Things that make you go....

[Diamond S]

Huuummmmmmmm!!
This is a photo of "Dewy" the first cloned deer at TAMU. I have watched him from a fawn and if memory serves me, he is now 5. Most of his offspring have been doe. He has two sons, one is a decent but still just average 8 at two years old. His other son is a yearling spike (about 6 to 8 inch spikes)

Dewy was an 8 his first year and has just went from there, I was in a hurry when I took the pic, so I am not sure how many points he has now. I don't know the exact buck, but he came from good blood lines.

So my question to the masses is: If you have a great buck that you give a pass to in order to get better genetics in the heard, what do you think are the chances of him throwing more doe than bucks, and will he really throw bucks with better antlers?

I know some of this has to be dependent on the doe, so do you need to watch the doe you are taking as well as the bucks to get the very best of the best, and if so, how do you determine which doe are the best for producing the best bucks and which ones to cull?

I am so confused now.

[Scout Man]

Good Question.

[FIRETX12]

Just what were you feeding him when you took the pic? Haha

[canny]

Age is the factor in does. Statistics have shown that yearling - 2.5 year old does tend to thrown more buck fawns and the older 4.5+ tend to throw more doe fawns, the ones in the middle are about even.

So this means that you should harvest older does if you are wanting to increase your bucks.

The doe has alot to do with what her offspring will be, but mass is the number one trait thats passed on from father to son.

[slayr]

Even if the does he is breeding are dropping does...they are still carrying his genetics, which in turn will help the herd out.

[Diamond S]

Firetex12, he is all about the attention right now.

Canny, His 2 yo son don't have great mass (could be because he is 2) but he is a near perfect main frame 8...just no width and looks nothing like his father.

slayr, I have to agree, but still, how do you choose which doe to pull the trigger on (if you are attempting to build a better heard) I have not heard what canny is saying, but I also have no reason to doubt it.

Like I stated before...I am so confused.

[Take em]

Does carry genetics too, but you cant tell what is a good one and whats a poor carrier, just have to leave the healthiest ones so the offspring has a better chance.

[Diamond S]

Take em, I have to agree with your logic.

[bmac]

I don't worry about it, if it is mature then he probably has spread plenty of genes around

[Shierry]

You can breed a 200 inch buck to a doe with poor genetics and get average deer, you can in turn take average bucks and breed to does with excellent genetics and they will throw massive antlers. Genetics have just as much to do with the doe as they do with the buck

[Wac M Trac M]

Just let em walk till they are plenty mature and then it's time to harvest. On the average in my area deer are in prime around 6yo..but the usually get shot at 3 which is wrong in my opinion. By his 6th year he should of bred lots of does and hopefully we killed off the junk so he gets his fair go at the girls..That's all you can do.

[Diamond S]

All good comments. Thanks for your time.

[quarterback]

But what if the does that are born from his genetics carry superior big rack genes (and I suspect that they might)? As you said, what do you do to keep the herd balanced but also encourage these does to breed and throw off some future great bucks? I can see shooting cull bucks, but how do we know if it is a "cull" doe or not? I guess the short answer is we don't.

[Diamond S]

QB I think you are correct sir, however, the cull buck thing will have to wait until next year when I see his sons again. If the spike is still a spike at 2 and the 8 is still an 8 at 3 that is really going to shake things up.