAME EXACT rack. I do not see any growth, decline, etc. Pretty neat to have both years on him.

Now my question is, do you consider him a shooter since he is 4.5 and has not grown?
 

hickslawns

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It seems the majority of deer in my area seem to stop in the 120-140" area. Seems at ages 3-4-5 all they add is mass and maybe an inch of growth here and there. How do we decide when to give up on a deer? How do you personally decide which deer have what it takes or don't have what it takes?

Just curious as I know you have had plenty of deer to hunt, plenty more to score, and plenty you have watched vanish. Maybe you can help some of us determine which ones we should pass and which ones we might as well put an arrow in.
 

"J"

Git Off My Lawn
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North Carolina
Nice buck, still a shooter in most people's eyes and they'd be more than happy too have this problem Mike lol....
 

brock ratcliff

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Some have it and some don't. Still, that's a nice deer most would be happy to kill...and then wish they had given him another year. :)
 

mrex

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WOW

I have never seen a buck that literally has the SAME EXACT rack. I do not see any growth, decline, etc. Pretty neat to have both years on him.

Now my question is, do you consider him a shooter since he is 4.5 and has not grown?

It's hard to say. I've passed on a lot of 4.5year old deer, (and older), over the years because they weren't what I had in mind. One thing I've learned about trail cameras is that they can be deceptive in assesing body size which can distort, one way or the other, how impressive a buck truly is. Last year when the NAW TV guys were in town we walked up on this buck on our way to the stand. He was impressive looking on the hoof.
 

mrex

*Supporting member*
439
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It seems the majority of deer in my area seem to stop in the 120-140" area. Seems at ages 3-4-5 all they add is mass and maybe an inch of growth here and there. How do we decide when to give up on a deer? How do you personally decide which deer have what it takes or don't have what it takes?

Just curious as I know you have had plenty of deer to hunt, plenty more to score, and plenty you have watched vanish. Maybe you can help some of us determine which ones we should pass and which ones we might as well put an arrow in.

That's a tough one Phil...beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Here's an example of great genetics. This is the buck that Gordo killed last year...I was running a camera on a neighboring property. I'll start by saying I hold absolutely no animosity towards Gordo for shooting it. At the same stage in my hunting career, I would have flung every arrow in my quiver at this deer and I know very few veteran hunters in this area that could let a deer in this class walk. This buck had it all from a scoring perspective...tine length, points, symmetry and only 2.5 years old in this photo. Although my boys and I were rooting hard for him to make it another year or two, we fully understood that the chances of that happening in the area he inhabited were slim.



Here’s another example of great genes. This buck had 8 points as a 1.5 year old. In this photo at 2.5, he’s a perfect 10 with the start of g5’s on both beams. He was killed the same year on Strouds by a non resident hunter from South Carolina who could not have been any happier if he had won the lottery and I certainly could not fault him for shooting it.



Here’s a prime example of bad genetics…if this buck is still around this year, he will be at least 10.5 years old. My boys call him “High Tower”. We’ve been getting trail cam photos of this buck on 3 different properties in a 4 mile radius for the past 6 years and his rack has basically not changed except for the broken beam last year. His best year he wouldn’t net 130.”



I can’t think of a better example of a “cull deer.”
 
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finelyshedded

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Very cool post Mike! The one killed by the guy from SC had the most potential I've ever seen in a 2.5 year old deer....ever!!! It's really amazing how each buck is different though. Not only genetically but behavior wise and personality wise.

Yep, that is a cull deer if I've ever seen one! Lol

Question to ponder: With the available food we have here in this state both AG,browse and mast(hard and soft) why does it seem that the ones like the buck above and Gordos deer are such a minority?

I know diet is prolly just a small part of the equation and a healthy doe hooking up with a genetic superior buck is needed but I'd think that would happen more than it is apparently.
 
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Beentown

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Very cool post Mike! The one killed by the guy from SC had the most potential I've ever seen in a 2.5 year old deer....ever!!! It's really amazing how each buck is different though. Not only genetically but behavior wise and personality wise.

Yep, that is a cull deer if I've ever seen one! Lol

Question to ponder: With the available food we have here in this state both AG,browse and mast(hard and soft) why does it seem that the ones like the buck above and Gordos deer are such a minority?

I know diet is prolly just a small part of the equation and a healthy doe hooking up with a genetic superior buck is needed but I'd think that would happen more than it is apparently.

How many Pro athletes are around? Now imagine everyone trying to take them out in HS. How many would be left? How many would be mistaken being older because the are 6'5" as a 16 y/o. Same thing is my guess.

They are there just not as many. Most get taken out early as people think they are older due to rack size.
 

bowhunter1023

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Appalachia
Good post Mike. My experience has also been that most deer really jump from 3 to 4. Just as you have, I've seen deer that make next to no jump from 3 to 4 and barely grow from there on forward. Here are a few more examples to go towards that.

Deuce went from a 145" 12-point at 3 to a 183" 18 point at 4. He was in the minority in regards to those numbers and I may hunt the rest of my career and never see a deer make that kind of jump again.





Moe made a "typical" jump from 3 to 4 gaining 25" or so as he went from a 130" deer with some junk, to a mid/high 150's deer with plenty of junk!





And then there is Captain Jack. His rack was identical the first two years he was around with a few inches of growth and the start of split G2's the second year. His rack changed from Year 2 to Year 3 by losing a left side G3 and adding a G4 on the other side. Then he barely grew from Year 3 to Year 4. He is what he'll always be and that's a visually attractive rack that won't score. He is either 4 or 5 now, leaning towards 4 the more I think about it, and I don't see him ever getting any better...







 

Gordo

Senior Member
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Athens County
The best jump i have seen so far was a deer i call 'handsome'. Im guessing it was between age 3 and 4.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1379339813.489639.jpg
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1379339856.846458.jpg

I wish more would do that.

Some deer have it, but it seems more dont(at least in SE ohio).

As far as body size being deceptive on cam, no doubt about it.

There's no doubt in my mind the buck i harvested last year was only a two year old. I was on the fence whether to hunt him or not. It was obvious when i walked up to him, he was not mature.

It was a good lesson learned, and made me alot more conscious of 'age' and 'maturity'.

Here is a buck that had very little change from one year to another. Good chance he may have had an injury based on the unevenness of his head gear.
 

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mrex

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Another example…this is the buck I killed last year at 3.5 and 4.5. He picked up a couple inches of g3 and g4’s and damaged a brow in velvet but other than that, he was unchanged.



 

Fullbore

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South Eastern Ohio
Wow, it's no doubt that that's the same deer as the year before, but as side the broken G1 on his left antler. His rack would score more than his 4.5 year rack. His G4's are much nicer at 3.5 than 4.5 years of age.

Why is that, Mike?
 

Fullbore

Senior Member
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South Eastern Ohio
Wow, it's no doubt that that's the same deer as the year before, but as side the broken G1 on his left antler. His rack would score more than his 4.5 year rack. His G4's are much nicer at 3.5 than 4.5 years of age.

Why is that, Mike?
I might have them reversed? Is the Black and white pic his 4.5 year old.
 

Gordo

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Athens County
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1379375014.682050.jpg

I would say this is one of those young deer with superior genetics.

Or he may never be anything more....

Point is to wait and find out
 
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