can you age them with no antlers?

[wtnhunt]

Some have played along before, see how well we can do trying to guess ages of deer here without antlers. Will give it a few days and come back and post the pics with antlers on and see if folks change their minds.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

[Ravin R10 man]

2 1/2

3 1/2

3 1/2

2 1/2

4 1/2

[Texan_Til_I_Die]

That looks about right to me too. The last deer appears to be oldest, unless one of the others is really old and headed downhill.

[Rhino]

OK Willaim I'll play...I assume we're looking at Arkansas deer.

1. 2.5

2. 2.5

3. 3.5

4. 4.5

5. 4.5

[wtnhunt]

OK Willaim I'll play...I assume we're looking at Arkansas deer.

1. 2.5

2. 2.5

3. 3.5

4. 4.5

5. 4.5

Tennessee deer Al.

[dbHunterNY]

i'm going with:

1) 3.5

2) 2.5

3) 2.5

4) 4.5

5) 5.5

[Rhino]

Tennessee deer Al.

My bad!!! Another senior moment. Same size deer anyway! BTW...the last one had me scratching my head if he was 4.5 or 5.5 so I took the conservative guess.

Edited August 24, 2011 by Rhino

[hoosierhunter]

I think the 1st and 4th deer are the same deer. 4.5

the second deer is a really tough angle for a single pic. His chest looks like at least 3.5 but it's so tough.

3rd buck is either 1.5 or 2.5

5th buck is a shooter. I'd say 5.5.

[wtnhunt]

Looks like most here would agree the 5th or last pic is of a deer that is 4.5 years old or older. We thought so too. This pic was from December 2nd of 2009.

Everyone still think 4.5 or older?

[Rhino]

Everyone still think 4.5 or older?

Obviously I did William!

Is he still out there?

[wtnhunt]

The 3rd deer looks like guesses are between 2.5 and 3.5. Deer looks kinda long legged had us thinking most likely a 2.5 year old.

Pic from Sept 30th 2009.

[wtnhunt]

Obviously I did William!

Is he still out there?

Ummm, I might should wait before answering that Al. lol.

[Rhino]

The 3rd deer looks like guesses are between 2.5 and 3.5. Deer looks kinda long legged had us thinking most likely a 2.5 year old.

That would be a 3.5 here in MS...but would definitely be 2.5 if he were in KS or IA. Hard to say for sure about W TN...I figured you're deer were about the size of ours but that's just my guess.

Ummm, I might should wait before answering that Al. lol.

10-4

[wtnhunt]

That would be a 3.5 here in MS...but would definitely be 2.5 if he were in KS or IA. Hard to say for sure about W TN...I figured you're deer were about the size of ours but that's just my guess.

Deer here are probably pretty close to the same as the deer in MS Al. You may be right on that one in the 3rd pic that he is 3.5, with the pic being from Sept. From the body shape I would have also first said 3.5, but the long legged appearance throws me a bit.

The last deer is solid, how much you think he weighs in that pic? We guessed around 200+ lbs on the hoof from the pictures we had of that deer in December.

[Rhino]

The last deer is solid, how much you think he weighs in that pic? We guessed around 200+ lbs on the hoof from the pictures we had of that deer in December.

Yep...I'd say that's pretty close. For this part of the country you'd call him fully mature.

I took his buck out of the gene pool last year. Aged by jawbone method as 6.5 (which is what I figured from past history)...he weighed 197, live weight. Our scale measures to the 1/2 of a lb. If the the only thing I had were these pics I would have guessed 5.5. Had pics of him as a 4.5 & 5.5 year old buck. All he ever added from one year to the next was a little inside spread each year and mass. That's not the norm here but it happens.

If your deer are about the same size of ours, that wide 8 is older than I initially said.

[wtnhunt]

I think the 1st and 4th deer are the same deer. 4.5

the second deer is a really tough angle for a single pic. His chest looks like at least 3.5 but it's so tough.

3rd buck is either 1.5 or 2.5

5th buck is a shooter. I'd say 5.5.

One and four are the same, yep. :yes:

October 5th 2009

October 7th 2009

Second deer is also the same deer, a little bit thicker in the neck than the October pics.

November 3rd 2009

And the 5th pic is also of the same deer, in December.

:void(0)'>

[wtnhunt]

Kind of interesting to me how much a deer can transform over a few months. That was really the point of this post. A deer may look 3.5 or even 2.5 to some over the late summer then come time around the rut look like a fully mature deer to that same person.

Hoped if anything this post might generate some discussion about aging deer from photos and different times of the year.

[Rhino]

Yep William...they all have skinny necks till after velvet shedding and time to muscle up for the rut. They can sure wear themselves down after the rut in no time too.

I had one a couple of years ago that was in the 200# range right before the rut. A thick, barrel chested buck! In late January he looked like he'd lost 40#. If not for the distinctive rack he had, you would have sworn it was a younger buck.

BTW...I know many don't like to do this but judging the length of the main beams does help. Using the ear length, eye to nose length, or any other means you prefer to use to judge length is the hunter's call. There are certain averages in main beam length for different age class bucks in given areas. I know what they are in my neck of the woods...basically <12" for 1.5...~15.5" for 2.5...~17.5" for 3.5...& 19" or more for 4.5 or older bucks. Inside spreads and points vary way too much to be considered IMO.

Edited August 30, 2011 by Rhino

[wtnhunt]

Is he still out there?

He is the deer in my avatar Al, I killed him December 19th about two weeks after that December pic I posted here.

Yep William...they all have skinny necks till after velvet shedding and time to muscle up for the rut. They can sure wear themselves down after the rut in no time too.

I had one a couple of years ago that was in the 200# range right before the rut. A thick, barrel chested buck! In late January he looked like he'd lost 40#. If not for the distinctive rack he had, you would have sworn it was a younger buck.

Was running 4 cams in 09 and I had tons of pics of that buck going back to May. Beams on this particular deer are pretty well a giveaway. We thought he would weigh around 200 lbs live weight based on that last pic I posted from December, to our surprise he only weighed around 140 field dressed and he looked to be pretty run down. Amazing how fast they can pack it on and then lose it back. He had some pretty bad scars/healed wounds as well. I asked the taxidermist to save his jawbones for me, but unfortunately he didn't so I cannot verify the actual age with a biologist. We did take a quick look at the teeth though and I am not an expert but we estimated based on our chart from tndeer.com that the deer was a 4.5 year old.

BTW...I know many don't like to do this but judging the length of the main beams does help. Using the ear length, eye to nose length, or any other means you prefer to use to judge length is the hunter's call. There are certain averages in main beam length for different age class bucks in given areas. I know what they are in my neck of the woods...basically <12" for 1.5...~15.5" for 2.5...~17.5" for 3.5...& 19" or more for 4.5 or older bucks. Inside spreads and points vary way too much to be considered IMO.

Now I am gonna have to take down some mounts and measure main beams sometime.

[hoosierhunter]

Not bad on my part. I was darn near right on the money for all these.......

[dbHunterNY]

great post william

[Tominator]

I agree with db.