Yearling bucks, or " spike bucks" rare have more than a fork in their antlers. No brow tines. They are only six months old. Sometimes, they are referred to a " button bucks", because there is barely a "button " appearing above the fur on the head. I have shot two yearlings that Had NO antlers appearing above the fur- and no bumps on the skull. I thought both were 1 1/2 year old does! and only shot them because I thought they would be good eating.
At 1 1/2 year old, you begin to see forked antlers, and BROW tines. How many points depends on the diet of the area, as well as water supply. What is distinctive about these racks is that they almost always grow straight up on the main shaft. I have seen small 6 point bucks at 1 1/2 years( with small point, and small brow tines.)
At 2 1/2 years, you begin to see larger racks with the longer main beams. The number of points can be from 4 to 10, typically. I have seen these aged deer with antlers that branch straight upward, and also racks that branch out beyond the ears before sending up tine.
at 3 1/2 years- an old buck in most Eastern states-- you see heavy racks, wide beams, and long tines. This is the prime age for growing antlers on White Tail bucks East of the Mississippi.
At 4 1/2 years, the teeth begin showing the wearing of grinding corn, and the nutrition the buck is getting may begin to fail. In areas with lots of sand in the soil, the corn carries silica with it, and that wears down the teeth faster. You will see broad beams, long times, but you also begin seeing those " gnarly" bumps growing on the beams, and brow tines. You may see "drop " tines coming down off the main beams. These bucks often sport " Christmas Tree Racks", with a number of small tines on each antler. I counted 29 tines on one such animal that were an inch or more.
5 1/2 to 12 1//2 year old bucks are hard to come by, but occasionally are taken. The oldest are thin in body, low in body weight, and probably living their last season on earth. The teeth are worn to the gums. Aging is done accurately by examining the growth rings in the teeth. The Racks may be Gnarly Christmas trees, or smallish wide beamed, short-tined examples, that are a shadow of what that same buck grew a few years before.
When I was a deer checker, I found no correlation between number of points on a rack and age at this level of aging. At all ages, you can find deer that have been injured, in fights, with other bucks, or by falls, or by banging their own antlers against trees to get rid of the itchy " velvet", that break off tines, or points from the rack. Once in awhile, you find a deer that has ONLY one Antler growing, and evidence of an injury early in the growth season that year. I had a small buck brought in that had most of one antler shot off by another hunter.
We now have bucks taken here down on the flats that weigh 300 lbs, and more. Some are now approaching 400 lbs. live weight. That is putting the White Tail deer closer in body weight to Mule Deer. However, along the coasts, and down South, where good nutrition is often lacking, a mature buck may not weigh 100 lbs., and may not stand taller than a medium sized dog. All are " Whitetails", however. The size of the animal, and the majesty of its rack has everything to do with diet and nutrition, along with its ability to survive long enough.
Land owners and hunters can help the situation by planting food plots, and supplying water, and mineral blocks for the deer. That is what a lot of South Texas Ranchers are doing to grow larger deer to attract urban deer hunters willing, and able to pay large sums to kill a buck with a respectable rack. The ranches often make more money hosting deer hunters, than they can raising cattle, particularly in the dry years.
