We have met with the area Biologist a couple of times and she has a Slide Show from the Studies that have been done in the area from 2 different universities. They tagged i believe 75 deer and have been watching/ Tracking them, for the last several years.

Based on what i have learned through her and the “class” we did....Mulies dont mature until they are 8 yrs. or older and the new antler restrictions in the 6 counties are put in place to start to grow the Mulie population to a better age class so all the young bucks dont get shot anymore. The problem with us Hunters in Texas is that once we see a 4 year old Mulie is that we think its a monster because of the size of the antlers and body as compared to a WT, but in fact he’s just getting started. Once they get to age 8 they can start to add Up to 25” a year in good conditions (Til they get to where their DNA says they will be stopping growth).
They can live to 12-14 years old, so they have a longer life span then WT’s.....the antler restrictions (in my opinion) will be a really good thing because i have seen first hand people on the lease i was on (Motley County) shoot young bucks with incredible potential in that 4-5 yr group that were going to be monsters.....
I’m still in Motley county now and seeing good young bucks (this will be 3rd season of Antler Restrictions) so I’m looking forward to the next couple of years seeing some bigger deer (i hope)

I think the above Mulie in question is probably 4-5 years old and will be a Massive deer if he makes it...... according to the Collar Trackers on the animals that are being studied that deer may choose to stay in a small area or go around a 5 mile Circumference depending on what the Water/ mating / food possibilities are. They have some young bucks traveling as far as 15 miles! But as soon as they get older those bucks have found a smaller area with everything they need and really close the range that actually move around. They more Wheat or cotton seed / Protein they have the Less likely they Roam. We hunt a very small place for this area and we feed protein just to keep them around....Its not about growing their horns its about giving them some good reasons to stay Local (plus when it gets dry out here food sources disappear quickly)

Get your check book out ( if you choose to run protein) because i have seen them Belly Up to my 1 ton Protein feeder and hit it for 15-20 mins at at time....

Just my 2 cents (based on Texas Parks and Wildlife Data) for what its worth...