Explain this Buck

[gil1]

My buddy shot this strange buck. He thought it was a really big doe. His eight yr. old son didn't shoot it but has been going a bunch with daddy for a couple years, and this is his first time to witness closing the deal. Is he fired up or what?

I wasn't there to see it, but my buddy said it field dressed at about 110 pounds and looked to be maybe 1 1/2 yrs. old.

I have seen this once before where the antlers are just barely more than a button but weak even for a spike. They are not broken off, just very short. Can anyone explain what's going on here? Just stunted growth or what? The herd seems to be healthy. Thanks.

 

[pass-thru]

I don't know. I think some deer allocate their resources to antler growth, others to body growth.

Last year I shot a 2.5 year old 8 point. He crashed off and died 60 yards away. The sound of the comotion brought a large "antlerless" deer in. The deer ran in and stopped about 60 yards away. Clearly not a fawn. It appeared to be a mature doe. I studied the head for a good 3-4 minutes as it stood still looking for the source of the noise. I could not see buttons. So I shot. It turned out to be a 1.5 year old buck with antlers that did not break the hairline. Very healthy body, I forget what he weighed but it was 10-15 #'s more than the 2 year old I had just shot. I was so PO'd I didn't keep the antlers. I regret that now.

 

[8 POINTS OR BETTER]

Just and early born fawn.

 

[Diehard Hunter]

Every deer is an individual. they are all genetically unique.

Antlers, like alot of other body parts, have a normal distribution, which means some deer have very small antlers, some have very large antlers, but most are close to the average. What he killed was probably one those that fell into the "alot smaller than average" category.

Contrary to popular belief, not all deer will develop big racks, no matter how old they get.

 

[pass-thru]

I agree that there is a bell curve for antler growth, and that even though a lot of factors affect that distribution, some bucks will never grow a nice rack even with perfect, habitat,etc.

But I don't think a buck's first rack is much indication of where he will eventually fall out in that distribution.

that said, did you pull the jawbone to confirm that he is in fact a yearling and not a fawn? ...that snout looks aweful short

 

[megalomaniac]

Probably a late born fawn from last year if it dressed 110lbs...

seen ones just like it 3 times in the past 2 years (one in TN and two in MS)

 

[DWM]

Looks like a fawn to me. Doesn't look like that deer would weigh anywhere close to 110. Maybe its just the way the picture looks.

 

[stik]

Looks like a fawn to me. Doesn't look like that deer would weigh anywhere close to 110. Maybe its just the way the picture looks.

agree. looks like a 50 lb deer to me.

 

[AllOutdoors]

Looks like a fawn to me. Doesn't look like that deer would weigh anywhere close to 110. Maybe its just the way the picture looks.

agree. looks like a 50 lb deer to me.

Agreed.

 

[BSK]

Probably a late born fawn from last year if it dressed 110lbs...

seen ones just like it 3 times in the past 2 years (one in TN and two in MS)

Agreed--very late-born yearling buck. Button bucks do not grow hardened bone antlers like that. He was probably several months younger than other yearling bucks and just wasn't old enough to put much growth-effort into antlers this last summer.

I've seen (and killed) little yearlings with "acorn" antlers like that during doe culling projects.

 

[tellico4x4]

Probably a late born fawn from last year if it dressed 110lbs...

seen ones just like it 3 times in the past 2 years (one in TN and two in MS)

Agreed--very late-born yearling buck. Button bucks do not grow hardened bone antlers like that. He was probably several months younger than other yearling bucks and just wasn't old enough to put much growth-effort into antlers this last summer.

I've seen (and killed) little yearlings with "acorn" antlers like that during doe culling projects.

Hate to say it, but I killed one this year for a doe. The "acorns" did not protrude thru skin but 1/8". They didn't even make a bump in the hair, much less poke thru..weighed 92 lbs.

 

[BSK]

Probably a late born fawn from last year if it dressed 110lbs...

seen ones just like it 3 times in the past 2 years (one in TN and two in MS)

Agreed--very late-born yearling buck. Button bucks do not grow hardened bone antlers like that. He was probably several months younger than other yearling bucks and just wasn't old enough to put much growth-effort into antlers this last summer.

I've seen (and killed) little yearlings with "acorn" antlers like that during doe culling projects.

Hate to say it, but I killed one this year for a doe. The "acorns" did not protrude thru skin but 1/8". They didn't even make a bump in the hair, much less poke thru..weighed 92 lbs.

Been there, done that. In a doe culling project in GA, I looked over an unusually large solitary doe for a good 10 minutes with binoculars. I could see nothing on the "does" head, so I killed her. "She" was a very underdeveloped (probably late-born) yearling buck with little acorn antlers that did not show above the hairline.

 

[Winchester]

I agree late born fawn from the year before. Definitely not this years fawn as they dont have hard polished antler like that.

 

[BSK]

Several years ago I had the chance to look this little guy over for about 15 minutes as he fed under my stand. Definitely a yearling buck, despite his lack of antler development. He even had a very active forehead gland where he had been trying to rub (with what I have no idea).

 

[Biggun4214]

My son killed a 2 1/2+ last year that had nubs like that. He killed a 4 point this year that the antlers were barely 3 inches.

 

[buckhorn40]

110?

 

[gil1]

110?

Yeah, looks to me like my buddy misjudged the weight.

 

[156p&y]

I have one just like it on a place I hunt.

 

[Boone 58]

 

[BSK]

Just got a picture of another of these "acorn antler" yearling bucks on my place. VERY late-born buck.

 

[Football Hunter]

I almost shot a very small spike a couple times this year during bow.Had very short antlers,hid behind his ears.

 

[BSK]

Unfortunately, these sub-legal spike and "acorn" yearlings are way behind the 8-ball. They will probably never catch up in body and antler size to other bucks of the same age-class.

 

[8 POINTS OR BETTER]

Unfortunately, these sub-legal spike and "acorn" yearlings are way behind the 8-ball. They will probably never catch up in body and antler size to other bucks of the same age-class.

Do you think he would have a chance of being better, antler and body wise, than the average 4.5 year old when he is 5 years old?

 

[BSK]

Unfortunately, these sub-legal spike and "acorn" yearlings are way behind the 8-ball. They will probably never catch up in body and antler size to other bucks of the same age-class.

Do you think he would have a chance of being better, antler and body wise, than the average 4.5 year old when he is 5 years old?

No. In most cases, there is only a small percentage increase between 4 1/2 and 5 1/2 in gross score. Now that doesn't mean some individual bucks don't "explode" between 4 and 5 years of age (I've certainly seen that happen), but I've also seen individual bucks decrease in gross score from 4 to 5. On average, antler improvement between those age-classes is just a few percentage points (3-5% increase).

As they advance into the older age-classes, these very late-born bucks could easily end up growing antlers 20-50 inches below the average for their age. I strongly suspect that many of the ultra-low antler growth bucks seen in the wild started life as very late-born button bucks. Now anything is possible in Nature, but on average...

 

[8 POINTS OR BETTER]

What would be the the reasons for them staying below average?

 

[gil1]

Just got a picture of another of these "acorn antler" yearling bucks on my place. VERY late-born buck.

Do you mind posting? Thanks.

 

[BSK]

What would be the the reasons for them staying below average?

Nobody really knows, but it has been noted in numerous studies that young deer that "miss out" on early growth periods never catch up. Basically, a deer's total skeletal frame (length, heigth) is built by the the time they are 2 years old. This simply put on muscle mass after that. And it appears that if a deer misses any growing time up to 2 years of age, it is permanently "missed."

Probably the most interesting new findings are the powerful role that prenatal development plays in ultimate growth potential of a buck. These studies are clearly indicating that pregnant mother does that experience poor nutrition during pregnancy produce fawns that are stunted for life, no matter how well those offspring are fed later in life. This goes for both body size and later antler development of male offspring. In essence, if a buck's mother was undernurished while she was pregnant with him, his antler development is stunted for life, no matter how well he feeds as an adult buck. Take the same mother doe, feed her well during future pregnancies, and her future male offspring will produce much larger antlers at maturity.

This is why I tell landowners that the benefits of a good QDM program will continue to manifest themselves for many, many years. It can literally take a decade or more to see maximum results. When a plan is implemented, first the current population of deer must be balanced (sex ratio, age structure, and balanced with the habitat's food production ability). Then, it is only the offspring born after full balance is acheived that will perform to their maximum ability. So for example, let's say it takes 5 years to get a local population of deer in balance sexually, age-wise, and in balance with the habitat. It is only the offspring born after balance is acheived that have the potential to reach maximum growth, and only at maturity. So 5 years to balance the population and 5 more years for offspring born after balance is acheived to reach maturity and display their maximum potential. This means it takes at least 10 years to see a program's full potential results.

 

[BSK]

Just got a picture of another of these "acorn antler" yearling bucks on my place. VERY late-born buck.

Do you mind posting? Thanks.

Little late-born "acorn" yearling buck at a scrape:

 

[gil1]

Thanks,BSK.

 

[BigAl]

I've had a couple of similar bucks in my backyard the last couple of weeks. For the first 10 mins I thought one of them was a doe. Here are some pics: