Check this out & vote! It's an anonymous poll, so if you have a lofty reputation to uphold, you're safe! 2009 2011
Check this out and vote. I thought he looked like he was over the hill in '09, then in '11, I started seeing this buck that looked eerily similar in the same mineral hole. I just figured - same gene pool... whatev... Then, at the last cam check, now that he'd had time to fully frame out, it was like groundhog day. He's apparently absolutely topped-out. Funny thing is - for being 2 years older, if indeed he's the same deer, his body composition looks identical to 2009. He doesn't seem to be getting much more in the line of a sway back or pot gut. I can't find any of this guy's sheds either, so he goes off my grid for winter. The whole situation is just strange.
I think it is the same deer but it sure is weird that nothing seems to have changed. Blessings......Pastorjim
Jim, I'm right there with you, buddy. I absolutely can't believe how the picture from '09 looks like a carbon copy of the pic from '11. And just to prove that I'm not jerking your chains, you can tell that the pics were taken with different cameras by the different (slightly) date/time stamp formatting at the bottom of the picture. Also, you can see the different weed/tree foliage. Do any of you guys have any similar pics of bucks that just seem to be absolutely unable to grow from year to year, and keep re-growing the SAME rack? I've gotten a ton of pics/sheds of the same bucks year-after-year, and this is the only one where it doesn't appear to have changed at all.
Pretty sure that it is the same deer also. Interesting that you got both pictures right at the end of July both years. Can't believe that he hasn't put on any size in 2 years. Would be a good one to take this year for just that reason too!
Same deer. On his left side brow it tips inward at the end in both pics. Weird that he really hasn't changed much. Without the time stamps I'd say is was same deer same year.
Same deer for sure!.... I have pic of a 160" buck from 2008-2010 that made no jumps in inches, but kept the identical rack! That deers def a warrior to make it this long, hes def mature
I remember hearing a game biologist talking about how old deer just end up maxing out on what they can grow. The biologist mentioned that deer racks could actually grow smaller as the deer got closer to the end of their life. Their bodies, much like ours, lose some of the efficiency of processing nutrients from their food and their racks are the first thing to suffer. It makes sense, antlers are non-essential compared to the overall health of an aging deer.
