Brow tines: To Kill or not to Kill?

[Punkin]

Mute point. Should have "Live Hunted" a thread. I-phoned a picture before harvest for a vote or what ever you wanted, then made the decision!

Agreed that would have been a better scenario, but not really plausable(spelling). I wasn't prepared to shoot this one since I hadn't seen him before. I was lookin for does. Plus I have no phone service at my lease so the "live hunt" is a little difficult for me.

[mjhaverkamp]

shoot !

[scooter1982]

Im new to "texas sized deer", and do not have anything but horns popping out of a plastic bag to guess age, but he looks like a 1.5 for what I'm used to. Should have let him walk.

[Punkin]

Im new to "texas sized deer", and do not have anything but horns popping out of a plastic bag to guess age, but he looks like a 1.5 for what I'm used to. Should have let him walk.

We age by the teeth. He was 2.5 min 3.5 max.

[Exit110]

Maybe I'm the odd guy out.... but since its out of the norm for a buck to have no brow tines.....I would have let him walk and shoot him when he's mature. That would a be a cool deer when he's older.

It sounds like alot of people would prefer getting a few more inches of B&C score rather than letting a unique animal live to maturity.

I understand what you are getting at, but. If you had a place like mine you would most likely not feel this way. For 4 years we have tried to shoot every buck 2.5 and older with no brows, and we are still getting them. Both my sons have taken nice bucks, a real nice 7, and a nine missing brows, and last year we had a six that was pushing p&y. The point is, once this problem gets started, brows are whats out of the norm, and this sucks for a brow tine fan.. Oh and yes this year we took a nine and a six with no brows. Dont let him breed for another year... IMO!

[alexs2011]

drop them

[Speedgoat]

Cull in my book as well.

[Barnman]

I say good kill. Don't let Gerrit give you a hard time about killing that deer. He is just mad he didn't shot it first.

[Firecuss]

Cull.... Needed to go fo sho

[Punkin]

I say good kill. Don't let Gerrit give you a hard time about killing that deer. He is just mad he didn't shot it first.

LMAO...so far this year mine's still bigger than his

[PoacherPatrol]

That is a cull buck. Good kill in my opinion.

[DaddyO]

Definitely a cull.

[dbrock63]

Hunting groups choice. We let them go until they are 3.5. Even the spikes we let them go to 3.5. That does not make it right. What seems to make the biggest difference is what the groups thinks so everybody gets along. Suck when all the hunters are not on the same page. I think it is much more important what age you shoot your big bucks!!!

[Punkin]

Hunting groups choice. We let them go until they are 3.5. Even the spikes we let them go to 3.5. That does not make it right. What seems to make the biggest difference is what the groups thinks so everybody gets along. Suck when all the hunters are not on the same page. I think it is much more important what age you shoot your big bucks!!!

Big bucks are min 4.5 but recently we've been trying to aim for more the 6.5 to 7.5 range

[SFAthumper]

having had the opportunity to work with and along side the best in the business, ive learned alot about antler growth vs age vs culling. Browtines are the most inheritable antler trait. In other words, if this buck had done any breeding, he could very easily pass this trait on to his offspring. Also, browtines typically show up at young ages before other points and other antler characteristics (mass, beam length, spread, etc)

At age 2.5, you do run the possibility of the buck not showing his full potential. A recent study has shown that bucks at young ages can get caught in a "catch up" scenario from a variety of environmental influences. In layman's terms, if this buck had a bad start at birth or even in the first year of his life, his antlers can show direct results of that. When bucks have a bad start to life, for whatever reason, they play the catch up game. Their antler growth may be subpar at 1.5 and 2.5 but at 3.5 and 4.5 they can start catching up to the average bucks of their same age class.

in hind sight, discuss these topics with the other hunters of your group and come to a group decision on bucks such as this....

best of luck