M
MrB
Guest
I spend 5 days a week working in a trophy blacktail area.
Though it is not open to hunting, I have several sets of sheds from the area that would go high in the books. I have not been seeing the same genes being passed down the last 3 years. Previously 4x4s was the norm, but now 2x2s and 3x3s. In the past there have been big dominant 4x4s doing a lot of the breeding. The last couple seasons a very large bodied forked horn and 3 pointer have taken over. The forked horn buck antlers are just a small basket even though he is in his prime. The new herd bucks have absolutely huge bodies. I have had a great opertunity to watch these deer move up the ranks of the herd.
The more see, the more I believe body size is far more important than antler size in determining dominance. I know that the trophy antler genes are here, but nature will need to help them out by coupling them back with the big body gene before I start seeing more monark sheds.
I know hunters have a large part in the selection process for the future of a herd, but at least if the trophy genes were their once they can come back at anytime (with a huge body of coarse). They may have not totally been shot out, but nature may have pulled them back a little as well.
I hope this is true for muleys as well. What do you guys think?
Mike
Though it is not open to hunting, I have several sets of sheds from the area that would go high in the books. I have not been seeing the same genes being passed down the last 3 years. Previously 4x4s was the norm, but now 2x2s and 3x3s. In the past there have been big dominant 4x4s doing a lot of the breeding. The last couple seasons a very large bodied forked horn and 3 pointer have taken over. The forked horn buck antlers are just a small basket even though he is in his prime. The new herd bucks have absolutely huge bodies. I have had a great opertunity to watch these deer move up the ranks of the herd.
The more see, the more I believe body size is far more important than antler size in determining dominance. I know that the trophy antler genes are here, but nature will need to help them out by coupling them back with the big body gene before I start seeing more monark sheds.
I know hunters have a large part in the selection process for the future of a herd, but at least if the trophy genes were their once they can come back at anytime (with a huge body of coarse). They may have not totally been shot out, but nature may have pulled them back a little as well.
I hope this is true for muleys as well. What do you guys think?
Mike