Same buck?
- Thread starter Acorn Goat
- Start date
Acorn Goat
Well-Known Member
The gate picture you will have to zoom in. The bottom picture is 2 yrs ago and this buck disappeared off that property and found this buck this summer if it is the same he is between 5 and 6 years old
JCDEERMAN
Well-Known Member
Different deer….but definitely the same genes
Different deer.
Hard to tell but very possible that it is the same deer.
backyardtndeer
Well-Known Member
Really hard to tell from those pics.
The buck in your first picture has a curved basket frame with brow tines that tilt outwards. Buck in bottom pic has a square cage frame with brows that point straight up to the sky. It's been my experience that rack frames, especially brow tines don't change their character much over time. They get bigger as the buck ages but the shape and angle stays mostly the same barring some kind of catastrophic damage.
Although not a great example because I couldn't find all four same angle shots, here's one buck over a four year span starting at 1.5yrs. His rack has never changed shape or character, nor did he ever blow up into a monster even though he was very nice for a yearling. Notice his tight basket shape with inward pointed brows. The reason I don't have a lot of pics to pool from is because he never hangs out long. He shows up right at the end of season and stays a couple weeks tops, then is gone until the next winter. Furthermore, he only skirts one edge of my property along a ridge that separates two major hollows. He stays in one hollow and I've never once got pics of him in the other, and I run a lot of cameras. That leads me to believe my property is the very edge of his range, and since I usually get him middle of the night my place is far outside of his core. I believe he was likely born on or near my place and revisits only for late winter food in my plots.
A buck's rack is kind of like a fingerprint. It's his and his alone but they all look similar enough that close scrutiny is sometimes the only way to identify them. And just like their rack is their own, their habits seem to repeat as well from year to year. They each have a unique personality and tendencies all their own. That's why I enjoy setting my goal on one specific buck and exclusively hunting him. It's because I have learned enough about his personality and habits through the years that I feel I've got a legit chance at tagging him. This buck I'd never even try to hunt because my odds of seeing him during season would be like playing the powerball.
Although not a great example because I couldn't find all four same angle shots, here's one buck over a four year span starting at 1.5yrs. His rack has never changed shape or character, nor did he ever blow up into a monster even though he was very nice for a yearling. Notice his tight basket shape with inward pointed brows. The reason I don't have a lot of pics to pool from is because he never hangs out long. He shows up right at the end of season and stays a couple weeks tops, then is gone until the next winter. Furthermore, he only skirts one edge of my property along a ridge that separates two major hollows. He stays in one hollow and I've never once got pics of him in the other, and I run a lot of cameras. That leads me to believe my property is the very edge of his range, and since I usually get him middle of the night my place is far outside of his core. I believe he was likely born on or near my place and revisits only for late winter food in my plots.
A buck's rack is kind of like a fingerprint. It's his and his alone but they all look similar enough that close scrutiny is sometimes the only way to identify them. And just like their rack is their own, their habits seem to repeat as well from year to year. They each have a unique personality and tendencies all their own. That's why I enjoy setting my goal on one specific buck and exclusively hunting him. It's because I have learned enough about his personality and habits through the years that I feel I've got a legit chance at tagging him. This buck I'd never even try to hunt because my odds of seeing him during season would be like playing the powerball.
JCDEERMAN
Well-Known Member
That's a mouthful right there, but it's the truth for sure!
