Age this guy

I have a decent idea, but interested to see responses.





If you want more pics, tell me the angle. I have 100's.

I say 4.5 to 5.5. But I really think 5.5.

I'd say no less than 5.5 and maybe 6.5. Huge body.

This ^^^^

He breaks up every year. Always thought it was because he fights alot, but maybe he's just clumsy:

6 or so

Geez, I wish I had pics of something like this to hunt

My next question would be at what age do bucks start to decline? I've always understood it as 7, but based on these guesses I'm thinking sooner.

He was a 10 point last year with longer tines, but I had my eye on someone else (still do).

He was a 12 point the year before. I had my eye on him then. (not 100% certain it was the same deer, but relatively sure. Don't have those pics anymore).

I've read that after 6-6.5, they can really start on the downside..Think a lot depends on range conditions, carrying capacity, etc.

I would say he is 6 at least from those pics. He is sitting down pretty good on his front hooves. Full and thick body throughout. He might be breaking up just fight brush and make rubs with that huge body and being on the lighter side for mass. Nice buck though.

Decline depends on rainfall and habitat. Most do well till age 7 then after that it can really depend on their genetics and rainfall. Dominance in the herd and ratio can really effect how they do later in life IME.

Thanks for the responses.

I had high hopes for him this year and will likely let someone take him. He hits that feeder so often it should have his name on it and has for the last 4 years. I thought he was 2.5 that first year, but could have been 3.5 He was a pencil thin 12 point that first year. Only 12 point I've ever seen on our property.

Range conditions could have a ton to do with it. We've been in a drought like everyone else, but I'd say the range conditions this year are much better than years past from the standpoint of browse. That feeder is on a pipeline rightofway in the middle of 80 acres of oak trees. No neighbor has ever seen him and I'm almost convinced he never leaves that grove. I've seen as many as 25 does at that feeder at one time, so he has no real reason to roam during the rut.

Might let my daughter take him as her first deer, though that would set a pretty high bar on our place. He's a very nice buck for the area.

As for having bucks like that, I've pulled the trigger on exactly 3 in the last 12 years and two of those were culls (no brow tines). Let them walk and they will grow.

If you don't have many mature bucks he could have rutted so much the past few years that it has effected his antler growth each year. Add in the lack of rains in the season and post rut could be also be an issue. If I chased 25 different women in a 30 day period I might be a bit run down also

That makes sense.

I have a few mature bucks, but he's the only one I see at that feeder. The rest all hang out a half mile away. Never seen him up there and never seen any of them down there. Feel like the other feeder is more on a pass-through area.

Had another feeder that was maybe 600 yards from the oak groove feeder. Bucks that hit it never hit the one in the oaks. Strange how boundries can be. All of this on only 450 acres.

It would be interesting to what chaos is created when you decide to shoot this buck from that feeder. Might just change the whole makeup of what bucks stay at what location.

That deer in your pic could be the one setting those boundries. I have a feeder on our place that is took over every year by one of the mature deer. Some bucks will hit feeders in all directions of that feeder (N,S,E and W) but will not go in that area when certain bucks are coming in regular there. Sometimes the dominant buck is not the biggest...that is a good time to take a kid up to take that buck out

I just started running my cameras again a month ago. Now starting to realize range conditions are the likely problem. Had a very nice 10 last year I had high hopes for, but just saw my first pics of him and his head-gear looks almost identical to how it looked 2 years ago when I aged him as a three year old. Definitely the same buck as his right ear is split and very identifiable.

Mother Nature can't be beat. Only one buck I had on my radar has improved from last year (only had three I was thinking about). He won't score much, but he's very wide and has a cool looking rack. Hasn't been on camera in 10 days, but I bet he's still around.

1 1/8

Nice one Kenny lee

6+

Thanks. He was probably 15-20 inches better last year just in tines before he broke up. He has more mass and width this year though. He was the first deer I saw last year on opening morning. Almost makes me regret passing him but I had a different target.

Guess that's why they call it hunting and not killing.

I'll have to post a picture later, but looking like a sad ending for this buck I've been watching for the last several years. Went through game cam pics last night and noticed a few days ago that he showed up with a bunch of twine or wire around his antlers, draping down and hanging below his head. Didn't think much of it until I kept looking.

He's been back at the feeder every night, but the wire has now wrapped around his neck and eye and has continually gotten tighter. As of Friday night, you could see where it was tight around his throat and it looked as if he was bleeding a bit.

Almost feel like I'm losing a friend. I've had him on camera almost daily for at least four years. I could have shot him many times last season, but he broke up in the rut and I let him pass. Somewhat regret that now.

I read that usually after 5.5 the next year you can tell a sizeable difference but it is probably a case by case scenario