Short to huge brow tines in one year? I have a buck on our property this year with a dandy set of brow tines. Im sure he is 3 or 4 but dont really have a guess either way. I have some pics from last year of s very similar buck that looks like a standard 2 Yr old 8 pointer. After a little review it certainly appears it could be the same buck from last year. Last year he had 2 Inch brows and this year they are more like 6. Seems like a big jump as he went from 85 to 120 inches as well. Any thoughts on age vs big browes? Obviously I realize not all big deer will get big eyeguards. I think those tall tines threw me off on which deer it is honestly. I will try to get a comparision shot up shortly. Feel free to throw me a bone on age and score....If I get the chance hes a shooter all day everyday to me
Sure as a buck gets older his antlers will get better, but at the same time an old buck may have very small brow tines. I think genetics has a lot to do with it. I killed an old 8 a few years ago that had about 2 inch brows, but very long g2's..
Its all in the genetics. a 8 year old buck could have 1" brows and a 1 year old buck could have 5" brows.
Working with a really poor interweb connection here so forgive me. Here is 2013 on a scrape. Its just a still shot from a video. Around October 28th. This is summer of 2014. Sorry I don't have a shot of the left vs. left sides but just compare those two if you can. I had him on camera from June until now with some regularity. Best pictures I have ever got of a buck growing week by week for sure. I hung a killer set just for him today in the rain.
I think in many cases it can be very difficult to follow a single deer from the 1-3 year range. They can make such huge jumps and the character of their rack is still developing. I can't say with any sort of certainty whether that's the same buck or not.
Genetics, health, and age can all play a factor in antler size, thickness, and character. Just like people, all deer are different so having short brow tines means nothing more than that buck has short brow tines. I'd put an arrow through him!
