We are in the black belt in Wilcox County. I truly believe stress in your herd is the most overlooked aspect in managing a property. Stress can be felt in many different ways to a deer herd. Hunting pressure, food, social structure, multiple water sources, and summer pressure in the heat when the stress is at its highest. For us though the fawn stress is really working by getting a good set of horns on a two yr old. A good set of horns on a two yr old can be just forked horns, but if your seeing a ton of spikes to me that just means that those deer did not break skin the year they were born so they never shed until their second season.

Yes, it’s very important to start fawns off on the right foot. The most important and very critical part of that is having as close to possible of an even sex ratio. Does being bred their first cycle is important to fawn development. Late born fawns have proven in all studies to fall behind in average antler scores compared to their earlier born cohorts. On some properties it’s easy to pick out the 1 year old bucks likely born there vs the ones that dispersed there from other areas. There can be very large differences in development from a fawn born in late July to early August vs one born in September to October.

Wilcox good area CedarCreek - agree w stress statements

You mean a ONE year old right?

A two year old with just forked horns is a horribly inferior buck imo. I would never call a fork horn 4 point on a two year old buck "good."
I have never even seen a two year old with less then full scale antlers with brow tines and at least 6-8 points.

Anywhere I have hunted in Alabama all of the yearling bucks were either spikes (most of them) or 4 point fork horns ( minority).
Occasionally a yearling buck may even have a small set of regular antlers.

every year I have one 140+ deer on camera (one 150+ in 2012) but you'd need night vision scope to kill them after october 15. alabama manages for meat, not trophies. our rut comes in when the deer have been hunted for 3+ months with bows and two+ months with rifles. on your 400 acres you let young 8s walk and the neighbor shoots m. strike two is there's no soybean/grain big farm agriculture left in our area. everything's pine trees and cattle. if u watch outdoor channel they aren't hunting big bucks in alabama. it's not impossible w/ the genetics but the chosen (mis)management season structure makes it very rare.

Yes I just meant his first set of hard horns we want to see a fork. Even though a spike can become the biggest deer on the place. Deer are different make different leaps. Some deer are big 2 yr olds and don't change much, and some take a while. I had a deer we almost culled as a 4 year old that was a 6pt he exploded the next year into my biggest deer ever in AL a 154 13pt. We are leaning away from the idea of Cull anything. Im one that believes the 130 threshold is not that hard in Alabama. Location is everything, but I have friends in Washington County that shoot 130" deer. There are plenty of places in Alabama that can grow 130 class deer every year. Some places take different circumstances and management practices. Great Neighbors is probably the most important. Now the 150 mark is what I believe to be the unicorn and difficult in AL. Geography has a lot to do with that mark.

^^^^^^
Well said Cedar Creek

I have seen plenty of 2 year old that wasn’t a 6-8 point.

I’ve seen plenty of 3-5 year olds with less than 6-8 points. 🤷🏼‍♂️

I would say just about anywhere in AL can grow a 130” buck, just not very often. As has been said on this thread and backed up by studies in MS maybe 20% of all bucks born in AL had the potential to make 130+ between natural causes and bullets that don’t leave many to make 130”+. I would say the jaw bones and sets of antlers at taxidermist all over this state would bear that out.

I agree that it doesn't happen very often and sure deer die of natural causes all the time but one of the factors you mentioned can be controlled. The bullet! Sure taxidermists can give a lot of insight into what's being killed, but not what's still out there. Also the people killing and seeing 130s regularly aren't taking them to the taxidermist all that often. The thing being discussed is potential and that's everywhere in this state. Now realizing that potential can be expensive, hard, and time consuming. To reach that goal pulling the trigger has to become not important.

There are areas in the state that have the potential to produce a higher percentage of 130”+ bucks. Alluvial soils and floodplains definitely being top of the list.

The whole trigger control thing is most important. That’s the one we have the most control over. You can improve habitat and it doesn’t matter if the trigger finger is out of control.

I haven't.
I have never even heard of such a thing until today right here on Aldeer.
Ok, maybe a 5 point 3x2 at two years old, but not a mere forkhorn.

Are you kidding?

Every property in every county of this state has deer that at maturity have no more than 4-6 points. You’ve never seen a big mature buck with forks and no brows? This is very common. Not something unusual.

Please dont take this the wrong way and I am certainly not trying to be condescending or rude but one of two things must be true. Either you dont know what you're looking at when aging the deer you see, or you must not be in the woods observing deer very often. A very very high percentage of deer in AL, including in the "blackbelt counties" where I've hunted and managed properties for the past 30 years, will be button heads or nubby spikes their first year. Then a spike, cowhorn, 4 or 6 point or, if you're lucky and have a well managed herd, an 8 or 10 (genetically superior animals), with their first real rack the following year as a 2 yr old. Early drop fawns will generally have a much better set of 2 yr old antlers than late dropped fawns will. The late drops are generally playing "catch up" both body and horn wise for at least the next 3-4 years. At year 4 or 5, most of the late drops will have caught up with early drops with regard to antler and body development. Nutrition plays a huge part as to how quickly they can catch up, but to say that you've never seen a 2 year old deer that wasnt at least a 6 or 8 point in AL, you're either joking or you're confusing older age class deer you see with being a 2 yr old. Like Matt said, there are a pile of older bucks that are browless that will be a huge 5, 6 or 7. As an example, I've got a 4 yr old 5 point (big forks no brow on his left side) right now that is on the hit list this year because he's eating the groceries that could be going to the 4 yr old 10 pt that will score in the mid 140s that is on the do not shoot list this seaon.

Genetics plays big role In number of points In the swamps of Marengo county we had a 6 pt gene. I loved those big things. They would literally only be a 6 pt their entire life. Killed one that almost went 130. My favorite deer I have ever harvested was a 7 pt his entire life killed him at 6yrs of age he scored 148. He would have been 153 with another brow.

Can we see the 150 class 7?

I scored a 145” 6 once. It had a 20” inside spread, 27” and 28” beams, 14” G2s, 6” brows and a tad over 30” of mass. It was an absolute beast.

Sure let me dig through some pics. Can someone send a cell number PM I don't know how to post pics also prolly don't have a pic on my computer. Also give me a little while bout to eat dinner.

Not doubting at all - love to see it. Hunt that area.