Potential?

[NYBuckHunter27]

How much potential does this buck have in the years to come if he can survive?

[NYBuckHunter27]

Whoops ment to post this in the trail camera thread.

[WesternNY]

Do you have a side view of him?  

 

He appears young if he is a 1.5 year old he is he has awesome potential.  If he is 2.5 he has still awesome potential.  

That angle is tough, but he appears 1.5 to 2.5 to me. 

 

AGE is the number one factor that leads to seeing the potential.   Either way remember this.  At age 1.5 a buck only reaches 10 percent of his antler development.  At 2.5 around 25-35%.

 

I would love to have him on my farm and would be hoping he made it for another 3 year!    Nice buck!

 

[G-Man]

a 1.5 or maybe 2.5 either way great potential. if your going to take a small buck (1.5year old) take a spike, yes I know a spike can grow up an be awesome but that is an if. a 1.5 year old 8 pt has awesome potential, already has good nutrition and will be at least an 8 the next year unless it suffer some kind of injury. that spike may be a 2.5 ear old 6pt the following year, but an 8 at 1.5 may be bigger but at least an eight. that is the problem with antler point restrictions. you remove the healthiest most promising 1.5 year olds. the 8 in your pic would be fair game under a 3 or 4 pt rule.. while it holds much more potential than an unknown spike.

[WesternNY]

Gman, you are right about the AR still not protecting 1.5 year old as a lot of 1.5's can have more than 3pt especially here in WNY.   When you look at PA's numbers.... their total Buck harvest makeup is still 50% 1.5 year old bucks.

 

There were reports that the AR program in PA has made a decline in the whitetail herd in PA, yet their harvest numbers each year are very consistent with history, so obviously the herd numbers are fine.

 

3pt a side AR is silly, it is a starting point, but learning to tell the difference of a 1.5 year old buck (so he can walk) against everything 2.5 years and older is the key, and that is done by education and showing people the results.

[NFA-ADK]

That would be a really awesome 1 1/2 or nice 2 1/2.  Great buck with some real potential even if he is a 2 1/2 he will be impressive next year I would think...  If it was my land he would get a pass, the main beam needs to go past the ears for me...  I think he is just a great 1 1/2!!!  Good luck with him!!!

[NYBuckHunter27]

we'll see if he can avoid the neighbors this season! yikes!