i am no wildlife biologist but from what i've read and seen on wildlife shows, a two-year old deer can grow antlers that sport a nice 6-8 point rack. the rack basically stays the same year in and year out as far as the shape and grows more points and mass as they grow older. it also depends on genes and diet. those big outfitters that we all see on tv typically only allows 5-year old deer and above to be shot. the difference in body mass is HUGE when you compare a 2-year old to a 4-5 year-old. they say that just like humans, when whitetails reach their "peak" they start going down hill as far as the size of the rack.