In regards to your second question, 8 point bucks can become 10 point bucks, but age is an important component. A good yearling buck (1 1/2) with it’s first set of antlers may be an 8 point deer. This is a good deer and will most likely have 10 or more antler points a year or two down the road. In fact, really good yearling bucks can have 10 points.

The problem comes at 3 1/2 years of age. An 8 point buck at this age is much less likely to develop into a 10 point buck than say a yearling or 2 1/2 year old 8 point. These 3 1/2 and 4 1/2 year old 8 point bucks are then harvested on many ranches as management bucks, knowing that odds are not in their favor at this point in their life to become superior antlered deer.