14-15 year old buck

First picture is from 2007 of this deer and we estimate he was around 4-5 years old at that time.

Second picture is from this year - we are LF and our neighbor took him today. So he was either 14-15 years old. We named him Houdini because we would get camera pics before the season and then he would disappear - we think he may have been sighted once on our ranch by a hunter but the sighting was a long way off and not sure it was even him. Otherwise he was never seen alive until the neighbor did last season.

We did not get pictures of every year but did on many of them. Couple of years he had drops and others he did not. Pretty amazing life he lived. They are going to try to get his teeth aged but I do not know how you tell once one is over 10 years old! Thought you would enjoy


2007 - age 4 or 5




2017

Woah, that’ll be interesting to see what they say

Interesting, are his front teeth intact? They could be sent off then for no guessing.

I do not know yet about his teeth - they are suppose to let me know but I cannot image even having any

Looks like the same buck to me. Well you know he's at least ten and looks 4 in the 2007 pic.

He really looks good for his age. Cool story thanks for sharing.

Did he have any teeth left

would like to see pic of drt

I don't want to get into any arguments. I do not believe that the last picture is of a Buck Deer that old. I have had Ibex that have about the same lifespan of a Deer. Believe me, they do not look that good at that age.

Why do you believe this is the same buck?

Very cool.

I was thinking the same thing.

Similar confirmation of antlers but more likely offspring than being 14-15

because we have followed this deer over those years - but never mind - I simply thought I would share a really cool deer- my bad

That is cool I would like to see more pics of progress thru the years. No bad there tlk just awsome.

Enjoyed the pics tlk. Glad I moved over here from tbh to see the pics.

Holy cow he lined up well. Looks like a 3 legged deer!

Looks like he was in pretty good shape for an old man.

Interesting discussion. I'd hope you wouldn't be offended if someone questioned if it was the same deer.

I personally find it hard to believe. More likely offspring.

With as much as they supplemental feed and as little pressure they put on their herd, I am not surprised he is alive at 13-14. They don’t need teeth to eat protein.

Really cool old buck, thanks for sharing!

I had my world turned upside down o what i thought was mature a few years back. A place in Tilden waited until 8-10 years and had a buck on the wall who was I believe 13 and was a 200” deer. With supplemental feeding and selective harvesting, light pressure hi or low fence this is possible

Please ignore the comments and please don't let it stop you from sharing cool stories like this in the future. This is the dark side of social media.

It is uneducated to say or think bucks and does don't live to double digit years. It is well documented at wildlife research facilities and large ranches, even suburban parks and neighborhoods.

This...........

I’m a skeptic too - but it durn sure looks like the same deer.

He pulledbthebsame stuff on NTH but there you can edit your post. He pulled the pics and everything. Maybe he's having a rough time right now.

Definitely sensitive

I have a friend that had a doe live till she was 16, then just wasn't there one day (roamed off to die) just before she turned 17. I made a thread about her a few years back. She had twins till she was 14.
We have several does that are 10-11 years old and still have fawns but age is showing.
Bucks live just as long but antler growth can really degrade after 9-10. I have shot several 10 year old bucks and they had gone down hill greatly. The posted deer has held up very well, any 10-12 year olds I have seen just don't have the body structure/mass anymore and antlers are significantly reduced. They actually look unquestionably "old"

I absolutely have no doubt they will live that long but I have have no doubt that it's possible it is an offspring. Without being in a controlled environment there's simply no way to be sure. That being said those are some nice pics of buck/s.

Not hard to believe. Don't sweat the negativity tlk. Deer can live that long and longer. Buddy manages a high fence place and has a one eared doe that he's had pics of every year since 2002 and she had a fawn with her in 2002. She sucks up protein then throws her head back so it'll run down her throat.....no teeth left to chew.

Very possible to get that old, also very unlikely as well.

I have no trouble at all believing the 2017 buck in the photograph is over ten years of age, that is an old man right there.....

Looks like the same deer to me. Thanks for sharing. I've noticed most people simply cannot grasp that deer are individuals, and don't all age exactly the same way, and according to some book you read. It has been well documented that deer are capable of living to 10+ years old, especially if they are feeding protein.

Have a buddy that had a doe that was radio collared. IIRC, she was still alive at 17 and he no longer had access to the data to see how much longer she lived.

Surprising his antlers are so similar to the last picture as the first. How much did he change over the years? Was there a year that he threw other points off or stay about the same?

Thanks for sharing.

I shot a doe on my place last year that was pushing ten years. I have pics of her going back to 2010 and she was mature then (I'll bet a paycheck she was at least 3.5). She was very distinguishable by a scar on her nose and in 2016, she was still every other doe's nemesis. She was still full of vigor, still very active, and still producing twins.

In light of that, I have no issues believing a buck could reach the proposed age, especially one that may not participate heavily in the rut. Deer are amazing creatures, and whenever you think you've got them figured out, they show you something else. Is it the same buck? I have no idea, but that doesn't mean it's not possible.

agreed. Same genes but can't be same deer.

Why CAN'T it be?

This guy knows more about deer than most of us put together. He knows what he's talking about.

I posted pics of a 8 point buck earlier this year that is 14. Granted, me and another lease member have pics of him every year since 2007 to prove he is that old, but the point is they can and do get that old. Its obviously not the norm, but it does happen and I am surprised to see so many doubters.

Holy cow, my hat's off to you guys for your patience! I would've smoked him in 2007.

Edit: I read your post again and actually paid attention this time. Still cool pics of a awesome buck.

Yes, please explain why it can't be?

We had an angora goat that made 18 years, although her last three years she never left sight of the house.

TLK, enjoy all the photo’s you share. Love seeing the fruits of the time, energy, effort, not to mention money someone puts in to produce deer like yours on a low fence.

15 year old buck would be a walking bag of bones... the equivalent of a 110 year old man. Deer in the 2017 pic is healthy and no more than 6 years old in my opinion.

Here is an example pic of a 9-10 year old white tail buck for comparison.

I'm sure someone has seen this picture before. So how old is this buck?

Where did you get that pic from Dave? Being that y'all shoot every whitetail you see on your place, lol.

You failed to convince me with one random pic of an old buck and your opinion. And I disagree with that buck being a 6 year old in that 2017 pic. Way too much loose skin on the underside of his neck and brisket hanging from his chest. Stands way too flat on his hooves.

Bucks in the brush country that are protein fed and don't heavily participate in the rut can easily live to double digits and not be a walking bag of bones. I wish stxranchman was still around. He could show you pics of a few.

Cool pics.

Cool story and shame the loud mouth's. Only the people hunting that property every year knows the truth.

I don't find it impossible with a healthy herd even on a low fence place

Haven't seen it before now. Looks fully mature from the one front view pic. What's the story on him?

He's 11.5 in that pic. It's a well documented study of this bucks entire life span published in 2013. He lived on a deer sanctuary in New York and received supplemental feeding. He died of old age at 12.5. Very good article on the topic. The entire article and pics can be found here: https://www.realtree.com/deer-hunting/galleries/photo-gallery-from-buttons-to-booner

Buddy has a place for several years now. They have watched some of their top end bucks for 3 or 4 years just waiting for them to blow up assuming they were 3-4 yeas old originally. They finally shot some of them and sent the teeth in to have them aged and several deer were in the 7-10 year old range. Its HF with water stations and protein. These deer did not resemble a bag of bones either.

I had a deer that lived to be 10. If it wasn't for a camera I wouldn't had known he even existed and finally got to see him from 75 yards away when he was 8 and should have got him when he was 10 but didn't and he never showed up this year! At 10 he looked like he was 6 I will find a pic

THAT ONE HURT

Not sure which side of the argument you're on, but the article seems to confirm the 'Bag of Bones' theory on deer with extreme age. That deer went from 260lbs at age 6.5 down to 130lbs at 12.5, losing weight every year from the 6.5yo mark. Although the article follows the life of one deer and not all deer age the same, I find it hard to believe the two deer pictured in the original post are the same deer. Looks like the original deer passed his genetics, though, so there's something to be happy about!

I believe it can be and if you say you have the pictures of him is the same deer. I am a skeptic of him being 5, or even 4 in that first pic in 2007. Y'all probably have better genetics and a far better feed program than we do, and depending on what your deer weigh are bigger bodied than ours also, but this deer is max 4 and we believe him to be 3.

I think many are forgetting that the south Texas tropical weather is much easier on them than their northern cousins. Also much easier on the browse they rely on compared to northern deer.

I have no doubts that a deer can live to be that old. I think people looking at deer from the same genetic pool year after with no special distinguishing characteristics and thinking they can tell which deer is which, is bullsht. I think many times you can be reasonably sure it may be the same buck but ive seen people try to tell me they know, like it’s gospel.

In all honesty I can look at pictures of my two sons when they were younger and can’t tell you exactly which one it is because they looked so much alike.

Antler configuration, body coloration, movement patterns, eating behavior, and overall behavior around other animals tells a lot about an animal when you have multiple years of data.

You just know when you see them year in and year out.

In the great white north our deer can make it to 10 years old. That's with no high fence, no supplemental feeding, lots of predators and brutal winters. Give a deer high fence, warm climate, minimal predation and optimal feeding and I have no doubt they could live to that age and look good doing it.

Like I stated earlier I am not arguing just stating what I have seen. I raise Ibex Goats. They have about the same lifespan as a deer. I just last month had to put down a female Ibex that was 15.5 year old. She has for her entire life been in a 10 acre trap. Gets protein and alfalfa hay every morning and evening. The last 3 years she has not raised a Kid. The last two years she has had trouble getting around. This year it has gotten where she sometimes could not make it to where I feed the others. They still respected her and if she made it to where the feed was she could eat without them running her off. I finally put her down which was hard as she was bottle raised by my when she was a baby. But I could not stand to see her suffer any more. She and old deer I have seen do not look like the 14 year old WT Buck does. They may still have large bases but the rest of the antlers do not look like that. I am not trashing anyone and am just stating an opinion. And to get it all out the picture of the old deer is a little confusing. The left front leg is missing as well as the lower part of the shoulder which should be visible in the picture.

Opposite argument could be made about south Texas summers. In a 14-15 year span that deer would have been through 2 of the worst droughts on records as well.

No, not this deer. Highly managed ranch. Plenty of water troughs and protein throughout the drought.

You're probably right. I'm just playing Devil's advocate because I've personally never seen a deer that old look that young. Not saying it can't happen.

comparing lf to hf deer is like hamburger to steak, the proof of 14yr old deer would be pic's & teeth

Goats have a lot of characteristics of deer also and lots of problems with nourishment after their prime years with teeth issues. I have a Boer nanny that is 13.5 years old. She is fed alfalfa and goat feed, which is comparable in consistency with deer protein and she gets it down and is healthy right now, but has lost muscle and looks like an older lady. Her tongue hangs out a bit, so she may have suffered a stroke at some time. She knows where she doesn't rank in the herd and avoids confrontation with other goats at all cost to avoid getting butted or picked on. She has always been an easy keeper and I think some deer are the same way and this could make it easier for some to make it to a ripe old age.

Great deer thanks for sharing

It is definitely possible to have a deer live 14-15 years especially living in an environment with ample food/water/protein available. My friend has a high fence place and last year they shot a buck that was 11.5. The deer in pictures was definitely mature and in great health but we were all shocked when we got the results back from aTm. We all assumed the deer was 5-7yo. We take the front two bottom teeth out of every buck and send them to Texas A&M. They shave down the teeth and count the rings (kinda like a tree). Most of our aging has been spot on but there is always a deer or two each year is 2-4 years older than we thought.

False. I know of a deer on one of the ranches we use that is documented 13 or 14, (can't remember exactly) and still looks great for his age. He's off limits to anyone and has the easy life these days. Still a 200" buck!!

Are they the same maybe, are they different maybe. If they have consecutive pictures i'd be inclined to believe it could happen.

One of our neighbors has hunted the same property for generations. In the mid 80's they shot a really nice buck, wide lots of points lots of kickers, pretty distinctive unique buck. A year or so ago they shot another buck that was dang near a dead ringer for the one from the 80's. Of course they were not the same deer because they were both shot, but had you showed the antlers to me as sheds I would have easily believed they were from the same deer 1 year apart.

If tlk says the deer is 14-15 years old, I'll guarantee you that's how old the deer was.

My thoughts as well. He's not weekend warrior that only runs cams sept thru January. The guy knows his stuff and his deer. WT have been documented living to almost 20 yrs of age.

I once knew a doe named "Jill" on a San Saba County Ranch that lived to be 21. Of course, she was a yard doe that hung around the house and protein feeder 24/7. Her daughter "Sue" lived to be 20.

Lots of story like that around. STX had pics of a yard buck that was 18-20 if I remember right.

I've seen old deer and I've killed old deer. They look old, just like old people look old, just like an old dog looks old. That 2017 pic, doesn't look like an old deer in any way.

I once New a girl named “Jill” that went to Texas Tech. She was 19 and a lot of fun. Her children would probably be 20 now too. I hope none of them are mine.

He looks pretty stinking old to me.

What happened to his fourth leg

Lots of stories about people seeing Black Panthers too!!!

Old or young, it's all about the sausage in the end!

Yes but not lots of proof with pics and deer living to be well past 10 isn't a myth like panthers. Guys like tlk, stx, and fouz know more about deer than any other 5 members combined so I tend to believe them and learn. Lots of guys just want to argue which drives away knowledgeable guys like them and it's sad really.