a buck that suffers a broken leg will have a jacked up rack the next year, and usually the next. By year three it will return to normal in my experience.

Hunted some property years ago around the Zimco area (Clarke County) and we would kill several every year with a dagger on one side, hell we just called 'em Zimco Bucks lol

Studies have shown, aside from obvious genetics, diet, etc. that one of the biggest factors affecting a buck's antlers and growth is epigenetic factors, such as nutrition of the mother while carrying the buck.

I make it a point to shoot big old mean does. I usually get at least one a year. They run all the other does out of the field, I hate a bully so they got to get in the freezer.

I did read a study few days ago that was done in Texas that tracked 385 bucks over a bunch of years. It said Out of those 385 bucks the ones that had no brow tines on there first full rack at either 1 or 2 never grew any brow tines.

Believe it or not, once had a guy tell me that even if that was so...and he didn't for one minute believe that SOOS was the result of injury but was convinced it was genetic and didn't care what no research said... BUT that if it was an injury, if the deer bred that year he was going to pass on that gene that year. He believed there was a "temporary injury gene" that a buck could pass on.

You should have sold him some ocean-front property in Arizona...

I identify culls on our place but only try to place them on the cull list once they reach 3.5 to 4.5 years of age. We do not cull young buck regardless of the characteristics of their rack. I killed two culls last season that were mature deer, both weighed over 200lbs and were not going to get any better than what they were. Glad their genes are out of the pool now. Unfortunately, the one we called Clubber must have been busy as we have several little Clubbers running around now.

Or maybe it’s that old nanny doe, that pops out twins every year, that y’all keep passing on, that’s the one carrying the traits for the little clubbers.

Cull or not, any buck taken at 3.5 or older has already left his mark and passed his genetics to multiple fawns.

Great point jbatey! . She will have to keep popping those twins though. I aint shooting a big ole breeder.

Its cool when you got an ole cull you have around long enough to name. We had one called "sausage" a few years ago. Could never quite catch up with him. Father time probably did.

Wish I knew how to post pics... Was on a hunt 3 years ago. I was told to shoot a certain "cull" buck. I did, and got a cool European mount for my efforts. His undamaged side was truly a trophy. When I looked closer, the bad side had pedicle damage.

Maybe it’s crazy, but I’ve never shot a deer as a “cull”. Honestly, has never crossed my mind when shooting a deer.

Can we at least all acknowledge at this point that it has been proven that you can't change anything about genetics no matter which one you shoot or if you shoot everyone you ever see......it doesn't change anything. I'm just surprised to still hear so many folks that talk about taking a deer out to get those genetics off the property or out of the herd, etc.....I hear a good bit out tracking for people and on here as well. I don't think this is really a matter of opinion anymore to where we can just believe it to be so because that's what makes sense to me. At some point you have to acceptt what the science and data tells us over opinions passed around the campfire.

I'll add a pic to the thread...….this is the biggest bodied deer I've ever seen in person as well. Didn't see it on any scales or anything but I've seen a good many bucks now in the 200-220 lb range and the one in the pic looked noticeably bigger to me than any of those without a doubt. Also probably very fortunate that its still probably the best bay job Otis has ever pulled off on one. He charged him several times too but Otis kept enough distance between them that he never got hit by that spear this big joker was carrying around on him. A buck that size with a dagger like that could kill a dog in a heartbeat, I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't gore a few bucks during his life as well if he carried this kind of rack for years

Taking injury out all together and looking at genes determine culls. If you kill a cull, the way yearling buck dispersal works, isn't daddy cull and momma cull are off somewhere else steadily replacing the culls....and then some. So just looking at genes if that were the case, all shooting a cull improves is your neighbors genes, not yours. I don't mean neighbors as next door neighbors but neighbors a couple miles away or better.

unique trophies IMO., esp. when mature

I hunted a tract on the Alabama River in Clarke County back in 1990. Every deer there had a spike on one side or the other. I Killed one that had 6 on the right and a 5" spike sticking straight up on the left. If he would have matched the right he would have scored close to 140". He was a stud by all means except for the spike. Rack hangs in the shop as we speak and more folks comment about him than any other. His left side just didn't grow. Goofiest racks I have ever seen came off that tract.

I'll.take that even a step further and say that the neighbors 2 miles away didn't benefit either. Buck dispersal is if we took it all and put in a big bag, shake the hell out of it, and then sling it randomly across the landscape. The neighbors still get the same random influx that you get.