Biggest 1 year jump in rack size?
Contributors to this thread:Whitetail Deer
From: Jack Harris
05-Oct-23
11/17/2022, this small 8pt buck BLEW UP in 2023 to 150" 9pt
11/17/2022, this small 8pt buck BLEW UP in 2023 to 150" 9pt
2023 - became a big 9
2023 - became a big 9
These sweeping beams give it away- totally same buck
These sweeping beams give it away- totally same buck
As you may have seen, I shot a really good one 9/15/2023. This buck confounded me in that I generally have a long history and many pictures for several seasons of a mature buck before I take it out.
Curiosity kept eating at me so started to review some trail cam pics from 2022 season, and bingo - finally found him. I am 100% confident that these pictures are the buck.
That being said - this buck went from basically a 110" probably 3-yr old buck, to a 150" 4-yr old buck in ONE YEAR. This is by far the biggest jump I have personally seen. This might be more common further West or in a high fence operation, but this is exceptional growth for NJ. I do my own mineral mix combination and start in March, and he was on it early and far less as he developed which probably makes all the difference.
I don't really age bucks anymore via cementum annuli - it's just not that important to me anymore of a buck is 4,5,6, etc. Maybe if I thought a buck might be 8 or older, I might. I think this buck was 4 based on looking at his prior year pic and that is good enough for me.
From: t-roy
05-Oct-23
What identifiers are you going off of, to say with certainty that this is the same buck, Jack?
From: Jack Harris
05-Oct-23
The beams are dead giveaway, plus body size last year. He was sporting the body but this year the rack caught up. I don't want to bore y'all with too many pics but just looking at it from every angle I am 100% sure. And that one day in November is all I have of him last year that I could find. Not a buck I would have paid any attention to last season.
From: Jack Harris
05-Oct-23
From: tobywon
05-Oct-23
Some bucks come out of the rut and winter worn out and need significant time to recover. Maybe he really got through the 2022 rut and the mild winter in such great shape that he was setup for some exceptional antler growth in 2023. Maybe that along with the minerals that you provide help even further. I guess you'll never know exactly, but either way that's a great thing.
From: Jack Harris
05-Oct-23
Would love to see other incredible 1 year jumps. I am sure you midwest guys have seen even better.
From: Iowa booner hunter
05-Oct-23
The world record nontypical from Illinois put on 100 inches from 2017 to 2018
From: Straight Shooter
05-Oct-23
Definitely a good buck, congrats.
From: tobywon
05-Oct-23
Wasn't the age of the Hanson Buck estimated at 4.5 years? Have to wonder what it looked like the year prior at 3.5 years.
From: Jack Harris
05-Oct-23
For my mineral mix - 1 part Di-cal, 1 part mix-n-fine salt, 1 part nature's pride general purpose mineral meal, 2 parts trace mineral salt. I also mixed a little grape koolaid powder in. I also placed a trophy rock near it. Here he is on trophy rock and trophy rock granules, other buck is on my mix.
From: Jack Harris
05-Oct-23
From: Rock121
05-Oct-23
Jack, in your picture is the exit hole or the entrance hole? Just curious
From: RK
05-Oct-23
On one of the ranches we had a buck that we had been watching for years. Small white patch of fur on side of his face so easy to recognize plus he hung out near the office. At 7 he was an 8 point with a 2 Inch kicker off of one of his g2 s. We scored those sheds at 153. At 8 same but a little smaller..151. at 9 when he died he was a 197 non typical.
From: deerhunter72
05-Oct-23
10-25-20
10-25-20
10-21-21
10-21-21
Killed him 10-27-21
Killed him 10-27-21
Cool topic. That’s a great buck Jack! I didn’t start using cameras until I bought my own ground in 2019. This is the biggest difference I have video proof of. I don’t know what he would’ve scored in 2020, but he grossed 182” in 2021. These pics are stills from videos. I have several more pics of the deer also.
From: Bowfinatic
05-Oct-23
Congrats on a beautiful buck! We have seen a 45" jump from 3 to 4 on a buck we were following He went 135 to 180 to 214 before he was killed
From: Jack Harris
05-Oct-23
Rock121 - "Jack, in your picture is the exit hole or the entrance hole? Just curious"
That is exit - took out top of his heart at 23 yards and 20' high in tree. This is entrance. Sorry for the tongue- lol
From: Shug
05-Oct-23
The biggest jump I’ve seen was a 1 1/2 yr old 3 point .. 2 1/2 yr 115” 8 point 3 1/2 yr old blew up to a 165 5x5
100% the same buck
From: Jack Harris
05-Oct-23
That incredible jump Shug. NJ?
From: Murph
05-Oct-23
My question is, Why isn’t the deer gutted ?
From: Shug
05-Oct-23
Yes Jack… Also the buck was piebald that’s how he was able to document it.. I’ll find the pics and send them to you..
From: Shug
05-Oct-23
Yes Jack… Also the buck was piebald that’s how he was able to document it.. I’ll find the pics and send them to you..
From: wildwilderness
05-Oct-23
murph - We never gut deer in the field East Coast. Don't want to stink up a stand you may use for the next few months and attract predators, birds. I'm sure the pic was taken after it was unloaded at the skinning/gutting place.
From: wildwilderness
05-Oct-23
My thought on an old buck making a big jump- As mentioned the rut. If a buck doesn't rut they go into the next year in much better shape. Coupled with potentially a better nutrition year- say better rain or better crops planted, an old buck may make a big jump if he was too old to rut.
I know its not popular but High fence operations do not let their big trophy bucks breed the year prior to wanting to grow the biggest rack for harvest.
From: Jack Harris
05-Oct-23
why would I gut deer near one of my best all time spots? I always gut in driveway after pictures. (deer that are taken on my property or near it). When I take deer that involves driving my truck, I will still drag them away from hunting areas. That just me - my preference.
From: Bowfreak
05-Oct-23
I am not saying this is not the same buck in Jack's instance, but I don't think it is always as easy as some think to track a deer from year to year. No doubt it is easier for people that study this stuff than it is for me. I never save trail cam pics so I never know from year to year what a buck might have done. I don't care either. I just hunt and shoot what I like when it shows up. I like being surprised. Not saying I never run cameras at all, but I'm more likely to not have a camera running than to have one running.
From: Bowfinatic
05-Oct-23
135 to 180 to 214
135 to 180 to 214
From: Bowfinatic
05-Oct-23
160 to guessing 220ish
160 to guessing 220ish
Another one back in 2011
He went crazy for one year then back to about 190s for the next 2 years
From: Bowfinatic
05-Oct-23
Looks like 09 not 11
From: Shug
05-Oct-23
Yes Jack… Also the buck was piebald that’s how he was able to document it.. I’ll find the pics and send them to you..
From: Huntiam
06-Oct-23
I’ve saw them personally in Virginia where they only eat rocks and laurel gain 25 inches in a yr..so yea with the right food I could see that
From: DonVathome
09-Oct-23
I had a very unique buck on camera many time. Probably a 3.5 year old deer with a lot of forked tines. He had aprox 14 points. Then one day I got 2 of him in the same pic. He had a twin! With very very very carefully observation you could see a difference but he was so unique I would have never thought there were 2 that looked the same - but there were.
From: Hessticles
12-Oct-23
Roughly 50" jump
From: Hancock West
12-Oct-23
Hancock West's Link
This guy is claiming an Iowa buck put on 80inches in 1year
From: ILBow288
12-Oct-23
In 2020 i was lucky enough to kill a 211" 4.5 year old that was roughly 135" -140" the year prior. He had a very distinct caluck of hair on the back of his neck each year.
From: Recurve Man
12-Oct-23
One thing I’ve found 99.9% true out of the 40 years I’ve been picking up shed antlers. A buck rarely ever puts on more than 2”s of beam length a year. Now mass and tine length is a totally different story. I’ve found multiple bucks and antlers from them years in a row and this has just always held true in my area. Excellent crops and everything they need in my area. Rule of thumb here is 18-21 is a 2.5 yr old, 21-23 3.5yr old, 23-25 4.5. This is strictly my observation of southern IL bucks. Mass and tines it’s anyone’s guess. My opinion is that’s where the inches add up fast. As far as age structure though I go with beam length till I’m dead.
Shane
From: RutnStrut
13-Oct-23
The brow tines never lie. Brows will always have the same shape/features no matter how much the rest of a rack changes. In Jacks pics you can see the slight curve forward of the brows in both pics. I would agree definitely same buck.
From: Cazador
13-Oct-23
Pretty noticeable
From: Altitude Sickness
13-Oct-23
I wasn't going to take the layup until Cazador posted.
This trans teacher from Canada has to have the largest one year jump in rack size.
From: Jack Harris
13-Oct-23
hey come on now you guys!!!! I meant to say NATURAL RACKS
From: Hancock West
13-Oct-23
thats good stuff
From: Buckdeer
13-Oct-23
Last year I would have agreed on the brow tine statement but the NT that I am hunting and passed last year has crazy big brows compared to last years
From: Bow Crazy
22-Oct-23
Tom Indebro, Buffalo County Outfitters, from Buffalo County Wisconsin has been managing deer since 1993. In the famous article from B&C he is said, "Indebro says the average antler gains are 20-30 inches each year based on the sheds they find. The most he’s seen one jump in a year is 38 inches." So, that is from his experience in one of the best counties in the nation for buck bucks. BC
From: 8point
22-Oct-23
22
22
Pic's from 22 & 23
From: 8point
22-Oct-23
From: Pat Lefemine
22-Oct-23
2022
2022
Ohio 11 pt 2022
From: Pat Lefemine
22-Oct-23
2023
2023
Same buck this year. 2023
From: Barry Wensel
22-Oct-23
Back in the '90s my hunting partner killed a N/T that was a basic 190" typical frame, plus 23" of N/T points. It measured approx. 213" as a 4.5 yr. old. When we brought the buck out the farmer gave him the matched set of sheds from the same buck that were found at his haystack the winter before as a 3.5 yr. old. I measured the sheds versus the now dead buck and was blown away that the buck grew 55 inches of bone between 3.5 and 4.5. But this is obviously a very rare case. bw
