I got a couple pictures on the Camtrakker a couple weeks ago of a real nice mature 9 pt. buck. He has 5 perfect pts. on the left beam and 4 on the right beam. Does anybody know what the chances are of this buck being a 10 pt. next year or due to genetics, will he most likely always be a 9 pt.?

[Deleted by Admins]

i would say he's gonna get better unless he's older than 6 or 7 yrs i have two friends that raise deer and they change there racks some what every year but the basic rack stays the same i know pen deer get the right nutrition and all but it still says something about there growth patterns they say that when they reach 6 or some where in that range that they seem to stay that way from then on . iwould guess unless you have seen this deer before that he has some left

as the others said, it depends on his age and food supply.next year he may be a 9 , or a 12. you never know.if he is mature and 6 or 7 he may go down hill from the 9.
there are a lot of factors,age,food,genetics,overall heard .

I agree if he is 6 or 7 that will me about all he has got in him.

Danthehunter, "they stay that way from then on". So at ten the deer still has the same rack as 6? or were you just saying it that way to shorten the sentence up?

Around here, when they get older, they don't really grow any more points, but the base of the rack becomes thicker.

Yes they seem too reach an age that the rack no longer gets more points but grows in mass and maybe tine lenght. Its not that i am saying its true of all deer but there deer seem to be this way

More than likely he will still be a 9 point basically, that doesn't mean he may not have more mass or less, it doesn't mean he may not grow a sticker or 2 next year either. Usually if they are fully mature you will not see the "Basic" rack change drastically unless he is injured. Once they start getting beyond their prime their rack will still maintain it's basics, but will lose mass and in some cases a whole lot of mass. When they get OLD the nutrients will tend to go more to the body and less to the rack.

This year I killed a mature 7 pointer. Took him to the taxiderm. to see his thoughts on the age of the deer. He said he would estimate his age at 4 1/2 to 5 years of age. His antlers were about 12" wide and 10" high, very dark, very thick, and only his brow tines had points. The rest were rounded off.

The taxiderm. said this deer probably hit is potential last year and went down hill this year. He also said his potential was probably a 7 point but a lot wider and better horns.

If he is a truly mature buck then his basic frame probably will stay the same but he may grow in mass, width, tine length or add some nontypical points(kickers, drops, forked brows, etc). Liked mentioned other factors are invloved with the year's antler growth.

farmcntry, is your Taxi on crack??? I am sorry but a 4 1/2 year old deer is over the hill...ummmm I don't think so, more like prime. It does sound like a older animal and possibly a downslider but I would question him again on the age...cuz what he is saying just don't add up to me.