QDM Naturally...

[Mr Bya Lungshot]

I hunted for one specific deer 8 years straight.
Rarely catching a glimpse, a photo, but I did find many many of his sheds or pieces of them years late. From 7 to 8 he only grew a quarter of an inch per tine. I thought he had topped out and soon to be on the decline.
Lost the land and never got the deer.
Many years later I just happened upon a mount that looked familiar. Interested I began asking questions about who what where when and why. After doing the math and comparing sheds to the mount, I believe I found him at 15 years old at time of death. Twice the size of what I believe was the county record at the time. His rack was definitely not on the decline and was killed where I hunted him only doubled in size inches and mass. A freak of nature his entire life. Believe it or not. First hand experience.

 

[Mark K]

You found his offspring...which shows what a trophy buck can produce.

 

[Mr Bya Lungshot]

You found his offspring...which shows what a trophy buck can produce.

Sheds match too closely. Curves all match, knots match, points match,
Everything matches just bigger better wider longer and twice the mass.
Same deer fully convinced and zero doubt.

 

[sea trout]

So... I hunt in a Sandhill Club..Planted pines for Miles.. No Agriculture anywhere but yet..
A Buck scoring over 200 Inches was found dead in my County.
1950's ,But how did this happen ?
Over 200 inches in sand and pines in North Florida , land of Scrub Bucks and small 8's
200 inches without Minerals , Feeders , QDM , Salt licks and Trophy let them walk rules.
Freak of Nature or just age on that Buck ?

The buck was there in 1950's???
I don't know but maybe in 1950 you're club was not managed pine, maybe it was cattle or crop ag.
Did they restock you're area with deer from the great lake states and what were the years?

I hunt a club in Wilkes co. Our club is managed pine surrounded by other clubs of managed pine. Our deer at 4 and 5 years old honestly score around 115-130 inches.
But pine management came to our area around the 70's and 80's. Older gentelman hunters will gladly talk to you about the crop and cattle ag in that area before the pine management, They had better soil and more oak trees and bigger bucks.
Even the GON magazine once a year has county by county records and it seems, (according to the GON records and the elders I talk to), that the glory days for huge Wilkes co bucks was in the 70's. Maybe earlier than that as well.

Sorry didn't mean to make this about my club. Just wanted to give you an Idea of possibility from another perspective. If you have time, ask around or research the history of the property you hunt.
Good luck man!!!

 

[Jim Boyd]

This one is not a freak by any means but a great SC deer.

Had him on cam in the very same small area year after year.

Lost him at about age 7 or 8 (estimated) but there is no doubt he was going downhill. Not fast, but definitely going.

At his peak (age 6, I think) I estimated him at 140” and 235 # or so.

The last couple years, he declined appreciably.

There will always be anecdotal stories about ____________ (fill in blank) that defy the laws of nature.

Some are just that (stories) and there are examples that STRETCH the laws of nature but in the end you cannot DENY them.

Pretty sure these pics are age 7.

Best of luck.

.

 

[nmurph]

Deer tend to go down anywhere bw .5 - 1.5YO around here.

 

[GameMgr270]

I’ve killed them at 6, 7, 8 confirmed ages and named/watched all since were young. Also killed one, unsure, but guessed 9+.
All go through a normal growth cycle much like humans do.
Tine length peaks at 5. At 6 they will have the highest balance of both mass and tine length although length typically ever so slightly less than 5 but more mass. At 7 they lose more length and gain mass. At 8 little shorter and more mass. They eventually “shrink” down to a ton of mass but smaller points. Like some have already stated, this lifecycle cannot be cheated. Not too many 65yr old men out there going through growth spurts and growing inches in a year.

One thing I always ponder though is what does happen to them as they get 9-11+yrs. Do they wear their teeth out? Get bad back or joint issues like cattle? Just get to the point where they can’t go anymore and just starve to death bedded in one final spot? Somehow, they all disappear. They all aren’t being shot, least not in my neck of woods. Would love to follow some that were not hunted via radio collars over a life span and see what finally did them in.

 

[tcward]

N

I thought it was a bream.

No it’s a croppie as Yankees call em...

 

[howboutthemdawgs]

A lot of misinformation and half truths thrown around which is common for deer hunting. People should listen to this by Dr Craig Harper. Will help understand the role soil plays (or doesn’t play) in growing antlers and maybe stop some folks from throwing around absolutes with regards to what an area can produce. Super interesting and actual science as opposed to deer cooler talk, which is generally wrong.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?st...5573834450&refsrc=http://www.google.com/&_rdr

 

[swamp hunter]

Sea Trout , You throw an interesting though .
I don't know if in the 1950's my Timber Lease was Planted Pines or the last of the wiregrass , Longleaf Savanna , With a great understory of Browse.
That would certainly help with food , but the Soils are pretty poor all over and have been since the Gulf receded further offshore.
No real Ag. , maybe a few Baccer farms but that's it. Bet it was Brown and Down as well . Rural folks didn't care about Mass and Tines in the 50's....

 

[Blisterapine]

Folks forget the majority of mature bucks just have "normal" racks,. Mature buck is the key to success. Only a few 5 1/2 year olds have killer racks, just like most dudes are 5'9" not 6'6"

 

[Mark K]

True^^^we have several deer in the 5.5-6.5 range that may go 115” max. Then again we have several 2.5-3.5 that will go 130”. Just got to let them grow to see who makes what. Something we have learned is if it’s an 8pt at 3.5-4.5 it will be an 8pt at 5.5+. Trying to leave the 10’s and start taking the 8’s out. Even then, some 10’s have tines that max out at 6”, they will more than likely never be trophy class.
I do know shooting a deer at 2.5 and you’ll never know what his potential will be. Doesn’t take any skill whatsoever to take a 1.5-2.5 year old buck, and that’s a fact. I’m more impressed with a does ability to avoid danger at that age than a buck.