I’ve never really worried about it. We can only kill one buck a year with a rifle so I have no interest in burning my tag on a half rack dink in the interest of “maybe” stopping his genetic line. How often have we read of some ranch in TX where someone or another killed a couple “management bucks”? I’ve never heard of anyone running out of management bucks, which means to me that it must not be working.
I don’t know, one place of ours we get bucks with one normal antler and one stub about 2’ tall. They’ve been there my whole life and we’ve killed some over the years to no apparent effect. I assume does can carry the genetic traits as well? No way to know which one of them is which. The same place also has bucks with perfect symmetrical racks too.
I also have a skull I picked up of an ancient old buck with a typically formed side with 7 or 8 points and a huge bladed spike with a big split brow. I would have considered him a trophy if I’d have had the opportunity to shoot him. To me any old heavy buck that’s a challenge to outsmart is a trophy. I love to hunt deer but I kinda like to let nature do it’s thing with the deer herd.
