Bad genetics!!

The 1st and 2nd photo show the buck on the hoof this past winter.

The 3rd photo are the buck's right sides from 2005 and 2007. Yes, the antlers are 2 years apart. He did not gain any mass, and his tine length did not get longer. He did, however, gain a G2 point.

He is 4 1/2 years old. This is the type of buck that was probably a spike as a yearling, instead of a "forky." It could be a combo of bad genetics and poor feed.

Who knows, he may surprise me and come in a mossback next year!
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Nevadahunter
hmmm i'v never really seen a buck that doesn't change like that!
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NONYA
I kave seen a couple bucks down here on the military reserve that got to be small 4 points and never got any bigger,they have all kinds of feed,just never got bigger than when they were about 3.
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bigbuck92
hes still a decent little buck though
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Utahbowhunter
yeah probably bad genetics. Nice buck though!
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MuleyMadness
Nice pics, thanks for sharing the story/sequence.

I agree, looks like a case of good ole genetics to me.
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dahlmer
Bad genetics? I'm not sure I would call it bad genetics so much as average genetics. I think the vast majority of bucks top out not a whole lot better than this buck...it's only a percentage that become true hogs.

I killed this buck last year and he was 4 1/2 years old as well. I doubt that he would have gotten significantly bigger with a few more years.
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I could be wrong though. I've talked to some guys that spend a lot of time watching the same deer year after year and they say some bucks have a "jump" year. It's a year where a buck puts on a huge amount of antler. They said not every buck does it, but the truely big ones do. I'm not sure if a buck like mine or the one you pictured would have a year like that.
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