This is a great little article that show the progression of a bucks antler development though out his life. The photography is excellent. http://www.realtree.com/deer-hunting/galleries/photo-gallery-from-buttons-to-booner
I am a huge fan of Charles J. Alsheimer. I don't idolize many people in the deer world but he is one of the very very few that I hold in very high regard. There are people that talk the talk and don't walk the walk but this guy is the real deal.
That was an awesome article felt like I was the one watching him grow from a spike to a monster buck...Thanks for sharing really enjoyed it!
I think this article will be really eye opening for a number of hunters. What a cool article! Gota let them grow to at least 4 1/2 to know what you are going to get!
Pretty neat article. Surprising how old they'll get if left alone really. Sent from my SM-G900R4 using Tapatalk
Some background info for those of you that are unfamiliar with the area this article is referring too. The Adirondacks are for the most part terrible deer habitat. They consist of the Adirondack park which is the largest park in the lower 48 states. Most of which is forever wild. Farming is minimal to non existent in most of the park. Deer densities are very low and in most counties the kill is about 1-2 DEER per square mile. Keeping in mind that while deer in habit the entire region, there are pockets of habitat that hold more deer and therefore have more deer killed ....so the 1-2 deer per squ mile killed isn't far off the mark....tough/ terrible hunting. There are areas along the western and northern fringes of the part ( the st Lawrence valley for example ) that have much better habitat. I am not 100% sure where this buck was located or if it was in the park proper or on the outskirts. The author mentions 30-40 deer living on the estate (3000 acres) using the high number that is about 8.8 deer per square mile!! I also do feel that the pictures are in no indicative to the avg mature buck in the Adirondacks. Most 4-8 year bucks that I have seen would measure between 110-140. But not knowing were this buck lived it's hard to make any assumptions except that no doubt supplemental feeding and no hunting pressure had an impact on this bucks progression. All in all the article serves as one of the best illustrations I have seen in so far age progression vs antler size.
Some background info for those of you that are unfamiliar with the area this article is referring too. The Adirondacks are for the most part terrible deer habitat. They consist of the Adirondack park which is the largest park in the lower 48 states. Most of which is forever wild. Farming is minimal to non existent in most of the park. Deer densities are very low and in most counties the kill is about 1-2 DEER per square mile. Keeping in mind that while deer in habit the entire region, there are pockets of habitat that hold more deer and therefore have more deer killed ....so the 1-2 deer per squ mile killed isn't far off the mark....tough/ terrible hunting. There are areas along the western and northern fringes of the part ( the st Lawrence valley for example ) that have much better habitat. I am not 100% sure where this buck was located or if it was in the park proper or on the outskirts. The author mentions 30-40 deer living on the estate (3000 acres) using the high number that is about 8.8 deer per square mile!! I also do feel that the pictures are in no indicative to the avg mature buck in the Adirondacks. Most 4-8 year bucks that I have seen would measure between 110-140. But not knowing were this buck lived it's hard to make any assumptions except that no doubt supplemental feeding and no hunting pressure had an impact on this bucks progression. All in all the article serves as one of the best illustrations I have seen in so far age progression vs antler size.
Some background info for those of you that are unfamiliar with the area this article is referring too. The Adirondacks are for the most part terrible deer habitat. They consist of the Adirondack park which is the largest park in the lower 48 states. Most of which is forever wild. Farming is minimal to non existent in most of the park. Deer densities are very low and in most counties the kill is about 1-2 DEER per square mile. Keeping in mind that while deer in habit the entire region, there are pockets of habitat that hold more deer and therefore have more deer killed ....so the 1-2 deer per squ mile killed isn't far off the mark....tough/ terrible hunting. There are areas along the western and northern fringes of the part ( the st Lawrence valley for example ) that have much better habitat. I am not 100% sure where this buck was located or if it was in the park proper or on the outskirts. The author mentions 30-40 deer living on the estate (3000 acres) using the high number that is about 8.8 deer per square mile!! I also do feel that the pictures are in no indicative to the avg mature buck in the Adirondacks. Most 4-8 year bucks that I have seen would measure between 110-140. But not knowing were this buck lived it's hard to make any assumptions except that no doubt supplemental feeding and no hunting pressure had an impact on this bucks progression. All in all the article serves as one of the best illustrations I have seen in so far age progression vs antler size.