Number of Points Related to a Buck’s Age?
Filed under: Ask Grant, Deer Biology
Grant, I have heard that once a buck is 3.5 years old that how many points they have is usually the most they will ever have. Is this true? We have some video of a buck last year that had a bad front left leg and he was a 120” 8 point. This year my cousin shot that deer and he was a 155” 10 point at 4.5 years old. We know it is the same deer because his left front leg is bad. We had a bad drought here as well, without any rain for 3 ½ months. Jarvis
Jarvis,
Wow – that’s a neat observation. Typically by the time a buck reaches 3.5 years old he is only expressing up to 75% of his growth antler potential. Because bucks have the potential to add a substantial amount of antler growth between 3.5 and 4.5, I prefer to allow them the extra year to mature. In many cases, as a buck matures he begins throwing more non-typical points. So, the number of points can certainly change. I wouldn’t put much stock in the statement “the number a buck will produce is maxed out by the time he is 3.5 years old.”
Given the drought conditions you mentioned, the buck you speak of is probably more of a unique scenario because he was potentially battling a wound last year and was able to put more resources toward growing bone this year. Severe droughts can limit antler growth. Finally, it’s important to remember that bucks are unique individuals and the best we can do is discuss averages as any individual can show a totally different antler growth pattern. Thanks for sharing that unique observation!
Growing Deer together,
Grant
