RE: Genetics conundrum...
There's alot more to making antlers than genetics. Was the local food sources that year good or poor after all no food no antler growth , also if the deer incured an injury though not fatal this could also explain the antler size. There could be other reasons that deer didn't grow it's antlers as big as before that we don't realize that are a factor in all of this. Justsome thoughts I had on this subject.