Got my age back.
Contributors to this thread:Whitetail Deer
From: skipmaster1
04-Apr-19
Last week I got my results back on one of this years bucks. I had just finished hanging a stand, turned around and this guy was coming in on a string. I shot him just yards from where I killed my buck last yeat. I knew he was using the area based on the huge tracks I had found at the stream crossing. The shot materialized fast. Less than 30 seconds from seeing him until I shot him. He didn’t have a great rack but I figured he was mature enough based on his body characteristics. Anyone care to guess the age?
Edit-this buck was 5.5 years old.
From: skipmaster1
04-Apr-19
From: skipmaster1
04-Apr-19
From: Brotsky
04-Apr-19
That's a 2.5 year old buck all day here in the midwest but those eastern deer I can never figure. It's almost like they are a different species when it comes to age!
From: skipmaster1
04-Apr-19
He dressed out at 187#’s
From: 12yards
04-Apr-19
3.5
From: Bou'bound
04-Apr-19
6.5
From: Yasla
04-Apr-19
5.5 years old
From: Carcajou
04-Apr-19
4.5
From: Smtn10PT
04-Apr-19
4.5
From: Hancock West
04-Apr-19
I agree with Brotsky, in the Midwest the rack looks like 3.5 but the gray face and thicker fur patch between his antlers make him look 4.5-5.5. I'm guessing 4.5years old
From: Silverback
04-Apr-19
4.5
From: Silverback
04-Apr-19
4.5
From: APauls
04-Apr-19
Be darned if I have a clue but the way you framed it makes me think it's older than you would have thought and he does have a shwack of grey on the back of them ears. I'll go with 7.5
From: skipmaster1
04-Apr-19
He was 5.5. Excactly the age I had thought when he walked in but his rack doesn’t score much and I’ve been fooled before. Tooth wear said he was 4.5 but I’ve found that only sort of accurate. His body was huge for this area though. I’m super excited to have taken another mature buck from this spot. Last year the buck I took was 10.5 and weighed much less.
From: skipmaster1
04-Apr-19
Hanging over all sides of a magnum deer cart
From: skipmaster1
04-Apr-19
This is NY public land and it’s nice to be able to find mature bucks if you’re willing to work. It’s a long hoke in to access this spot. My buddy killed a really nice 7.5 this year in another public spot 2 miles from the nearest access. His buck had a bigger rack but only dressed out at 140#s
From: midwest
04-Apr-19
Nice! Congrats!
From: skipmaster1
04-Apr-19
JTV- I agree it is hard to tell. I’ve bedn pretty good in my immediate area determining 1.5, 2.5, 3.5, 4.5+. Mostly on body characteristics. Usually if I’m fooled, they are older than I thought. If I went to a different area of the state or a different state, all of that is out the window.
From: huntinelk
04-Apr-19
Congrats on a great deer.
From: APauls
04-Apr-19
I always get a kick out of the guys that claim to be able to accurately age deer they've never seen before. I think if a guy is within a 3 year window on those guesses that's doing pretty good!
From: Southern draw
04-Apr-19
Congrats!
From: Scar Finga
04-Apr-19
How Old???? Old enough to feed my family and enjoy a very nice rack!
Congratulations!
From: Bou'bound
04-Apr-19
So the tooth report said four and you are saying he’s five?
From: skipmaster1
04-Apr-19
Bou- no. Tooth wear/replacement showed 4.5... but just barely.
Cementum Annuli shows him at 5.5 years old
From: EmbryOklahoma
05-Apr-19
That's a really nice buck for up that way, Greg, well done!