not the same deer, they have different antlers.

BAHAHAHAHAHA!!! That's funny right there!

Odds are its the same deer.

People I hunt with cant figure out why I wont cull yearling spikes.........THATS WHY! Very nice improvement in one year and great pics.

I bet the same deer.... you arn't going to shoot him are you?????

Most likely the same deer but one thing I can assure you that when he is in hard antlers this fall I would keep a close eye on him around kids. He will probably at some time in his life become mean towards people since he no fear of them. Especially around kids. At 2 years of age most grown men could not handle or control a 2 yr old buck if he came after you closer to the rut.

If he is tame enough lead him around to all the feed pens this fall and make sure he has a lot of "dates"......

Either way imagin what he will look like when he 4 great deer am pics

Lol and folks laugh at me for keeping a hotshot on hand when dealing with the pets

It's impossible. Once a spike always a spike. I read it online

I don't think this is the same deer due to differences in white around the nose and the eyes being different. If any other pictures from 1st year show the "tatoo" on the right front leg that this year's pictures clearly show then an arguement could be made for same deer from appearances.

I'll bite my tounge on this one.

Looks like the same rip in the ear and also looks to be the right age.

LOL, maybe it was a penned spike a breeder didn't want to feed that expensive feed to so he turned him out! Maybe he'll turn into a bruiser in three more years and one of you will put him on your wall!

Well, I can't see enough good evidence to say either way. One thing I will say is that on my dad's lease, a lot of the deer behave this way. If they are hungry and used to coming to the feeder, it might just be that they are putting aside their fear for food.
To make my point with a good story... whenever we go down to fill dad's feeders in August, which he does not feed all summer, often times there is at least one deer that comes to check things out. By the second filling, there are usually four or five standing around. By the time hunting season gets swinging he can pull up in his pickup, honk the horn and have up to 30 standing there in minutes. This place is low fence, 40,000 acres and he hunts a 300 acre pasture of it. No high fence for 30 miles. We took my son up there last year and watched from the cab of the truck as a 130 inch mule deer buck ate from the tailgate and a 120 inch whitetail stood at 20 yards and ate corn with about 15 other deer and all we did was stop, honk the horn and throw corn around the pickup. They follow him to camp and eat around his camper. Funny thing is, out of 20 hunters on the ranch, he is the only one this works for. Maybe, like him, you are just blessed with the trust of animals.

Good call jhp. Also, look at the tear ducts on the two deer. Second pic sure has his well defined for less than one year's growth (I assume it's probably closer to only having been 9 or 10 months given furry antlers vs hard antlers).

I think you have pics of two different deer. Deer 1 is likely offspring or related to pics 2 and 3. Pics 2 and 3 are older than 1.5 to 2 years, imo. Learned behavior and inherited ear notch? Possibly.

Not very likely that deer will inherit an ear notch of the same shape and depth and in the exact same place on the ear. Also you are comparing facial and other features to two deer in different seasons of the year. Facial and body hair is a different texture and color in winter vs. summer. Post of pic of the 8 point in hard antlers and with a fall coat and you will see they are the same deer.

Like Ranchman said before, if it is the same deer don't try to make a pet out of it. Especially with young folks around. There is nothing more dangerous than a tame "Male" wild animal.

plus the older they get get the grouchier/meaner they get.

This. I think it's two different deer.

The rip is lower and longer on second deer but behavior says it probably is the same,great advice about keeping the kids away Ranchman,people get killed every year by "tame" deer.

Maybe, but don't forget that the buck is still growing in body and skeletal size up to age 4 or so and he had much longer winter hair (even in his ears) in the first pic as a spike, so I think the rip is even longer in the first pic but covered by hair.

Here you go boys. The pics attached are defiantly the same deer that is in Franks pic#1. These two were taken on 04/22/11. I didnt think it was possible when I took the ones last weekend. However, when comparing mainly the cut in the ear, it appears that the cut either stretched or tore a little more from the first picture taken late last year. You be the judge..Guess you should let those spikes go that keep hanging out at your feeder Frank so I can shoot them later.

http://i979.photobucket.com/albums/ae276/Cooperjack31/closeup3.jpg

http://i979.photobucket.com/albums/ae276/Cooperjack31/Closeup.jpg

The cut will get larger as the deer ages... Going to continue to do so until it's in the 4-5yo range. With what we see on "tamed down" deer, he'll be timid another year then something will flip and he'll like a little more of a buffer unless there's does involved that are tamed down and like to come greet you (use you for food).

Amen brother. Thanks for diggin up those pics. I would not have believed it was possible.

If it is that tame,,,,,why shoot it. Go after something more challenging. Does not appear to be a trophy yet anyway...so let him walk and shoot at something else. If you guys hand fed him, i doubt he will be wild as the rest of the deer ever again.