Antlers with age..... Walk him or No ?

[Texas8point]

Ok so deer as they age from 1.5 - spike to 6.5 max horn growth can go from spike to a 6pt, to a 10pt all with age and protein. I mean the same deer doesn't always have to be a 6pt or an 8 or 10pt his entire life, correct ?
Im referencing the spike to 172 B&C thread that we saw on here a month or so ago.

So a 3.5 yr old quality 7pt may be an 8 or 10 or better over the next couple of years ....... Is that correct ?????

[Deathrow Jethro]

Looks to me like he was an 8 and broke a tine off during the rut. Also looks like he was trying to push out an extra tine if he didn't break it. I would bet that next year he would be an 8 point better.

My final answer, LET HIM WALK ANOTHER YEAR.

[Chance Love]

To answer your question...Yes.

BUT, in your example I don't think that is a 3 year old. We would cull that deer out. It is very doubtful he will ever reach the level we want our top - end deer to be.

[txaggie02]

Whack him

[Mayhem]

To answer your question...Yes.

BUT, in your example I don't think that is a 3 year old. We would cull that deer out. It is very doubtful he will ever reach the level we want our top - end deer to be.

Im with Chance, i think that deer is older than 3. With that being said he would be culled on our place with that 7 point rack.

[Texas8point]

Looks to me like he was an 8 and broke a tine off during the rut. Also looks like he was trying to push out an extra tine if he didn't break it. I would bet that next year he would be an 8 point better.



My final answer, LET HIM WALK ANOTHER YEAR.

Not a broke tine. I have him on camera since early summer in velvet. I wanted to cull him, but if he is only 3.5, he has real good potential. IMO

[rsquared]

To answer your question...Yes.

BUT, in your example I don't think that is a 3 year old. We would cull that deer out. It is very doubtful he will ever reach the level we want our top - end deer to be.

on our place, we would do the same as Chance said

[trophy8]

Youre taking it a little to the extreme. When talking about 1.5 year old bucks with small horns and 3.5 year old bucks with small horns.

I would also cull that buck. By 3.5 you should be able to tell if a deer is doing well or not.

[trophy8]

Not a broke tine. I have him on camera since early summer in velvet. I wanted to cull him, but if he is only 3.5, he has real good potential. IMO

How?

[Leon County Slayer]

I would guess he's more like 4.5 and would have to cull him with what looks like not a lot of potential.

[TimH]

If he was the best buck I had on my place, I probably would not cull him yet, otherwise, he's gone!

[Chance Love]

Not a broke tine. I have him on camera since early summer in velvet. I wanted to cull him, but if he is only 3.5, he has real good potential. IMO

Potential for what? What is your goal on trophy deer size?

[rtp]

Do you have too many deer? Do you have too many bucks? If so then you can worry about culling. Until then let them mature and see what happens. None of us are God and can see into the future for what a buck may or may not turn into.

[CaptRyan]

Smoke him, he's never going to be a booner.

[DuramaxDude]

I would say it depends on the quality of deer in your area and what you would like to see out there one day. If you are talking about somewhere where a 130" is flippin huge then let him hang around. Judging by where your profile says you hunt this is the Juno area. I lived down near there awhile and was on a lot of different ranches and saw a lot of deer and that area is capable of producing much better deer than that. A lot of the places I worked/hunted/guided on went by the rule of thumb that if it is not a decent to good 8pt at 3.5 then its a management deer. If it was me I would as the Nuge says release the mystical flight of the arrow and long live the beast! So I would ground check that sucker and wrap him in bacon.