Great writeup as usual and a fun recap of history in that. So glad he wasn't the 6 the neighbor shot in the face and you got to wrap a tag around him. Congrats on a great buck and great memories to tell around the fire for years to come.
My taxidermist had them sample my deer for CWD, EHD, etc. and this is an email he shared with regarding hoof deformities. He'd just finished another buck that had similar, but not as pronounced, deformities on the hooves. We've never seen a big outbreak on the farm, but I wonder if this is why we have such a shitty crop of older age class bucks this year. If 2022 was the year, it would help explain why we have no 5 or 6 year old bucks this year. Interesting stuff for sure.
He's going to turn my hooves into a gun mount, so I'm excited to see the finished product!