One of the more common rules I've seen with different folk's deer programs is less than 8pts at two or three years old and its down. If you are in a position where you have to take bucks off your place you have to draw the line somewhere so not a critique at that. We don't have to take a ton of bucks, mostly does, so I'll usually only remove an immature buck mouth if there isn't a single trait about the deer I like. Doesn't even have to be about antlers, if the buck is a super daylight active local deer then he might get a pass just because I know he will be around. Anyways, this was a buck that at 3.5 would've been culled off a number of places, but I like that he had G2s probably pushing 9" or 10". The fact that he was a 7pt with only 1" of brow tines wasn't a deal breaker when you got the height elsewhere to make up for it. Well at 4.5 he blew up into a beautiful 9pt with some small G2 kickers and at 5.5 he's looking like he'll be an 8pt with split G2's. He could've gone the other way either of these years but you gotta love it when it works out. Seen him multiple times in person each of the last two seasons so hope we can continue that trend.

2022



2023



2024

Good call, he’s a dandy!

Look hard at the first picture. I realize it's January, but outside corn there's NOTHING to eat in that picture. 22-23 were miserable drought years. Nothing wrong with leaving that buck, given the conditions he had face most of his life, even in his fawn year. I don't know your situation, and none of us know what next year brings, but I'd be strongly tempted to let him go at least one more year.

Awesome buck, I get a ridiculous sample size with the number of deer and the acreage but I think there no 100% truths in deer growth, some times they blow up and some times they don't. We see some bucks get a pass and stay 140" deer thru 7/8 even in the best of conditions and some turn in to giants.

As stated above, the drought the past two years was brutal, although this year has been much better. My herd was decimated; lost more than 50%. I'll likely give most bucks, and all does a pass for the next year or two until numbers improve.

2022 was tough. Temps in the 90s into what seemed like November. Visible rut action was nonexistent, all happening during cooler night temps. The acreage adjacent to the ranch we lease that has cattle on it was even worse. This buck isn't a target for this year, we try to let the better potential deer make it to 6.5. Have several bucks back on camera that are 7.5 and older that will be the main focus.

Double AC, I like everything about your post. The key to your post is in all the info you gave us so everybody needs to read it closely. You offered the always needed "if" and "depends" etc. because everyones situation can be very different. Huntingbig8 spoke to that as well.
Keep up the good work.

Definitely see that too. We've seen some deer have their best set at 5, some at 6, and some at 7. No way to know which year will be the best and what year we should pull the trigger. 6.5 tends to be the age we see mortality increase and get less bucks back on camera as 7.5 year olds so we won't intentionally let a deer past that age

Ive always "saved" 8 pointers that had splits, kickers, etc on their g2's. Ive seen deer like that do really cool things.Ive got alot of sheds from different main frame 8's that turned into 170-190" class bucks.
Looks like your deer also had signs of splits or kickers back 3 years ago and every year since then. Are you sure he is 5 this year and not 4? Good luck this season

I'm pretty sure but have been wrong before. He does looks skinny in those winter pics but went back and found some from Mid November where he looks more muscular than I'd give a 2 year old credit for. Also have never seen a 2 year olds forehead get that colored up, that was the first thing I noticed the first time I saw him in person and saw that red forehead at 200yds and got excited thinking it was an older deer

I agree with MAP on typ 8s can be good and especially when they throw kickers and get older.
This is a typ 8 with kickers that is somewhat like the OPs buck. Really tall uptines and nice kickers off g2.
We let him go in 2022 and 2023. Curious to see what he looks like this year.
Also, world class non typ deer often will have just 8 typ points but lots of big extra.

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2023

Reminds me of this mainframe 9

Man I like that buck

SWEET

On "normal" deer lease, Feed all year

let ANY young buck walk