What causes this? Genetics?
#1
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Chickasha, Ok
Posts: 364
What causes this? Genetics?
Over the past 3 or 4 years Ive been noticing alot of my younger bucks with their 1st year racks growing really decent on one side and jacked up on other side, I just kinda figured that they would get a better rack the next year but now I'm regreting not taking them out of the herd. This year on camera I have 3 bucks with really great right sided racks long tines lots of mass and then either a fork that goes straight up and a little out or a brow with the start of a beam. A few years ago I killed a buck I called skyhook that had this same probably but he was the only one at the time, how do i fix this, do I take out all these bucks or is it in the does or what? I'm confused now?
#6
I heard they are doing studies about this in some parts of the country. I read somewhere that bacterial infections are found on the pedicle (base) of the deformed antlers. They are trying to find out if it is genetic or another cause. Also, if a deer is injured that may be a cause... My advice would be to shoot every one you see anyway, why risk it being passed on.
#7
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: NE Kansas
Posts: 1,101
Even with this it might not do any good if those genes can be passed on through does. Not exactly an expert on deer genetics, however.
#9
Banned
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: ohio
Posts: 637
i see ppl saying kill them which is fine. but also concider the does have the gene also. and more than likly there are bucks with the gene that doesnt show in the rack because they have it as a recessive gene rather than a dominant gene.
senerio.. you kill all "cull" bucks. then in 3 yrs the same rack formation shows up. because a buck with the gene is still alive you just do not know which buck it is and he bred a doe with the gene and their offspring came out with it as a dominant gene which causes the rack to form in that manor.
it might take you 10 yrs to completly rid that gene if you can succeed at all. then there is always the possibility that it will show back up at some point.
senerio.. you kill all "cull" bucks. then in 3 yrs the same rack formation shows up. because a buck with the gene is still alive you just do not know which buck it is and he bred a doe with the gene and their offspring came out with it as a dominant gene which causes the rack to form in that manor.
it might take you 10 yrs to completly rid that gene if you can succeed at all. then there is always the possibility that it will show back up at some point.
#10
You may not be able to get rid of the gene completely, but it is better to reduce the amount of these deer and have the deer with good genetics thrive then have a lot of cull bucks running around. Who wants to look at a bunch of messed up deer while hunting? Plus, if you have a year with a limited food supply(drought, cold winter, etc.), these deer will be eating food that could go towards bucks you are trying to grow as big as possible.