bowhunter97 Posted November 2, 2013 Report Share Posted November 2, 2013 I look at how sturdy/young the body looks, how the face looks (how long/short) and if possible how prevalent the veins are. Im not sure how definite the vein idea is but it helps me see if the skin is tight on their face or if it is looser. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Straight Shooter Posted November 2, 2013 Report Share Posted November 2, 2013 I agree, antlers are not a full proof method of aging a deer. I've even heard for every point they have on one side, that is how old they are. I had to laugh out loud at that one. Personally, I primarily look at the chest and brisket area of the buck. The brisket in-particular, it more of an indicator to me on the age of a buck. He get barrels chested, front heavy and the tip of the brisket becomes more prevalent the older the buck is. My biggest buck to date, when I brought him into camp the guys were like this deer has got to be at least 5.5 years old. I said no, he is more like 3.5 and after getting him aged he was 3.5. Its really hard to judge a bucks age on the hoof unless you get the opportunity to see and compare a lot of deer. Then its still a guessing game and sometimes their characteristics will jump out at you. I shot one in Georgia back in 2001, this guy had a 60" rack and was 6.5 years old and he looked it with his completely white face, sagging back, and large brisket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abrown Posted November 4, 2013 Report Share Posted November 4, 2013 If you read, the indicators you guys where also talking about, pot belly, roman nose, ever see a deer that stays on corn, soybean, and milo diet? EVERY buck I've seen this year, decent, had a pot belly and roman nose, nice racks. Their NOT 4.5 or 5.5 year old deer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbHunterNY Posted November 4, 2013 Report Share Posted November 4, 2013 If you read, the indicators you guys where also talking about, pot belly, roman nose, ever see a deer that stays on corn, soybean, and milo diet? EVERY buck I've seen this year, decent, had a pot belly and roman nose, nice racks. Their NOT 4.5 or 5.5 year old deer! bill winke of Midwest whitetail has shot bucks that look to be built like 2.5 yr old Hereford beef bulls which led him to believe they were older than they were and not 5.5 plus. they had a wealth of high energy food year round. he runs trail cams and studies the deer as much as anyone. so like you said sometimes just seeing a pot bellied, heavy set buck doesn't mean it's 5.5+. If you look at all the stuff I said you're bound to have something stick out to give you a little seed of doubt that the buck is as old as it is. I you're bound to get a better idea of age. apparently there had to be something that stuck out to you that made you think they aren't 4.5 and 5.5 years old, so i'm assuming something stood out amongst the other charateristics. so there you go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoosierhunter Posted November 4, 2013 Report Share Posted November 4, 2013 If you read, the indicators you guys where also talking about, pot belly, roman nose, ever see a deer that stays on corn, soybean, and milo diet? EVERY buck I've seen this year, decent, had a pot belly and roman nose, nice racks. Their NOT 4.5 or 5.5 year old deer! The pot belly often gets confused with a full belly. The roman nose aka blocky head usually doesn't occur until 4.5 but I've seen 3.5 year olds with it. They also have legs that appear equal to or shorter than their body. Their hind quarters are noticeably larger than a 3.5 year old. I equate a 3.5 year old to a race horse. Muscular chest but his back end tapers. A four year old starts to get that rectangular body shape. His body mass carries straight into his rear end. A mature deer also exhibits more nocturnal behavior on trail cams and other deer tend to respect his presence when he's around with submissive behaviors. He's much more careful approaching areas and takes his time. Everybody can be fooled by a buck from time to time, but when you review thousands of cam pictures a year and develop a track record in your area it's much easier. It's also worth noting that once a deer reaches 4.5+ aging becomes more difficult. Even the experts are wrong 50% of the time when don't have a history with the buck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abrown Posted November 4, 2013 Report Share Posted November 4, 2013 (edited) What is different, is I have been lucky to get permission to hunt private land in southern KS, I have been hunting this area for several years, with constant hunting creating a lack of pressure from poachers, I am starting to see some of the deer make it, meaning I get to see them grow. Another question, how many mature bucks have you seen with a pot belly during rut running does? If you'd like I could post a couple pics of deer, I pretty certain of the age. This buck was a running mate to a mature 6.5 yr old buck I shot off public land, so he's every bit a 5.5 or better, thinking better because a hunter had a pic of him several years before and he was a 14 STUD! Edited November 4, 2013 by abrown Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted November 4, 2013 Report Share Posted November 4, 2013 What is different, is I have been lucky to get permission to hunt private land in southern KS, I have been hunting this area for several years, with constant hunting creating a lack of pressure from poachers, I am starting to see some of the deer make it, meaning I get to see them grow. Another question, how many mature bucks have you seen with a pot belly during rut running does? If you'd like I could post a couple pics of deer, I pretty certain of the age. [ATTACH=CONFIG]13938[/ATTACH] This buck was a running mate to a mature 6.5 yr old buck I shot off public land, so he's every bit a 5.5 or better, thinking better because a hunter had a pic of him several years before and he was a 14 STUD! Good point, which I have also tried to make before on attempting at aging deer on the hoof. Bucks around here drop some during the rut which is understandable. Had several pics of one we thought would go over 200 lbs on the hoof in October and early November, big deer for here. I killed the deer later on in December and he was only about 140 lbs field dressed, so he lost a bit of weight while chasing does during the rut through November and the food was not great enough at that time for him to recover back to his October weight. Far as your buck goes, he is a monster no doubt and would agree a mature deer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin R10 man Posted November 4, 2013 Report Share Posted November 4, 2013 he should top 170..yes he is all of 5.5 and prob more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abrown Posted November 5, 2013 Report Share Posted November 5, 2013 He's a nine, never was able to see him after being killed, but heard he scored 172ish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fly Posted November 5, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2013 Age and score this buck? Ah the classic thread of what is a mature buck. I love it! I'd like to take a 5.5 or older buck each year- but since I have no means of management - dont own land - have permission for only a small area - the first 130 incher gets it regardless of age. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin R10 man Posted November 5, 2013 Report Share Posted November 5, 2013 He's a nine, never was able to see him after being killed, but heard he scored 172ish. well that was close guess then...lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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