I've wondered for a while if bucks are having their antlers modified during velvet by contact with protein feeder tubes. A neighbor feeds heavily and it seems like more bucks I see have main beams that curve in more rather than growing directly out.

Is this:

a product of this:

and would this:

be a better option?

What do you think?

not sure, but I think it is more of a genetic trait. I would love to shoot a big wide deer. We just don't have many where I hunt.

The most common damage I see to velvet antlers from protein feeders is blunting of the tips of tines. I think you're simply seeing longer main beams on your neighbor's deer due to nutrition and genetics. I'll take a deer with long beams that curve inward over a rake that goes straight out every time. Those longhorns, as I like to call them, typically don't have very long beams. And, if you care about "score", the inside spread credit can't exceed the length of the longest main beam, anyway. So your 28 inch wide deer with 22" beams is only 22" wide, officially. (if you care about such things)

A buck knows where his antlers are above his head while he's is in velvet, so they can be careful with their velvet rack around protein feeders. But, while the antlers are growing, if the velvet is "hit" rather hard on the leg or feeder than things can happen to the rack (sticker points, or droptines.) But the over all rack and points being "curved" in, I would believe would NOT be a result of the buck "hitting" his antlers on the feeder.

GENETICS.

I just learned something new. I never knew any of this about antlers during velvet time. Thanks guys

Interesting thought, but agree with fouzman in that you may be seeing the results of supplemental feeding and maximizing their potential. Have you been able to compare average measurements from prior years?

Looks like the curved in points on the main beam is that the buck has maximized his potential to grow longer antlers on its main beams.It may grow the same curvy main beams next year, tines should get longer with good feeding.

Not really, I just know that we seem to be seeing more bucks where the last 4-6" of their beams hook in really hard, like something forced them to grow that way (like bumping them on the downspout of a protein feeder somewhat regularly?). We do have some that don't do that, like this one:


But then we have this one, where the tips hooked hard:
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Mills county? We have similar genetics in far western Coryell/ sw Hamilton county.. about a 1/3 of our bucks do the same thing.




Deer on the right is same dead deer above..

QSYB, after looking at the other photos you posted I'm sure that's a function of genetics and age. If the antlers were "bumped" enough to alter the growth direction of the main beams, there would be obvious damage to the outside of both main beams. I'm not saying that can't happen, I've just never seen it with ours or friend's deer that are fed protein year-round from several different styles of protein feeders.

That is probably the case. We have worked hard to let our deer age and most of the deer we're seeing it on are older (but also have bigger racks that could lead to interference).

Thanks for the feedback!

As fouzman said. Genetics on how much the beams sweep in and age on overall length IMO.

I asked a question a few weeks ago about average beam length and was surprised to hear most say 25"

Found this in my phone, but can't remember the exact source (2nd paragraph)

I'd be shocked if the average beam length on bucks harvested by the board is 25". Not saying anyone's mistaken, but my own personal research tends to be more like 22"-24" and that's for S TX deer. Really giant bucks will be 26-28", but those deer are exceptions.

The average beam length of Boone & Crockett record book typicals is 25 5/8", and I've not seen many book deer posted here.

we killed two deer this year with 24+" main beams. When I'm scoring a mature deer in panhandle I'm usually basing main beam score on 21". My deer this year had a 26" main beam.

Yeah, if our Mills County deer get to 22" on the beams, they've done well. Wouldn't think anybody is averaging 25" except maybe tlk's group (or a couple of others).

I think I was mistaken saying "the average was 25 inches", but none the less very impressive with those above 22"

Looking at tine length on your bucks quitshootin, I'm guessing you hunt somewhere in the eastern part of mills county? I may be completely off but deer in that part of the county don't seem to carry the genetics that deer do when it comes to beam length like that of deer that found in the western part of the county(i.e. 574/Hannah valley direction). we are running into the same problem with the land we hunt on the east side, alot of length but beam length is hurting scores when compared to a similar deer in the western part.

I thought deer would go 125+ but beam length was not at all what I estimated. Oh well, she was proud!

I think the length is pretty solid, particularly on the mature bucks. It's just the hooked ends that are, well not really concerning, maybe puzzling?

Seems the general feeling is genetics. I can go with that.

That's a great buck! I would say short G1s, G3s are what cost you on that deer. What did he go, about 121-22"?

119

Here is another one, hard hook. I saw this deer the last day of doe/spike season in January 2012 and his beams were more 'normal', this was his rack in November 2012. Estimated at least 5.5 (and probably 6.5) based on seeing him for 3 years:

I hunt in far north OK. We have not had any feeders of any type for the last few years, and we have a lot of deer that hook like that. We also have a lot of deer that are really wide garden rakes. I say it's just all genetics.

There's a good chance that is correct. We've worked hard since 1999 to allow bucks to get older, plus our deer numbers are through the roof. Most of our best deer prior to 1999 did not exhibit these traits but most of them were <= 4.5 when killed. It's beginning to look as though these traits come out at 5.5+ and we've got more deer living to that age now, thus the 'emergence' of the trait.