Lets Talk Brow Tines!

I have several deer on my lease that have small or no brow tines. Granted some of them are young. Im guessing some are 2yo some 3yo. I also have 2yo and 3yo with what I consider normal brow tines for that age. At what age can you tell if it is a genetic trait or they just need time to grow.
 

ScottyB

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I am the same! That wasnt the question I posed. Let me be blunt if I may. If a 3yo buck has no brow tines does he have the possibility of growing them!
I have Two different zones and two different standards for a shootable buck in my hunting world…..My places in Chatham / Alamance are totally different than our place in Halifax county….only me and my two sons hunting in Chatham and Alamance……got to be a stud at home…..Halifax club rules are a little easier with a 4 on one side rule….and even then we don’t shoot little ones!
 

Hopeful_Hunter

Four Pointer
We’re trying to build a herd on our 100 acres and we’ve decided that this year we are taking 1-3 y/o does (been told to let the older bigger does go for breeding) and bucks that have racks “outside the ears” and look to be at least 2.5-3.5 in age on the hoof.
We tracked the growth of a few bucks that definitely bed on the property and we have seen new guys we hadn’t seen all year in the last 2 weeks. I am fairly certain the rut is causing them to wander…we are also watching at least 6-8 fawns - probably 3-4 are buttons. It’s fascinating to try to figure it all out! We have one buck with a 3-4' left brow tine, and no tine on the right....Quinn.jpg
 
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Firedog

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Vast majority of bucks in the herd on and around our place have small to no brows. even the good ones have short brows, always assumed it was just part of the gene pool in the area, never really cared enough to dig any deeper, not really something I can change.
 

Ambush

Twelve Pointer
I am the same! That wasnt the question I posed. Let me be blunt if I may. If a 3yo buck has no brow tines does he have the possibility of growing them!
I'd say from 2.5 years old, they will either have good brow tines or not. Brow tines are almost the exact from one year to the next. If they don't have good brow tines by 3.5, they never will...on average.
 

vaco

Button Buck
I’ll take small vs none at all.
 

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Lowg08

Ten Pointer
I’m pretty sure this guy is 2 and he don’t have a brow tine one. I’m anxious to see if he makes it if he has any next year
 

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