I see several suspected under achievers on Cam.
I've also seen 6 pointers that will knock your eyes out @ 4-5 yrs.
How do you handle this on your place ?

Shoot what you want to shoot and let walk what you want to walk, different strokes for different folks. Do what's best for your hunting situation.

dont care how many points one has, once he gets 5 or so yrs on him he is what I am after

Shoot whatever you like, our rule is you have to like it enough to mount it.

We shoot age, regardless of antlers. You will not remove any genetic trait by selectively removing deer with that trait. You’re only removing an individual. If a deer can only grow 4-6 points then I’m gonna let him grow 4-6 points and kill him when he’s mature.

Thank you!!!

Your only solution is kill every deer within about 10 square miles and restock the area with new genes. So, what I mean is you have no solution. The does are carrying those genes just as much as the bucks.

Straight truth, and ignored or disbelieved by so many.

I’ll shoot him for you Mark

Bingo. These guys nailed it. Culling doesn’t work to improve antler size. It’s only removing a mouth. Many intensive studies have proven this. Does can pass 50%+ of genetic potential to offspring. So there’s no way to know who’s carrying what. Personally I think big ol six points are kinda cool

Me and my dogs helped find a 6pt this weekend that I think will go well over 20 inch spread. It was a giant deer especially for tva land

He's not alone. We seem to have a prolific 6pt trait. But I'm not complaining.

I was in a club outside of Troy, Alabama for several years that was covered up with 6 points. We had very few bucks that weren't 6 points and the ones that were 8's and 10's would always get shot as two and three year olds. I enjoyed the numbers of deer that place had, but hunting 6 pointers all the time got old, along with the three hour drive..

Let em grow and see what happens. Had a 5 year old big 6 turn into a monster 8 point this year. Glad I never caught up with him last year. You wouldn't have expected such a dramatic change considering his age, but it happens

Are you sure it's the same deer?

I killed a 4pt with 19" spread, a few years ago. I really don't care about points anyway.
A wide or tall rack is impressive and usually has some distinct character.

Kill a 6yo three point many years ago

As positive as I can be based on the evidence I have. I know he (the big 6) survived the season and looked strong in late February and March. All of the other bucks that could be this monster 8 point were killed, none of the other survivors I got on camera at the end of the season could grow into something like this. And there's no more monster 6 point on camera, so either the big 6 died an unexpected death in the off-season or he turned into this 8. Hes also got these kinda wide horns that are fairly unique. But I know I could be totally wrong as well.

This deer is all of 6 or 7 years old, he's got a huge body and neck already in early November.

Unfortunately, our management "strategy" is 8 points or more. We have one on cam that is an "underachiever" that was an 8 point as a 3 year old, failed to grow one brow tine as a 4 year old, and this year has one side deformed and stunted. So, he's a solid 5 years old, 200lbs + and not technically a shooter. If I see him, I'll bust his ass and pay the $100 fine.

If I see a "trophy six point" I'll shoot one of those too.

I have a six point on my wall
He had 18” spread weighed 218 pounds and was a 6 year old

I concur with several who say "shoot by age". Old deer have good horns( if they have everything else they need) . As I have said before, bucks 3 years and younger are not considered culls to our group, they are just immature deer. Big 5 year old 6 point is every bit and more impressive to me than a 2 1/2 year old 10.
That said- shoot what makes you happy. Enjoy the sport and be encourage others to have a good time.I always keep in mind that once I pull the trigger, that deer is as big as he is ever gonna get.

I don’t understand the eight point or better rule. Why not just shoot mature deer whether it be a five point or nine point. The eight point or better rule gets a lot of young deer killed

You need better managers making strategy.

It's a stupid rule. Just like "minimum spread".
In the thickets of Alabama, it's pretty hard to count points or measure spread on the hoof.

We had that issue quite a few years back in one part of our property. We decided to focus for a year on culling the 6 points and other mutant racks to see if we could get those genes out of there, or at least reduce them enough to let the better genetics take over. As far as we can tell it worked, because the last five or six years we've killed some nice mature 8-12 points, and the mutant rack sightings have been way down. If you are going to do it, you have to get all the hunters to buy in and leave the 8+ points alone for a season or two, so that you will repopulate with the better genetics.

I have always read that you can't kill genetics.

May be true that you don't change the genetic makeup of the herd but you don't feed the ones you consider inferior.

I love a big ole 6pt. Years ago while scouting in Missouri I saw what I believed to be about a 20” 6pt the day before the season opened. I hunted that deer for almost the whole trip. Never saw him. However I did kill my biggest deer to date on the last day of the trip. Today you can’t shoot that big ole 6pt in Missouri. I don’t agree with point restrictions. Got a pic of this 6pt at the house a couple days ago.

If you get a quick and tasty recipe on them horns post it please

We have a buck at our club in GA that is every bit of 7+ years old and has small spindly cow horns. I've watched him across a clearcut 3 different times so far this season. All of the deer avoid him when he's feeding that I've seen. He's pushing 200+ lbs too. He's over the hill but the club president in his infinite wisdom has a rule of 6 pt or less will cost you $300.

that’s freakin crazy. I’d love to kill an old warrior like that. I’ve killed several like that. One club I was in pulled that crap on me when I shot a 7 year old big old beast of a six point and I got fined 300 bucks. Plum freakin stupid

There are always those in a group that can't age deer. Many clubs are set up to control the least knowledgable in the group. Almost anyone can count to 8. Judging age, spread and main beam length is much harder. Simplest option is to own/lease your own property or do so with a small group with the same mindset. Then you can do what you want and enjoy hunting.

This