Old Bruiser down in IL. How old is he?
Whitetail Deer
I was very fortunate to kill this buck on November 6th on our home farm here in central Illinois. I have teeth to send off for cementum ageing but i'm curious what you guys think based on these pictures of him in 2012.
And this is him this year. I do have more pictures from 2011-2015 but these show his body the best.
Central Illinois in 2012, the body says 3.5 which would make him 6.5 now. Excellent choice in getting him aged. Please follow-up in 3 months when you get the results.
I believe that he was a 5 year old in 2012 which would make him 8.5 this november.
Thanks guys, you're quick! This is the earliest picture i have of him in 2011, i dont see him as being any younger than 3.5 in this picture.
show field photos !!
he could be 3 years to 10 years - age is so overblown nowdays IMO
I'm just curious; thats all. Based on the pictures in 2011 i think he was 3-4 then which makes him 7- this year.
It was honestly the result of years of planning and getting permission from the neighbors to access our "back forty" portion of property that is land locked by two neighbors. In 5 seasons of pictures i only had 10-12 pics, 2 were daylight, and the rest were at night. I also have 4 shed antlers from him ranging from 2012-2014. I got permission and hung the stand in october where i knew his core area was. Went in on Nov 6th and killed him at 7:15 am ( i actually saw him at 6:45am just out of bow range but he came crusing by my stand shortly after and i was fortunate to make a perfect shot at 20 yards, he went about 35 yards and i watched him go down. 15 scoreable points and based on his sheds from last year he had broken off his right G3 which was 11" last year, and a flyer tine off his right main beam that was 5" last year. He grossed 174" as is.
Nice buck but 174"s gross he must have great mass measurements. Congrats! Shawn
I agree, the pictures look like a mid 160's deer but i measured 3 times and got 172 1/8-176 even. He has 40 3/8" in mass
That should be 174 1/8-176 on the 3 measurings. He is 21 1/8 wide (inside spread). 3 scoreable points of 1 1/8 - 1 4/8. 24" and change for main beams
Great deer Chris, congrats! I would say from the 2011 pic, you are right in your assessment that he is at least 3.5. Hard to tell for sure for me at least, unless I have a history & pics of the deer.
Did your wife get her shooting confidence issues resolved?
T-roy: Thanks for the input. Unfortunately she hasn't been out since the last time she released an arrow and wounded the buck. Last fri-sun was the first gun only season here in IL and she doesn't gun hunt and with thanksgiving, etc. she is wrapped up with family right now but we're planning on going out sunday afternoon. I think mentally she has managed to get over things but i'm a bit concerned that she will panic when she does get another shot. Either way, time will work wonders even if its next year before she gets to draw on a deer.
thanks
Congrats, save the bottom incisors and go to deerage.com
The pic where you said he was 5.5 in 2012. Tells a lot. I think going off that picture he was 5.5 as well. The following pic looks like a 4.5 year old. Which would be 2011. Just a little to much body for a 3.5. Congrats on your success in getting him. Shooting an older buck is very rewarding. They are at the top of there game in surviving.
Thanks guys. Jack: I have the incisors here on my desk, i just have to get them in the mail.
Fulldraw: Thanks, i agree. I've been fortunate to harvest a few 5 year olds but its quite rewarding to put a plan together for a specific deer and have all of the pieces fall right into place, especially on an old deer. He only dressed out at 200#, in my opinion he was fairly short framed for a mature buck but he was pretty stout for his frame size. Def. an old grey face with a roman nose on him.
In all honesty it's a little sad that hes not on the farm anymore but i certainly wouldn't pass up the opportunity that i got!
Great Job, beautiful buck. the teeth will tell the truth on age. Forrest
A true warrior buck for sure and congrats on the kill.
I am sure some of his off springs are just around the corner.
My best, Paul
Great old buck. Congrars!
Congratulations... great buck!
He is exactly as old as he is going to get. Nice deer.
Super buck!! Congrats....
Congrats. Fun to have some history of watching that deer grow and get older.
10. I will go old. He seems on the down hill.
awesome job Bumpin and congratulations, I know you work your tail off to get those IL bruisers. That's an awesome deer! I would guess he's 8 1/2 yo, I think the 2011 pic he is a year older than you think. But just a guess :)
Congrats again on a beast of a buck!
helluva deer - fantastic buck
Don't you love it when a plan comes together! Awesome buck!
Thanks guy, it's just a bonus that he scores well but in all honesty the reason he's so special to me now is because of how the plan worked along with his age.
Nice buck with the bow. Well done
If anyone is interested, i received my aging results today for a couple bucks. This buck "daggers" was in fact an 8.5 year old buck when i killed him last november!
well for once in my life I got a bucks age right :)
not sure what county you are in but I will be in Edgar County bowhunting every fall for the foreseeable future.
That's good to know, Chris! Thanks for sharing and congrats on a true mature buck!
Wow...8.5 and he looked like he was good for at least a couple more had he not run into you first...8^)
Great Buck!
That's a fantastic trophy in so many regards,great story!
I'd say his body and possibly his rack was regressing. He appeared to me to now have the body mass of a younger 4.5 to 5.5 y/o deer deer but obviously an older deer. I believe he would have been much stockier in his 5.5 to 6.6 year old time frame. He did still appear to have large bases which is the hallmark of an older buck while the rest of his rack regresses. Just my humble opinion.
