Chukardogs question about drop tines

[boneaddict]

  The only thing cooler than a drop tine buck is a double drop tine buck!
 Does anyone know if a drop tine is a genetic thing that can happen on any buck or does that specific gene have to be passed hereditarily? I've seen a few different antler abnormalities on the mountain I've hunted for 35 years. Stickers at many locations on the frame and blade like eye guards but never a drop tine. Lately, it's been just your boring everyday 4 points. Might be time to find another mountain to hunt?
 

Here was a young buck from this year.  Not 180 so I started a different thread.

[boneaddict]

I’ve looked over hundreds of bucks in this area and this was the first one I have seen here.

[chukardogs]

Bone, that's one of the coolest drop tines! Almost looks like it was a fork that broke off. It'll be awesome to see what it looks like next year if he makes it.
It looks to me like that may be one of those bucks that'll be a 3 point for life?

[C-Money]

Its a good question on how or why bucks grow drop tines...I can't remember ever seeing a drop tine in the wild. Sidenote...I'd be the guy to find a 3pt on a mountain full of boring everyday 4pts.  ....

[Pathfinder101]

Gotta be something in their genetic code.  This was my son's first buck.  We had trail camera pictures from him the year before as a 3 point with a single dropper (I can't find them right now).  A few years later, my older son killed this drop tine buck one draw over.  Had to be related...

[boneaddict]

Bone, that's one of the coolest drop tines! Almost looks like it was a fork that broke off. It'll be awesome to see what it looks like next year if he makes it.
It looks to me like that may be one of those bucks that'll be a 3 point for life?

He looked to me as being a young buck.  I was trying to decide if he was going to be something extremely special.   I have seen some giant threes in this area, so maybe that part of it as well.

[Ricochet]

What should we expect from this guy?  First pic is 2023, second is 2024.

[pianoman9701]

Cool-looking bucks for sure.

[Brute]

The only double drop tine I've ever got shots of.
Buck Norris  10 years ago today.

[Caseknife]

That is one of the rare going away views that would hold up!  Awesome buck

[kellama2001]

Cool-looking bucks for sure.

  I'd be thrilled just finding one of those buck's sheds

[chukardogs]

Holy smokes, Brute's aptly named! That's a serious set of antlers!!! Any way that buck knows how cool he is? Private or public land?

[boneaddict]

Buck Norris or the Nosler buck.   He was world famous.   He knew.  Sadly got smacked by a car.    He grew up on Nosler’s property and in the town of Bend.   A couple of his kids are there now, but I haven’t seen them. His sheds are cool.

[chukardogs]

My mom retired and moved to Crooked River ranch in the early 90s. I have pictures of monster bucks laying on the concrete pad of her driveway. Every once in a while you'd hear hooves on her back deck where she had plants that the deer sought out in pots. Nothing was safe.
Many years ago, a buddy and I went to fish the John Day river in early September. During the drive, on the edge of a canyon just outside of the town of Shaniko, stood (skylined) 4 of the biggest bucks I've seen in my life.
That region obviously has the potential to grow large antlers.
 It be cool to know if Brute's offspring have the hereditary gene to produce drop tines. If he lived a long life, there should be many of his offspring running around that area. I'll be in Bend later this year. I may have to make a point to look around that area in the September/October time frame.     

[boneaddict]

All the bigs at CRR get whacked by gov or raffle tag holders now.  I didn’t even see a big one there this year when I passed through. There are two I have seen photos of, if they didn’t get harvested, I’d like to see.

[chukardogs]

During the rut, those bucks have to roam and I guess if they leave the private and venture onto the BLM, it'd be open season. I used to run my bird dogs along the rim of the canyon in the early 2000s and found a couple bucks minus only the heads just off the CRR property. The fish and wildlife guy that came out said, unless there's witnesses or someone dropped there ID, not much they could do. 

[boneaddict]

Some of the locals lose their "no hunting" stance when offered a 25K bonus for allowing them to be shot in their yard.   Its a matter of roaming into the wrong yard

[chukardogs]

Wowza!!!? 25K! Must be shotgun right? When the buck bolts at a bow shot and ends up in Mrs. Finkbottoms garden and tears her garden to shreds during his last death thrash, I always envision being chased off the property by some old gal in her smock and curlers. No thanks!

[Brute]

chukardogs
My parents also retired to CCR in the 90's to early 2000's. They bought their property over there in the late 70's.
Here are some sheds off of him. The 3 photo is one shed from 2013 and the other 2 was form his last set from 2014.
I got to hold one off of his last set.
He was hit and killed by a car in June of 2015.

[boneaddict]

triple dropper, and kicker with kickers.... THis buck was a beast

[NOCK NOCK]

One of the coolest bucks I've ever seen. He is kinda symmetrical too. 

[chukardogs]

Are the eye guards broken or just naturally blunt?

[boneaddict]

They are actually “bent” over forward

[zwickeyman]

triple dropper, and kicker with kickers.... THis buck was a beast

Great buck  He looks like he is side eyeing you as he is walking away

[Magnum_Willys]

OT - I had a web URL “droptine.com” I sold to a pair of brothers who were starting a distillery.  I used the proceeds to buy parts for a custom 338 Lapua I had built by HCA.  Always loved the droptines!

[boneaddict]

That’s pretty damn cool!

[chukardogs]

Have you tried the bourbon? I may have to get a bottle if it's not swill.

[Boss .300 winmag]

Have you tried the bourbon? I may have to get a bottle if it's not swill.

Sounds pretty good to me. Only available thru on line sales.

https://www.breakingbourbon.com/tnt/droptine-12-point-bourbon

[chukardogs]

I may have to try it just because I can. I'll order some and let y'all know if it's actually drinkable.

[boneaddict]

So Close.   How long before you count it?  How long before this is the perfect Washington Buck

[chukardogs]

That's a beautiful buck. My guess is 4/5 years of age. The burr looks to be that of a little older deer. I'm guessing 22/23 wide with the ears at 16/17 wide. The color and shape are unique or at least different than I'm used to. In 33 years on the same mountain, I've seen one or two bucks that had that dark chocolate brown color. Always heard that had to do with what they're rubbing there horns on. I've seen bucks taken from the Gig Harbor/Peninsula area that have almost red horns.
 As far as that age class becoming the perfect Washington buck. With the Wolves, Cougars and Bears traipsing the landscape in numbers not seen in many many years, the only bucks left are this age class and older. I haven't seen a spike or forked horn on my mountain in 10 plus years. In fact, in the last few years, the only two bucks I've seen were the younger 3x4 and a 4x4 that I took. There's been no sign of an older buck living on the hill for several years now. I know there's still a few around but with the behavioral changes caused by the presence of the Wolves, we're not seeing the sign in the places we used to.
 I find myself having to question the decision to pull the trigger every year now. There's always that sense that by squeezing this trigger, I'm probably making an already dire situation worse. Usually the thought of a pan of venison sausage and eggs is enough incentive to get the gun to go boom but still, I'd love to be able to say that this thought of impending doom doesn't rear it's ugly head with every bite but......

[boneaddict]

5.5 likely with 22 inch ears, 28+ wide.

[chukardogs]

Really? Without something known to gauge against, I assumed Cascade buck with possibly some Blacktail in there and thus went smaller span on the ears. Couple more years and some good feed and water, he could get to 30 if he's 28 now.