farm hunter

ALOT -has to to do with the true nutrition of the food(s) in your are (aka soil) -and the weather.

In Illinois - your 2.5 year olds are more like our 3.5 year olds in antler size. But - many our 3.5 year olds dress out close to 200 lbs, some of our 2.5 years sometimes come close. We average 150" snow per year. Often our deer's racks in general suffer as a result of rough winters - especially it seems in tine length and beam length. Combine that with Upland Soils - and you get alot of variation.

My 3.5 Year old 8 point this yearhad 18" main beams. I have a 2.5 year old 6 point with 13" beams, but he's pretty heavy. Other 3.5 year old deer taken in the last 10 years on our property had 17" and 18" main beams. The largest shed I ever found - he had 23" beams and by the pedicle (7.5" around the burr) I'd estimate him at over 4.5 years old.

Even in the same area - there is often alot of variation in beam length.

FH