non-typicals
Not necessarily a sign of youth. When you see a non-typical formation like this, it is typically a sign of the animal going down-hill with age, or the animal has suffered an injury of sorts.
I chased after a mulie buck for three years, keeping tabs on him until I got drawn. The year before I shot him, he was an amazing 190 class typical, and the year I finally closed the deal, he was a 6x7 non-typical. (still scored 119).
We have seen many examples in the butcher shop, where a non-typical comes in, and there is almost always an injury or growth to the off-side. (meaning if the left horn looked deformed, the injury was found on the right leg)
I have also read cases of certain diseases that can create different horn formations, but those are usually very evident.
My opinion would be that this deer was approaching the final years. A good buck to take.
Congrats to the young fella. Pretty hard to top this one for his next tag!!
__________________
"a gun without hammers is like a spaniel without ears!"
|