Dirt2

You've confirmed my suspicion from hunting videos that bucks in KS, MO, IA, IL, etc. (the midwest) grow bigger at a younger age.

I have to say I question the genetics idea, though. Maybe it's a factor, but has it been proven scientifically? I think food quality has a lot more to do with it, with a dash of winter severity thrown in.

t roy

i personally think genetics do play a significant role at least in west central illinois, for every monster buck you still see 10 pt basket racks that are large bodied deer. although the strong gene pool is probably due to several generations of well fed deer.

Dirt2

I do envy the bucks you have over there. Our bucks need at least five years to hit the magic 140 number. However, a few years ago we had a legendary buck that was seen by numerous people including my parents, who are both hunters. That buck would have gone 170-180 on a typical frame, plus he had 10" drop tines. No one ever killed that buck and he's dead of old age by now.

Consequently, in the immediate area where that buck lived I am seeing bigger racks on younger bucks than normal. I saw my first 10-point rack on a 2 year old this year, so genetics has some effect I guess.

skeeter 7MM

Food, water, stress, maturity all play roles in the antler growth but nothing is more significant than genetics. A dink bucks offspring will always be just that, while a trophy deer will produce trophy racks...sure year to year growth is suspect to the other conditions but the underlying factors is if he has the genes and is allowed to grow to that potential (maturity) he will have trophy qualtity horns. If you strap the best conditions and feed bag onto a deer with inferior antler genetics he will not be a trophy...plain and simple. So genetics plays a much bigger role than "I guess" when it comes to deer.

As to your question about 3 years olds weight and antler score that is also dependant on the same factors. While maturity isn't usually achieved till above this age which is when the bucks reach peak antler growth, cases such as the hansen buck do appear. Clearily this is a statement to this deer's excellent genetics to grow such tree trunks at the young age of 3 and should be viewed as the exception not the rule. I'd say it would be 120-140 score wise and 175 lbs fully dressed as guessed average for sask.

beaglefreak

In the famous Pine Barons of New Jersey.Probably the size of a large German Shepard.

JimboHunter1

Many different subspecies of whitetails exist in North America, so when comparing a buck from Sascatchewan (sp?) to a buck in Florida, the one from Sascatchewan obviously has better genetics for producing a bigger body and a bigger rack. With that considered, the single most important factor which determines antler size in any given geographic area is AGE. Age influences antler growth/size more than genetics, food sources, or stress. For example, a "dink" spike buck that is born very late in the year usually catches up to his peers and sports an equivalent (if not bigger) rack by the time he reaches 3 years of age. This would support the fact that genetics have very little to do with a buck's size. That buck possessed the same genetics when he was a year old that he had when he was 3 or 4 years of age... Genetics don't change over time.
Every credible source of information that I have read supports this thought.

vtbuckrulrss

just guessing, but a VT 3 year old would be in the 180-220 lb dressed range, maybe more if you got him before the rut. score? what score, we don't need no stinkin score! score doesn't put any more meat on the table.

LLBUX

Our Pike County Illinois bucks weigh about 180-200 dressed and score 130-150.

Some a little higher, some a little lower.

Abundant natural food, whether through quality mast, food plots or a farmer's corn/bean field add up to good deer.

Good huntin'!

JimboHunter1

Sure, I agree that good food is essential to grow big deer, but my point is you could feed one buck a high-quality diet from the time he is born until he grows his first set of antlers, and that buck's antlers normally will not be as big as a 3 year old buck's antlers that is eating an average diet.

skeeter 7MM

Jimbo if you read my post I make mention several times about maturity level when determining rack size, so I will not argue age is very important. However genes are an underlying factor. It is unreasonable to think every deer that is allowed to reach peek antler growth(maturity) will grow trophy class antlers, they will reach their peek performance which is determined by their genetics from the onset but this in no means will equate to superior antler score or growth. Class them in the subspecies they fall into and you'll find dinks, average and trophy class mature deer. If age was the sole determination how would you explain a 3 year old that scores 110, 155 and 213 from the same subspecies? Genetics is certainly a large part of the equation to what that bucks peak antler growth will be if allowed to reach maturity.