camocop

also i would like to see your proof of 20 year old "wild" deer. the only deer i have ever heard of that reached that age were pen kept with optimal nutritional feed. i use to work with the Florida Wildlife Commission under their biologist (not as a biologist just assisting). out of the 1,000 or so deer that i have gutted, pulled jaw bones from and collected kidney's from...the oldest was approximately 5.5 to 6.5 years of age. this deer barely had any teeth left and the biologist advised once they reach this age range it's almost impossible to positively age them. he advised a wild deer natural food supply are so hard on the deer teeth that they start wearing out around 6.5 years of age. if their teeth wear out at that age it makes it harder for them to chew and eat. the deer posted in this thread is healthy and shows no sign of age (sway back, pot belly, elongated nose, etc.). there have been deer harvested in the wild that have been estimated at over 8 years of age but you could visually see how poor they looked. if ya'll want to change my mind, shoot this buck, have him aged and prove me wrong. i already stated he is a great buck and a shooter for sure. i'd love to put him on my wall, i've never had the chance at a drop tine buck.

who's raining on anyone's parade? i said he is a great buck regardless of age. my point is shed collecting is no age verification tool. also, antlers change from year to year...so "odd" shaped antlers have no bearing. if ya'll can successfully age deer with no scientific evidence...maybe ya'll need to do travelling deer seminars and teach us that rely on solid proof a thing or two.

i'm not saying your friend is dumb ora liar. i'm just saying his mistaken. deer simply don't get that age in the wild and the rare exceptions to this rule are no where near as healthy as that buck appears to be. if you and Zambo believe this buck is 8.5 years old then so be it...i won't change your mind. i know he isn't, there is an easy way to settle it. shoot the buck, pull his lower jaw bone photo it and paste it on here. also have a biologist age the jaw bone. unless your friend has kept a visual on this buck 24/7/365 for 8.5 years, he has no proof. the only other way your friend could make these claims were if he was absolutely positive that there were no other bucks within 20 miles of his location during the last 8.5 years. since we know he can't say this and we know he has not kept a visual on this buck 24/7/365...he can not positively say this deer is 8.5 years old. it takes more evidence than finding sheds to verifying how old a deer is. those found sheds could have come from numerous deer that your friend has never seen on the property. there is a very slim chance you friend might be right, i'm not calling him a liar. i'm just saying the odds are stacked against his claims and if i was a betting man, i would say this buck is several years younger than his claim.

he said he did not have cam's out the first "4" years and was going on sheds alone. unless he watched the antlers fall off of this buck, he can not absolutley say it was the same bucks antlers. also unless there is a tag in that bucks ear, there is no way of positively identifying it from year to year. we can take educated guesses but no way of nowing for sure. show that picture to a biologist and ask if he's 8.5 years old. he is a great buck none the less but not 8.5 years old.

i find 8.5 years old to be far fetched. i have seen doe's shot and aged by biologist at 5.5 years old and they barely had teeth left. once deer get over that 5.5 year mark their teeth and overall health start declining fast in the wild. that buck in that picture looks as healthy as a 3.5 year old. i'm guessing he is only around 4.5 years old.

still using my 1999 Jennings Buckmaster set at 76 pounds with a 32" draw. i am slinging 30" Beman 340 Realtree MFX's out of it at 270 f.p.s. i figure i can probably get another 10 years or more out of it.

your answer is no. Bass Pro and Cabela's camo still wears out and fades after 2-3 seasons. i have been using Team Realtree Pro Staff (top of the line) clothing for the last few years and still replace them due to fading in about 3 seasons. my next set of camo's will be Predator.

been using Moultrie's for over 3 years with no issues. the last Moultrie i bought was the I40 with NO regrets. it takes great pic's and batteries last about 5 months.

Jennings Buckmaster with 31 inch draw @ 75#'s 30 inch Beman Realtree MFX 340's 100 grain 3 blade Rage heads

yellow 4 with my .25-06

never had any problems with my Moultrie I40, it takes great pic's...day and night. it also runs off the same set of batteries for about 4-5 months. here are some sample pic's...

here in florida i am running several cams. if i get a pic of a big buck with a flash camera, it is likely that i never see him again. some deer are more prone to be scared of the flash and some don't seem to mind. with my ir cam, i seem to get alot more pic's of the same deer over and over.

where is the rest of the points? i only counted 9. heckuva buck though

i use the Cabela's brand rubber snake boots. best $80.00 i ever spent. this year i took a bite from a cotton mouth about a mile deep in a swamp. those boots may have saved my life.

approximately 1 mile, give or take