Thread: Split brow tines????

Are not most (all?) farm deer in NZ descendant from wild deer back in the live-capture days? If so, apart from a bit of selective breeding (for trophies), escapees/farmed/estate/wild/what-ever lines aren't really any different? And reason that they look so different is not genetic but the amount of feed etc that a farmed/estate deer gets?

In theory, if I went and captured a spiker out of Te ureweras with good potential and stuck it in a paddock with grass for africa and all the nutrients needed, it would sprout a head like that in 1 DEER 1's photos?

Originally Posted by phillipgr

Are not most (all?) farm deer in NZ descendant from wild deer back in the live-capture days? If so, apart from a bit of selective breeding (for trophies), escapees/farmed/estate/wild/what-ever lines aren't really any different? And reason that they look so different is not genetic but the amount of feed etc that a farmed/estate deer gets?

In theory, if I went and captured a spiker out of Te ureweras with good potential and stuck it in a paddock with grass for africa and all the nutrients needed, it would sprout a head like that in 1 DEER 1's photos?

All deer species head size, shape, beam and number of points are governed by genetics first, from sire AND dam, but will only grow out to full genetic potential IF it has enough quality feed AND he lives long enough.
If any of these three requirements are denied stags they will not grow big heads.
Stags that have split brow tynes, huge numbers of points and bulk are bred from Warnham Park and Woburn Abbey where game management has been practiced for centuries by removing the poor antlered stags thus letting only stags with desirable antler traits to bred.
Deer farmers have spent millions importing these stags or in the last 10yrs, the semen.
Another trait that some of these many pointed stags have is straight or turned down brows.
The head below was shot about 10yrs ago on a NZ hunting estate. My idea of a beautiful top "trophy head". My guess it is from East European bloodlines.