This was the main topic on our deer hunting trip during christmas and it was two against one saying that no, they will never have brow tines. I was one of the two saying no with a fellow tbh member being the one saying maybe. I would like for somebody to bring some solid information proving either way, becuase i've never seen anything that says a 2.5 year old buck without brow tines will/could at some point have brow tines. I'd like to think it's possible, since there are a few good deer where we hunt without brow tines. But until i see some facts, i'm going to claim that deer a cull.
-
-
I can't give you "facts and figures" but the prevailing opinion in management theory is that 2 1/2 is too young to draw firm conclusions on genetic potential. I'd say if he is 3 1/2 and still doesn't have brow tines he probably won't ever have decent brow tines (if any). -
I'm not a scientist, but on my last lease, (of 20 years), we initially had the no brow gene. We decided that the only culls that we would take for a few years could not have brows. The deer also had to be 2.5yo or more. It took a few years of hard culling, but we did get rid of that trait. We rarely saw a deer without brows for the last 10 years.Comment
-
Kerr WMA paperwork we go by for management lists a 3.5 with little or no tines as a cull, I shot an 4.5 YO 8 2yrs ago with 1 inch tines for that reason, (16 " spread); this yr I shot his son/grandson... 3.5 YO 8 with 1 inch tines (13" spread). We usually see 2.5/3.5 YO bucks with 3 to 4 inch brow tines, we don't want the little/no tine length gene on our place. Good luck convinceing the others on your lease to cull them. I'll post some pics when I get home and you can see the resemblance. Not a good trait/characteristic to have breading on a ranch IMOComment
-
if they dont have them by 2.5/3.5 they probably wont have themComment
-
the small tine gene is exactly what is becoming a big deal on the place where we hunt at. But it's not my place, we just get invited to hunt there every year, so it's really not my call to shoot them. Plus, we shot 4 bucks this year and only one had good brow tines. Numerous other bucks we saw had little brow tines. Not sure there are a whole lot of bucks on that place with good brow tines these days.Originally posted by tx-burt View PostComment
-
I'll agree with this.Originally posted by cosmiccowboy View Post
He might eventually grow brows, but they will probably be short ones. I used to HATE short brows on deer. But, I have mounted so many bucks scoring 170"- 180"+ with brows less than 2" that it doesn't bother me anymore.Comment
-
-
TttComment
-
I shot one this year that was 4 1/2 with no brows. Last year he had no brows at 3 1/2 and I let him go to see if he would possibly grow them.... hes dead now and got one more year of breeding which should not have been allowedComment
-
Good Info!Comment
-
Why would the simple fact that a deer lacking brow tines constitute it being a cull? I killed my biggest deer to date and he doesn't have any brow tines. I watched this deer for 3 years be the dominate buck in the area. I know he has bred does and I have yet to see another buck in the area with no brow tines. This deer aged out at 7.5 and was killed three years ago. Based on everyones theories I should have deer with no brow tines running all over the place.......Comment
-
Thats some interesting info actually! Lots of the deer on our lease have very short brow tines, 2 inchs on average and a few with none at all here and there on occasion. Over the last few years we have culled the deer with no brows and have tried to leave every deer possible with respectable brows and our herd looks much better in the brow tine department here latelyOriginally posted by bowhuntertex View Post
Is it a common gene on your place? I have always been for culling deer with no brows due to there offspring carrying there genes... What are your thoughts?
Comment
-
He is the only deer I have ever seen here with no brows in 15 years. I feel that does have more say in a bucks characteristics than the daddy.......but I also think a cull depends on the size of your place and how much your management practices affect the overall deer herd. I hunt small property and trying to manage deer based on horns alone is impossible. I try and not shoot any deer that is 4.5 or younger. That includes does. I don't get a good feel for what a bucks potential is until they make that jump to 5.5.........Originally posted by BadtotheBow View PostThats some interesting info actually! Lots of the deer on our lease have very short brow tines, 2 inchs on average and a few with none at all here and there on occasion. Over the last few years we have culled the deer with no brows and have tried to leave every deer possible with respectable brows and our herd looks much better in the brow tine department here lately Is it a common gene on your place? I have always been for culling deer with no brows due to there offspring carrying there genes... What are your thoughts?
but to answer the original question, I do believe that if they start out with no brows they will probably never have them. I don't think this makes them inferior. I have seen deer that scored in the 150's that didn't have brows. I would be very happy with a trophy that big.....Comment
-
If you don't have them running around, then maybe your buck wasn't the dominant one or at least getting, never mind...Originally posted by bowhuntertex View Post
Here's a excert from the Kerr WMA...http://www.buckmanager.com/category/deer-management/
Missing Brow Points
Brow points (G1) are important. Plain and simple, whitetail bucks should have brow points once they reach 2 years of age. Not only are bucks expected to have brow points, but the presence of these tines is genetically dominant over deer with one or no brow points. If bucks are missing one or both brow points, then these animals need to be removed from the herd. I have been on several ranches where many of the bucks were missing brow points. The only way to ensure that whitetail bucks have brow points on a property is to remove what you can see, bucks without them.
Short Points
Bucks with short antler points are undesirable to most hunters and deer managers. When we think of great whitetail bucks, we immediately think of deer with longer points, particularly from the G2 on up. Short-tined bucks not only look inferior, they are genetically. I like to think that Mother Nature would want bucks to have long tines so that they could use them more effectively to defend themselves. In reality, body size is much more important when it comes to dominance, but short points in your deer herd means hunters get the short end of the stick.
I'm not an Ag or taken any Wildlife Bio classes, so I look to those that have and who have studied them over time. I base my decisions on what they say when it comes to culling. Kerr WMA has the longest ongoing study going I beleive. What they say make sence so I will continue to base our management on what they find.Comment
Comment