A year's difference

[Ski]

Some bucks got it and some do not. First two pics are last year and second two pics are this year. Grew a little but didn't gain any more tines except for a nub for a brow tine he didn't have last year. Pretty sure he was a 3yr old last year as shown in last pic, so I think maybe he's as big as he's ever going to be???

Any of yall have examples of how a buck progresses? I think it's kinda neat monitoring this stuff.

 

[Ski]

On the flip side I was excited for this 2.5yr old last year and sure enough he grew quite a bit this year as a 3.5yr old. Hoping he makes it through to next year. I think he's got potential to be a real nice one, although I doubt he'll ever be anything but an 8pt.

 

[backyardtndeer]

Rare we get a deer back that is identifiable, just too many other small farms around us that are heavily hunted. I have passed a lot of deer late season and gotten pics of so many after season closes that we never see again, it really is kind of crazy that we don't see them back. Cool you have history on those. Doubt that first one is ever anything more. Second one will be really nice if he gets another year on him.

 

[redblood]

Big jump

 

[@fulldraw]

Three years of growth.

 

[@fulldraw]

Four years growth.

 

[Ski]

Three years of growth.

I love those long beams!

 

[redblood]

Three years of growth.

Great pics!!!

 

[BSK]

First buck: that's all he's going to be.

 

[Chickenrig]

I don't know how ya'll keep track of which deer is which unless they have very unique racks . I just see deer with horns
I do have a doe with a split ear that throws twins every year that i keep track of though.
I'm impressed how ya'll do that

 

[BSK]

I don't know how ya'll keep track of which deer is which unless they have very unique racks . I just see deer with horns
I do have a doe with a split ear that throws twins every year that i keep track of though.
I'm impressed how ya'll do that

You would be surprised. It doesn't take that unique of a rack to keep track of them. Often, little subtle differences in rack shape are genetic, and the buck will grow another set of antlers each year with that same little "quirk." And the points that often give a buck away as the same buck are his browtines. I find browtine length, placement, and tilt (if there is any) to be the best identifier of unique bucks.

 

[Ski]

I don't know how ya'll keep track of which deer is which unless they have very unique racks . I just see deer with horns
I do have a doe with a split ear that throws twins every year that i keep track of though.
I'm impressed how ya'll do that

BSK pretty much nailed it. If I were monitoring huge tracts then it would probably be more difficult, but the spots I monitor are relatively small. The bucks I see are the same bucks over & over again and many of them over the course of their life. There are always random ones that come & go but a good portion are residents. Kinda like a herd of cattle. They all look the same but when you're around them enough you recognize & differentiate.

 

[Chickenrig]

BSK pretty much nailed it. If I were monitoring huge tracts then it would probably be more difficult, but the spots I monitor are relatively small. The bucks I see are the same bucks over & over again and many of them over the course of their life. There are always random ones that come & go but a good portion are residents. Kinda like a herd of cattle. They all look the same but when you're around them enough you recognize & differentiate.

I'm on 80 acres and run cameras year round on 2 feeders and i can't for the life of me tell who is who . I reckon i will just enjoy them for what they are !!!! And shoot the gooduns as i see fit

 

[Andy S.]

Great thread. IMO, in my neck of the woods on public and private land, "Some bucks got it, but most do not."

I wish I had a dollar for every 2.5 75" buck that was 3.5 100" and 4.5 115" that I've tracked over last two decades. I think I'm one of the best at finding these "run of the mill" bucks.

 

[Ski]

Great thread. IMO, in my neck of the woods on public and private land, "Some bucks got it, but most do not."

I wish I had a dollar for every 2.5 75" buck that was 3.5 100" and 4.5 115" that I've tracked over last two decades. I think I'm one of the best at finding these "run of the mill" bucks.

It happens a lot. It happens a whole lot depending on area. I hunt two farms less than 10mi apart and the dynamics are night and day different. Blows my mind how different things can be with no more separation than that.

 

[BSK]

It happens a lot. It happens a whole lot depending on area. I hunt two farms less than 10mi apart and the dynamics are night and day different. Blows my mind how different things can be with no more separation than that.

Very common. The problem is, identifying the cause of the vast difference between two nearby locations. I wish I had a dollar for every time I've been told, "It's not the habitat. We just don't have the genetics," only to see a vast increase in antler quality once the habitat is improved.

I feel very comfortable saying all white-tailed deer populations have about the same genetic antler potential. The regional differences observed are simply regional differences in soil/food quality.

 

[Ski]

Very common. The problem is, identifying the cause of the vast difference between two nearby locations. I wish I had a dollar for every time I've been told, "It's not the habitat. We just don't have the genetics," only to see a vast increase in antler quality once the habitat is improved.

I feel very comfortable saying all white-tailed deer populations have about the same genetic antler potential. The regional differences observed are simply regional differences in soil/food quality.

That's certainly a possibility. The properties are mostly the same in that both have ag, flowing stream, and plenty natural browse. The major difference is the type of browse and to some extent forage.

The farm with under achievers has plenty undergrowth but much of it is swampy lowlands. Lots of persimmons, locusts, and a few willow oaks. But the predominant trees are gum and red maple.

The farm that grows better bucks is more upland with white oaks and beech and hickories. Lots of various types of red oaks as well. I can only assume at this point the determining factor is the difference in mast, but I'd have to think it's probably different weeds as well to some degree.

 

[Antler Daddy]

Cool photo....is that buck bedded or running?

 

[BSK]

The farm that grows better bucks is more upland with white oaks and beech and hickories. Lots of various types of red oaks as well. I can only assume at this point the determining factor is the difference in mast, but I'd have to think it's probably different weeds as well to some degree.

I've had a lot of arguments with hunters (especially on this site) about why KY produces so many more top-end bucks than TN does. I've always said it was soils and what is growing in those soils. Others want to believe it is KY's 1-buck-limit. However, looking at trail-camera data from both states, I don't see much difference in buck age structure (as a general rule, KY doesn't have a higher percentage of mature bucks in the population than TN properties). So the difference is either food or genetics. Considering how rapidly gene flow occurs in white-tail populations, I'm going with food quality.

I recently began working on a couple of large properties near Springfield, TN. This location has "KY soils." I always knew the soils were more productive there, but I've had a chance to really look at the plant communities in the region and the caliber of bucks produced. I'm telling it is night and day difference from what I see in most of TN. What grows in overgrown fields and pastures in KY soils is a staggering difference with much of TN. Those northern tier of counties along the KY border have an assemblage of plants most TN deer managers would die for. The volume and quantity of food in those northern Middle TN counties is mind-boggling. And the quality of bucks produced are a direct result.

 

[Ski]

Cool photo....is that buck bedded or running?

Good catch! He was in the process of chasing a doe. There was a hot doe and I got several different bucks on that camera in just a few minutes.