Age of this buck?
Contributors to this thread:Whitetail Deer
From: Korey Wolfe
19-Mar-21
Central Missouri buck in January. Funny head shape, but still looks to be 2 years old. I did have one look like this several years ago that ended up being 7 years old via centum annuli.
From: Korey Wolfe
19-Mar-21
From: Korey Wolfe
19-Mar-21
That's as much of his body I have in the picture. Give it a guess based on what you can see.
From: Buckeye
19-Mar-21
short nose makes me think he is a two year old.
From: John in MO / KY
19-Mar-21
Hard to say. Looks awfully thick through the shoulders for a 2 year old.
From: stealthycat
19-Mar-21
2 to 10 years old - you can't ever tell by a photo
From: greg simon
19-Mar-21
My guess would be 2 years old. With the info available I'm basing that almost entirely on antlers though.
From: Rsquared
19-Mar-21
1-1/2... Killed many like him in michigan. I got 53 bucks in the record books off 17 different propertys. All but one of those bucks had a previous wound on its body, some had as many as 4.
From: Rsquared
19-Mar-21
Just playing around. I have no idea. Hard to tell
From: milnrick
19-Mar-21
I'd be inclined to say not more than 3.5 but more likely 2.5.
From: sticksender
19-Mar-21
The yearlings around here (Indiana/Illinois) look like him, body-wise. Except your buck does have a little more neck thickness than usual for a yearling. When I compare trail cam pics of the local yearlings to known mature bucks, it makes the young ones look like dwarfs. Side-by-side comparison pics help a bunch in making a useful assessment.
From: sticksender
19-Mar-21
Just as an example...the buck in the top pic is a probable yearling, and the one below is a probable 4-1/2 yr old, standing in the same spot.
From: beemann
19-Mar-21
Great pic sticksender!
From: Scooby-doo
20-Mar-21
Really sticksender? You must have awesome genetics if that top pic is a 1.5 year old. I have hunted several midwestern states and rarely do you see 1.5 year olds that look like him. My guse would be 2.5. Shawn
From: sticksender
20-Mar-21
Scooby-doo, yes I'm about 90% sure the buck in my pic is a yearling. The point to be considered is that there's no way to judge/guess a buck's age from a single picture, without any more information.For an example of that, take a look at a single side-view pic of a different yearling buck, from the same camera. Considering his body, one might also conclude that he's a 2-1/2 year old, in spite of the tiny rack with slender bases. But pictures can be deceiving.
So then in a front view, the same buck is shown moments later from a different angle, together with a spike yearling. These lanky, long-legged little bucks are both roughly the same body size as mature does, would weigh about 130 lbs field-dressed, and were both button bucks the prior winter.
So then in a front view, the same buck is shown moments later from a different angle, together with a spike yearling. These lanky, long-legged little bucks are both roughly the same body size as mature does, would weigh about 130 lbs field-dressed, and were both button bucks the prior winter.
From: Rsquared
20-Mar-21
Scooby doo- I agree . Would have guess that topbuck to be 2-1/2
From: t-roy
20-Mar-21
Totally agree with sticksender^^^^^ Also depends on the area of the country you are in. Some places just have better genetics, and the bucks will produce more inches of antler than in other areas, even on a 1 1/2 year old.
From: Scooby-doo
20-Mar-21
I was going on everything I know about aging deer but very few places in the country produce that type of rack at 1.5 years old. I know they are out there but he still looks 2.5 to me. Shawn
From: RMhunter
20-Mar-21
I could very well see it being a yearling or a two year old. Here in East Tennessee most yearlings are spikes and 4s. But at my place in southern Ohio I have sheds from a yearling 10pt with matching split eyeguards. And it seems the majority of the yearling bucks there have between 6-8pts, with a few forks and spikes It all depends on the area and genetics. It's hard for me to guess on the OPs picture but just going by the rack I could see him being a yearling but he does seem to be pretty thick in the neck.
From: Bow Crazy
22-Mar-21
January buck photos can make the bucks seem older, more/thicker appearing hair, especially here in Wisconsin. I would guess central Missouri, but could certainly be wrong. I would guess a 2.5 yr old, but could be a 1.5 yr old. Ha, I sound like a politician! Stickbenders top buck looks like a 1.5 yr old. We have 1.5 yr olds look like that. What a great comparison of two age classes of bucks. BC
From: Korey Wolfe
23-Mar-21
7.5 year old buck!
7.5 year old buck!
Here is the picture of the buck I was referring to. I would have guessed him at 2 or 3...maybe even a 1 year old...way off!
