Hi and Happy New Year to all..
I am new to the Alabama area over in Bullock Co. I have at least 6-7 bucks that have very crappy racks and maybe 2 shooters is that just how it is?

Yes

What are considering messed up?

Pics or you ant got em!!! Welcome

Well I’d say a spike on one side and 2 times off the other main beam or just spikes on both sides

Very crappy soil where you're hunting......its literally a sand pit.

Spikes are normal first set of antlers but yes screwed up racks are the norm in lots of bama.

Gotcha ok thank y’all for the replies just did not understand why so many.. Big body deer just nothing you would really want to pull the trigger on..

We have had an abundance of less than desirable racks on our bucks this year. We started out with very few bucks. Then it was a bunch of little bucks with alot of broke or messed up racks. Now the bigger ones are showing up, still mostly undesirable or broke off racks. We have got some pics of good ones though. Im just proud to have any bucks. At first i was afraid they were all dead. And i believe a good acorn crop could have had something to do with their absence as well. I went to hang a treestand last week and the woods was all tore up.

Yes I agree with you I think everyone enjoys seeing bucks on their property but when it comes down to it knowing you only see 1 or 2 shooters it sure does way on you and your hopes of getting a good one. But again I’m sure that’s everywhere as the woods are full of hunters or killed by cars each year. Just stop sweating the buck issues and enjoy what God gave us to enjoy is what the wife tells me : )

New to AL I see. Deer hunting happiness here, means lowering your expectations.

Turkey247, when your son, 14yo last year, kills a sho enough good un, its hard to lower your expectations if you want to stay the man of the house. If i dont find one bigger than his, itll throw our whole world out of kilter. Im trying my best to get him to shoot a little buck this year, feeding him all that cull deer, its best for the herd bull crap. Hes set on killing another good one. If he kills one bigger than me again this year, i dont know what it might do to our family dynamics.

Practically all of the bucks in my area share an apparent genetic trait in their antlers. All of them are asymmetrical with the right side beam(if I recall correctly) curving inward noticeably. Also most are odd numbered on points. Some are worse than others. It’s just how they are. The really nature ones can make for some impressive and interesting racks(for the area if they can live past 4.5yrs). But they taste good as any venison you could want.

My son killed a good one a few years ago. Bigger than any I’ve killed. He was around 18 at the time. The next year we were talking about deer hunting and I said, “I’m just ready to get my hands on a big buck this year.” He patted me in the back and said’ “Just be patient dad, it will happen for ya.”

I almost kicked him in the balls. 😂😂😂

I have a 14 year old myself, and he’s a lucky son of gun for sure. He deals me misery all the time.

I’ve let mine hunt the biggest deer we have the last few years. We have one at the house I told him I would be hunting also this year. I honestly haven’t tried hard though.

How old would you say these deer are?

That big deer Joseph killed last year came off our new land. He was hunting out of the shooting house we built over there. I wouldnt even go over there and hunt until he killed that deer. Theres another good one over there now. Hes fair game but hes new and theres no pattern at all. Have no idea how to kill him

What part of Bullock County are you hunting? The reason I ask, is that I hunted for years in around Ft. Davis on the Macon / Bullock County line. There was a genetic strain in that area that had a normal antler on one side and a spike or nub on the other side. Saw it every year in some of the bucks. There were also some really good deer in that area.

I’d say the ones I am seeing is around 2-2.5 years old yes young deer and I’d say a good 6-7 of them deer have jacked up racks as I said some with tall spikes.. or a spike on one side and a claw on the other side.. I have one nice young 8 point and at least 2 mature 8’s I’d say 4-4.5 years of age. I was just wondering why so many with jacked up racks.. if I’m not mistaken the racks are supposed to get better each year as a norm correct?