Non-typical bucks?

Rob

Rob

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I have successfully hunted deer across Canada for more than forty years, sometimes shooting 4 deer a year, mostly Whitetails, but also Blacktails plus a few Mulies and Moose. I have never shot one with non-typical antlers. Actually, I have never seen a living non-typical. Yet online I see all sorts of pictures of them, mostly from the USA. Is this just my luck or are they less common in Canada?
 
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I have seen & harvested quit a few NT WT ( a couple well over 200") and a smattering of Mules with small "snag points" that some consider NT points as well (all in central Ab). Local genetics will manipulate the NT gene pool...one NT buck can breed a lot of does in a small area. Two buddies & I all killed NT WT's in one day one time, two of them were 200 yrds apart when they died only one was 10 minutes after daylight and the other was 4:30 that afternoon, the third was about 2 miles away. The interesting thing about these three deer is that mine was a over 200" animal that only had enough NT points that he would qualify for that status with B & C. The other from the same spot had both very thick & knarled up main beams with almost no points, the third had a simple WT type basket antlers with both G2's split that may have indicated a Mule WT cross.
My personal experience of 55 yrs of deer hunting in my are wouldn't let me claim that there are more NT down south than here.
 
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There was at least 1 in Canada, I found one antler attatched to a piece of skull. I'm assuming it was a road kill with the skull being broken but then again, can't believe the driver didn't bring home the rack if that's the case. Anywho, I don't have a pic and the rack is at my cottage but the only way I can describe it is non typical. Probably the coolest thing I've ever found. This was on Manitoulin Island here in Ontario.
 
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I’m no biologist, just going by field time it seems that genetics can definetly be a factor and the age of an animal seems to be as well.
Have seen and shot many old whitetail bucks that grew abnormal points, drop tines and generally gnarly horn. Old being 7 or 8 year class.
One area we hunt has moose that are highly prone to drop tines. I’m guessing that is genetics as it is apparent on 3-4 year old moose not just the older bulls.
 
As stated, it depends on the genetics of an area but they are not nearly as common. There is one particular quarter I have hunted for 40 years and know several others that do from time to time. It produced some knarly non-typicals for about the first 10 years I hunted it. They had awesome mass and lots of stickers. I harvested one with 2 antlers on one side and a buddy got a beautiful double drop tine buck the next year.

The gene pool went south for a while with big bodied bucks with next to no horn. Then there was several years of big 4x4s and 9 point bucks. I harvested 3 in a row over 4 years there. Now there is several big 5x5s with some stickers that look like they will really amount to something. Almost all have split brows and/or eye guard coming of the front of the brows.

If you find an area with even small bucks sporting something unusual I would plaster the surrounding area with cameras if possible. Any I have found are far away from pressure. Many people, in my areas at least, will harvest even a small buck they would normally pass because of abnormal points. A typical type buck is much more likely to make it to maturity in a well hunted area. Non-typicals generally just show some stickers until the main frame is fully developed. Any I have harvester are old deer.
 
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I find it odd around here, I know of almost every buck shot at our camp (700acres)in the first 35 years we owned it. Between pictures, The racks hung on the wall and the deer I've seen shot in the 20 years I've hunted here.

Not one had a drop tine or anything more than a few small kickers off of brow tines or G2s.

In the last 5 years we have shot 3 bucks that are non typical. Double drop tine 14 pointer, 9 pointer with huge straight back flyer off of G2 and a small fork point that had almost another antler starting at the base of his one main beam.

Hopefully it continues this way,But I have seen some Huge non typicals from Ontario in last few years.

One from this year comes to mind, massive 18 point NT shot in Binbrook area i seen on Facebook in November
 
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Around here anyways, older Muley bucks often have "non-typical" racks. I've taken bucks with 7 points on a side, drop tine, etc. I've seen Elk and Deer with horns growing down or 1 up, 1 down. I have a deformed Elk horn in my shed. I saw a massive Muley in the past with (my WAG) 20 points per side.
 
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Okay, so they are definitely here. I guess I just haven't been lucky enough to see one...there's always next year. Thanks.
 
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I have been hunting Western Manitoba for close to 50 years, have never seen a non-typical. In fact have never even seen any monster bucks that would warrant a wall head mount. Some people just have horseshoes up their a$$ when it comes to luck. Shot the biggest buck of my life last year but again not any record by any means but my personal best.
 
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I've taken several older blacktails with non typical features. The ones that stood out were normal one side, palmated on the other. They were taken a few years apart but in the same location so I figured maybe it was a genetic trait that passed down a certain line of bucks.
I've taken a 4 x 3 pt whitetail but not sure if that is what you guys are refering to as non typical.
I always considered any rack that was not the same on both sides for number of points as non typical and I have taken quite a few 4 x 3 black tails. Have one euro mounted on my wall and a few others in the bone pile in the shop of euro's I have not gotten too yet LOL
 
My son and I have taken a few non-typical bucks over the years. As one member stated, "genetics" plays an important roll in an area." One year while hunting, we bumped into an old guy, he was out looking for a whitetial buck. He mentioned, "there are to damn many non-typical bucks in this area, I want a nice typical." Hence, we killed a few for the older gentleman.
Here are some that we killed, we have others. These are all DIY bucks, case-in-point, we have never been on a guided hunt.
 

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I've shot one non-typical whitetail and found sevral non-typical sheds around the same area.

Antler size and shape has to do with genetics, bucks from certain areas usually look similar. Same goes for non-typical.

There's a very healthy herd of non-typical mule deer where I hunt. My wife and I have both shot similar bucks out of that area and dozens of similar looking sheds.
 
A neighbor and I killed 200” nontypicals that were identical or nearly so. Almost a decade apart. Does carry half the genetics and can live a long time.
 
Haven’t seen any non typical racks in person locally but I have seen pics of the odd one from others I know, mainly mule deer for the most part. Which is funny as WT deer are more prevalent in my area for the most part. My in-laws have a few WT deadheads around their house that are non typical, so they do exist.
 
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My son and I have taken a few non-typical bucks over the years. As one member stated, "genetics" plays an important roll in an area." One year while hunting, we bumped into an old guy, he was out looking for a whitetial buck. He mentioned, "there are to damn many non-typical bucks in this area, I want a nice typical." Hence, we killed a few for the older gentleman.
Here are some that we killed, we have others. These are all DIY bucks, case-in-point, we have never been on a guided hunt.
Click to expand...
Nice work. Congratulations.
 
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