Is this a young buck or a rutted down buck? How old is he?

Rutted down 4.5

Not rutted down just a healthy 3.5 YR is what i see

I think Kenneth is right. Looks to be about 3.5 to me. If this is in Wichita cty. let him get a little older if possible. Good forage and genetics in that area.

X's 3 ,looks healthier than some 4 points I've seen after all their running around.

At first look I thought is was a 3.5yo deer. The more I look at him the more I question how old he is.

He gets a free pass this year no matter what. I'm taking the kids out of town this weekend so the season is over for us. Hopefully we get a chance at him next year and he puts that 6th tine on his left side.

Doesn't look like a 3.5 to me

3.5 yr old nice deer.

I agree with this

3.5

Young buck if he was rutted down older deer his tarsal glands would look like they'd been covered in black tar. He'll be a hoss in a few more years

Most 3.5 yo's don't have that dark of tarsal glands and usually don't see the "run". Also, head and brisket tell me he is older. Just my opinion

Normal 3.5 to 5.5 year old....couldn't quite read his id card to confirm though.....

I bet you are right

I say 3.5 also

3rd or 4th set of horns. The tarsal gland shown and brisket lead me to think he is on the 3 1/2 year old side. There is another thread with a buck that has no tarsal gland stain or brisket that's probably 1 1/2 years old that is a good comparative to this buck. http://www.texashuntingforum.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/4905192/Gave_us_the_slip#Post4905192

Based on my experience those stains don't show up until after their second set of horns or around 3 years.

4 yr old.

Young

young looks like his first set of antlers.small head and body.

sorry didnt look at all pics. looks like a 3.5 year old,not rutted out ,he is still in good shape not poor.

I don't know about y'all, but I'm having a hard time reading this buck. His neck and chest are fleshy like a 4.5 year old deer, but the bone structure of his shoulders, back and hips looks younger for having been through a rut or two. He still has a tight belly and is still pretty leggy. If he is rutted down, it's not by much and he's well fed. I'm gonna' go out on a loooong limb and say he's a late-birth 4.5 year old that has 3.5 year-old hormones and was just barely more interested in the rut last year than eating. Probably got his punk-card pulled once and said enough of that [censored] and went back to eating. He doesn't appear to have been beaten up on at all. That rack's pretty but not real heavy and still has all the points in mid-January, and his body doesn't have a mark on it. He may have chased some does but didn't do much fighting over them. Next year he'll be a hoss to reckon with for some old timers. I'm not a deer whisperer, just call'em as I see'em. And I know this is a long limb to climb out onto.

I'd say a very nice 3.5 year old. Gonna be nice.

4.5

tarsal glands have not one thing to do with the bucks age!!!! that just makes me laugh I have saw 1.5 YR olds with dark ones and yes it was a young one i know for sure .
All deer - bucks and does, adults and fawns - urinate onto the Tarsal Gland in a behavior called rub-urination. As the urine runs over the Tarsal Gland, the fatty material secreted from the glands onto the hairs select out some molecules and holds them on the gland. The urine that is deposited on the gland, however, does not smell at all like the odor of the Tarsal Gland. The urine that remains on the gland undergoes some reactions with the air and with bacteria to produce the gland's characteristic smell.