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Growth of a 3-4-5 Year old

loneranger said:
Sorry if I offended anyone. If horns are your thing,,good for you. They just aren't for me. Interesting to see ,but age means more to me.
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Not about horns?!?!? :p:D:rolleyes::confused: We agree on a lot LR and nothing but respect for you, and yes, we disagree on some things too! :) But man, even non-hunters appreciate a "GIANT BUCK", it's one of God's creations and "not all are created equal" - I sure appreciate the RARE masterpiece that blesses the occassional farm on the occasional year - a genetic gem that maybe is or could be 200" or WHATEVER. I think one of the coolest things about WHITETAILS is how different one rack can look from one animal to the next- it's so vast you'd think you're hunting a totally different type of animal. Mallard ducks, for example, sure - they all look the same pretty much. Whitetails, the variety and capabilities for racks is something that intrigues me to no end.
NO, no one should be offended by your comments though, I'm not and nothing wrong with your position. I just look at it different, it's all good though. And the part of you I do agree with... Even the 135" 7 year old, that's a trophy as well, that age is something spectacular when you can connect with an OLD buck, no doubt, agree 100%!
 
loneranger said:
Sorry if I offended anyone. If horns are your thing,,good for you. They just aren't for me. Interesting to see ,but age means more to me.
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As Skip said, no offense taken. I'm in the same boat as you! Don't get me wrong, I love big antlers, but quiet frankly I've personally seen what it can do to a person, as it ruined hunting for myself for a couple years chasing one deer and one deer only. I've never been blessed enough to kill a giant, however I don't allow how big of deer i kill to solidify how good of "hunter" I am. Some guys look to kill a big deer solely for the excitement while others look to kill a big buck so they can "make" a name for themselves.

And Skip, don't bring mallards into the mix :D:D Working a flock of 500+ mallards and having them finish in your face is something every hunter should experience, however your right; picking up a green head feels the same each and every time :mad: ha ha.
 
Great responses by all. I really appreciate all the input you guys have given me so far. I also am not a "antler hunter" I love seeing deer grow. But don't get me wrong, I'd love to have a deer that I can take to the Iowa Deer Classic.

But I give as much respect to the animal as I can. Seeing a deer make it all those years I've noticed just from my years of gun hunting is truly an amazing thing. This year I passed on several young bucks, eventually settling on one that I thought was much bigger when I shot him, to let grow for the next years. This year I harvested a 5+ year old deer that had a genetic defect in his antler (even though I thought it was pretty cool) that would probably be declining in next years potential antler growth.

I will attach a few pictures momentarily for you guys to comment on and give me some input. BDAHMS and myself have discussed a few of these deer quite often and we both have our opinions on them. Just curious to see what some of you think. Won't be attatching them for any other reason but just as examples of a few deer I have on my property to hunt, and what you all think they could turn into given I have an opportunity on them next year! I believe I have two 3 year old and one 4 year old.

Ill attach the pics soon.
 
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3 year old "whiskey" above and below

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Above and below again. Believe to be a 3 year old. Would have been a 10 pt if not broke off in two spots

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And finally what I believe to be a four year old. Most potential IMO to really grow next year...

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Just a couple of examples of deer I'm looking at for next year. I don't expect any of the three to be "trophy whitetails" but I do expect 1 unsure of harvestable deer next year (1st deer pictured) 1 maybe (second deer) and the last pictured deer I'm definatley going after! I'm guessing the 1st deer pictured to be in the 140 range next year hopefully, as the same with the 2nd buck if he can get some width and mass to him, and the last deer hopefully to get 160-165 anything above that would be an added bonus.

Don't mean to direct this thread to "my deer" just giving some examples of what some potential up and comers could grow to!
 
In 2013 I passed on a big framed 6 pointer at least 10 times with my bow and once with my muzzleloader. My brother in law and I suspected he was a 3 year old. Low and behold, he got big this year, but was still a 6 pointer and one of the most dominant bucks on the farm. I never saw him during bow season, but got a close opportunity during 1st gun season with my muzzleloader and was fortunate enough to get him. He was the buck I wanted to harvest more then any other. Even though he "only" scored 118", he was a mature deer and I was thrilled. He is and will probably forever be the biggest 6 pointer I've ever seen.
 
Matthewfox_45 said:
In 2013 I passed on a big framed 6 pointer at least 10 times with my bow and once with my muzzleloader. My brother in law and I suspected he was a 3 year old. Low and behold, he got big this year, but was still a 6 pointer and one of the most dominant bucks on the farm. I never saw him during bow season, but got a close opportunity during 1st gun season with my muzzleloader and was fortunate enough to get him. He was the buck I wanted to harvest more then any other. Even though he "only" scored 118", he was a mature deer and I was thrilled. He is and will probably forever be the biggest 6 pointer I've ever seen.
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Do you have a picture?

That's a big 6!
 
Mr. Deeds said:
Great responses by all. I really appreciate all the input you guys have given me so far.....

...... I believe I have two 3 year old and one 4 year old.

Ill attach the pics soon.
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FWIW: Without more body pix & additional history, I wouldn't bet against your "3 year old" deer actually being 2 year old deer...
 
I agree with Horse Doctor and your 4yr old may be a 3yr old. That is the deer you want hunt next year. Should be in 160"s
 
I am with the other guys on this one. The believed 4 year old could a 3 year old but either way he will be a great deer next season.

I believe the most potential for growth of a giant may be the deer you believe to be a 3 year old 10pt with busted up rack. He could be 2 year old in my opinion but either way with a couple of years of growth and all those tines stacked up on that small frame could explode.

Great looking bucks!
 
Then you have bucks that don't gain more than 20 inches from 3-7 yrs of age. I think there is no real good average because it varies so much from area to area and with genetics having such a factor
 
My buddies son shot one this year that was a low 140s deer the year before and this year was a 220incher. I wouldn't beleive it if they did not have the sheds. They believe it was his 3.5 to 4.5 year old jump.
 
MN buck jumped 50

One of my good friends had sheds that would score around 125 or so. The next year as a 4 year old he hit 173 gross. This was in MN on a sandy soil farm??

He has incredible food plots and habitat, but that was an extreme jump, hard to explain?
 
DarkArcher said:
Here is a crazy jump on a great deer that has vanished....The top 2 pics are of this deer in 2011, the next 2 are of the deer in 2012. Never got any good hard horn pics as he left the farm in 2011 but was showing up on all the same cams in 2012. I guess I can't say for sure that it is the same deer but the frames sure look to be the same and the deer was in all the same spots the following summer. I found 8 bucks dead on this property of EHD in '12. This was the only deer that I had on camera religiously that I didn't find dead. No idea where he ended up, too bad because he was a giant.

Any thoughts guys? Same deer? Different deer, same genetics?
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That is a crazy amount of growth but I would agree that from everything you describe and the appearances it looks to be the same deer.
 
I am completely guessing on this one because he was never killed (by a hunter at least) so his teeth were never sent in.... I think this is 5 to 6

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This is actually Michigan, but I think a lot of the "good" deer in Iowa follow a similar growth pattern. He was killed at 4.5 and scored 177" gross.

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