Will He Be a Good One Next Year?

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Interesting. Using their forumla, the two 2 year olds that I shot grossing 115, had the potential to get to over 190". But the 120 three old would only ever make it to 150". I'm a little skeptical.
 
It also raises another question....based on their charting, a 2 year old like this, will never have potential....so why pass him at this point?

 
Just remember the numbers presented are just averages for an entire population. Individual bucks will display individual growth rates. Just because a particular bucks displays rapid antler growth rate when young does not mean he will continue that rapid growth rate for the rest of his life.

I don't think this chart is useful when reviewing the potential of an individual buck. But I do believe this chart is useful--and relatively accurate--for assessing average scores per age-class for a given property. I plugged in the numbers I have for average gross score per age-class in my area and the calculations proved amazing accurate at predicting average score for other age-classes.

For example, if the average gross score of 2 1/2s is 60% of maximum, and 3 1/2 is 78% of maximum, and 4 1/2 is 92% of maximum, you can use the average gross score of 2 1/2s in your area to calculate what the average gross score of 3 1/2 and 4 1/2s in your area will be. But remember, when calculating the average gross score of 2 1/2s, you must use ALL 2 1/2s, large and small. Not just the ones hunters have killed, because hunters high-grade bucks for the largest antlers.
 
There is a missing ingredient in there and that is available food. If a buck is not receiving good nutrition during the antler growth season then his rack will suffer and not show potential other than pedicle size.
 
I saw the chart a short while ago and found it most useful to take to deer camp to use as an educational tool to show the big difference a year makes in antler size. My best selling point to fellow landowners to let small bucks pass is when I see a nice 2-1/2 year old buck they took to mention it was probably only a 4 or 6 point last year and maybe someone let it pass a year ago.
 
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tasaman said:
There is a missing ingredient in there and that is available food. If a buck is not receiving good nutrition during the antler growth season then his rack will suffer and not show potential other than pedicle size.
Click to expand...

Your statement above is true, especially in areas where food resources fluctuate dramatically from year to year.

But in areas where foods resources are always poor, the increases in antler size generally do fit the stated percentage increases. But when you start with small antlers at an early age, those percentage increases don't add up to much over time. That's why most big woods mountain deer only average around 100 gross at maturity--because their antlers are so small (due to lack of nutrition) at an early age AND the lack of nutrition continues throughout their lives.
 

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