Funky whitetail rack

[Rhettster433]

We have this odd young buck and i just wanted to share him. He seems very healthy. Chased does during rut. His body seems to be in great condition. He is only 2ish years old from what i can tell but his rack is just so odd. Is this one you would cull or let him grow to see how weird he gets?

https://imgur.com/a/iTdwfom

(If videos dont work let me know. I have not linked any here before)

 

[Skerhunter]

Zero reason to cull a young buck, cull doe. I would bet his rack won’t be that goofy next year and you might not even recognize him!

The only time I try to cull a buck is when I have a 4-5+ year old buck that scores lower and prevents “better” mature deer from being on my property more frequently (only room for 1-2 permanent mature deer).

Shooting a 2-3 year old is a great way to ensure you never have a chance to shoot a giant mature deer in a few years. An average 130” 3 year old is what makes 170”+ mature deer.

 

[Chris in TN]

It is utterly impossible to know with any sort of certainty that a 'cull' buck has a genetic issue. Birth timing (as it relates to pedicel formation) and minor injuries can make a genetically 'fine' deer grow weird antlers and I'd rather have a smaller-racked but mature deer walking around than to kill him and explain it away as a 'cull'.

Shoot what you want, and you don't need to justify it to anyone (unless you're in a club with harvest rules). If I were you and I saw that deer on a decently sized tract of private land with halfway like-minded neighbors around me, there's no way I'd shoot that one. But that's me and not you and I obviously don't know your situation. YMMV, a lot.