Drop Tine?

Hey folks, I turned a cell cam back on Sunday and this dude paid a visit last night. It looks like he has a nice drop, but it could also be a piece of stripped velvet or some other weird photo anomaly.

What does the THF say….Drop or not a drop?

Also, care to guess his age?

I'd like to say Drop!

Yes drop. 4.5 age

Hard to tell for sure as it could be a bent over or broken G tine in antler growth period. Looks more like a 5 yr old to me. If you really want a definitive answer ...then you are in luck..I checked my schedule and I have the whole opening week of archery available to come an "check him out" for you. No charge either. I will let you know if it is a broken tine or drop tine.

Drop

Wait a week and see if you get any more pics of him. If drop it will still be there, if velvet it will be gone.

Hard to say on the tine -- could be a drop, but the movement or whatever makes it blurry which makes me think it could be velvet or something moving too.

As for age, I'd venture around 4.

It's blurry in the same exact way the end of the left main beam and left G3 are blurry, so that makes me think it's more than likely antler.

I am guessing it is either a kicker off of the left G2 or could be a tine that was bent from antler damage in velvet. The angle it grows does not make it look like a droptine to me. I saw a buck running over a hill one evening that appeared to have matching double drops. Later on I saw him again and found out it was not drops. In reality, he had matching kickers that came off of the back of each G2 and then grew downward. Even from the front it looked like matching double drops the first time I saw him when hunting.

I keep telling myself Im too busy to be on this forum so much right now. But I like Grosvenors threads usually so I clicked on it. First, I agree that photo anomalies are a real thing and can fool you. It certainly could be velvet. Im leaning towards a drop but would not want to put any money on any of the possibilities.
I remember some stuff that yall pass on so Im not sure hes a hitlister for yall anyway.

He's a nice deer, but probably wouldn't stand out as being exceptional on our place outside of the potential drop tine. I agree he's probably 4 or 5.

My BIL killed a 7 point a few years back that had a kicker/flyer off the back of his main beam like what Stx is describing. In 2017 I passed (like an idiot) on a really nice mule deer that had a similar flyer about 20 minutes into my first mule deer hunt ever.

I can only think of one deer in the last 25 years on our place that had a legitimate drop. In fact, he had double drops and a broken leg, but was otherwise a scrub. A buddy of mine from Georgia that comes to hunt every year shot him, and loves to tell folks that he killed a double drop (ahem ahem, a 100 inch gross 6 point, with double drops)

I'll circle back with more pics as they come in.

Fun time of the year...fun times

A friends kid many moons ago. Probably doesn’t score 70 but it has a drop.

Nice flex with the Blue Bell...

Nice!!!

Love the blue bell

Certainly could be a droptine -- just need more pics

Drop

I'm leaning to 5 on age and it sure looks like a drop.

It’s definitely antler. I guess whether it’s a drop tine or a flyer is debatable. Cool either way.

Looks like it comes off the bottom of the beam-I'd call it a drop. Good luck, OP!

Awesome deer for sure and definitely mature!

Good luck. I can't wait to see the dirt nap pics!

Drop.

Back side of prime. Those G1s, G2s and G4s are wavy. I have a set that are similar.

The deer were moving all night last night and I got a few more pics of ol’ drop tine. How old do you think he is? I thought he was a 5 year old, but maybe he’s just 4? The 10 with the little stickers off his brows is a newcomer.

Concur with 5 yo

I would not call him 5 from those pics. His neck does not start under his jaw and run to the bottom of the brisket. It stays up under his throat where it meets his body. His is to skinny down in-between his front shoulders for a 5 yr old buck. Kill him if you like him, droptines are so iffy from one year to the next.

STx, I understand the neck meeting the brisket. Can you elaborate on what you look for at the top of the neck. Never really looked for that beyond loose skin under jaw and other characteristics of head itself. His neck "starting under jaw" as opposed to "staying up under throat" I cant grasp.

OP’s




6.5 year old S.TX deer





Same S.TX deer at 7.5

Bobo, if that was meant to answer my question then I guess I get it. Maybe just terminology. Your pics were great but how I would verbalize what I see in those pics is the neck just gets bigger where it meets the jaw. It seems the same thing but STx just used a different explanation....?? The sag below the jaw definitely gets more pronounced and your pics really show that and I always look for that.
That last pic, if you just cut out the white under the chin and down the neck, that would be what a young deer looked like. Great pics.

I took what he said as a distance from mouth to the crease. Shrinks with age.. I think…

Maybe he will wake up from his old man nap and let us know, with that said I agree with what you are saying

"Mouth to crease", so maybe now we have ANOTHER way to say the same thing. He used the words jaw, throat, neck, brisket, body. Yes, maybe he will unnap and enlighten.
After thinking some more, I guess as the neck gets bigger it grows towards the mouth(and other directions) and the skin under the jaw sags as well. The combo of those two gives the head the triangular or boxier look.
Always trying to learn here.

he not napping, he going through memes

It was late last night and on meds for allergies or cold or flu of who knows WTF it is...so what I meant to type was "It(his neckline) stays up above his brisket where it meets his body" and not "It stays up under his throat where it meets his body." When the necks starts at the jaw it runs down towards the brisket...what it does when it get there determines age for. If it stay above the brisket he is 4 or less, if it runs straight from the bottom jaw to the bottom of the brisket he his 5+.
This is an example of a 4 yr old.

This is an example of a 5 yr old or mature.

Thanks for the clarification and the great educational pics.
For some reason, I dont think Bobo will let your excuse slide.......

If the truth hurts his feelings then it hurts his feelings....

there you go

Good pic!!

Love
Blue Bell.

Great looking deer!

Great looking 4 yr old South Texas buck.

Agree

Your thoughts are the only one that matter.... ..unless I am across the fence...then.... ...

We'll see if he makes it. We have mostly likeminded neighbors. But if he shows up somewhere new at 200+ yards and all they can see is big frame and drop, he's probably dead. Our neighbors on the opposite side of the ranch have pics of another drop buck and we all agree be should walk.