I shot a NICE 8 pt this morning, but he looks different than any whitetail I have ever shot before.
The first thing I noticed was his size. The average buck here dresses out around 110-115, this one was just a hair over 150. He also seems to have a deeper chest than the more "streamline" look of the herds around here (San Angelo, Tx.)
Then there is his head. Every deer I've seen around here has a definite muzzle. This one had a "roman nose" as the processor called it. His head is very short, almost resembling a sheeps head.
His antlers were also much different than the local deer. They are pretty massive at the base, dark, and thick all the way to the tips. The normal deer around here has yellow, typical (smooth and thin) tines. He had 5pts on one side and 3 on the other. 2 of the 3 on the one side look forked, and the mass at the tip makes them look webbed.
His coat also looks and feels different. I could tell he was older (the processor said 6), but his hair is almost all gray and very wiry.
(I'll post pictures when later this weekend)
Where do these rogue deer come from, and why aren't these genetics passed on to others I see?