How old is this deer ?

[bark284]

How old do you think this deer is?

[Lefty-Canuck]

3 year old

LC

[north american hunter]

Originally Posted by Lefty-Canuck

3 year old

LC

^^ that'd me my guess.

[chain2]

4 points...four years old. 8 yrs old if your in the east or southern states.

congrats chain

[dmcbride]

2 years 6 months assuming you got him in November.

[hal53]

Originally Posted by north american hunter

^^ that'd me my guess.

yup 2 1/2, not sure exactly what Chain is saying????

[wbl170]

2 1/2

[Big Red 250]

Originally Posted by hal53

yup 2 1/2, not sure exactly what Chain is saying????

Sounds about right to me also.

[boonedocks]

Yup, 2.5!

[bark284]

That's what I was thinking awesome thanks guys

[Lefty-Canuck]

You guys are better at math...my 3 = 2.5

LC

[lake side]

I'm not sure about age but he looks about 38lbs of prime venison to me. Great job!



LS

[bark284]

Originally Posted by lake side

I'm not sure about age but he looks about 38lbs of prime venison to me. Great job!



LS

Took him to te butchers and got 125 pounds of meat

[buckman]

Originally Posted by bark284

Took him to te butchers and got 125 pounds of meat

Never got anyway near that much off any deer I ever killed or cut up.

Most average Bucks like him only weigh 130-150 dressed skin on.

[Flatlandliver]

Here's a good article on aging your deer.
http://www.dnr.sc.gov/wildlife/deer/pdf/deerjaw.pdf

[N.S.hunter]

Had an old hunter once tell me not to judge a deers age by his antlers. Check and see how worn his teeth are. Deer can have a bad year and not grow very big rack. Flatter the teeth, older the deer.

[hal53]

Originally Posted by bark284

Took him to te butchers and got 125 pounds of meat

???? really?

[missingtwo]

Originally Posted by bark284

Took him to te butchers and got 125 pounds of meat

No you didn't.

[Foxton Gundogs]

[QUOTE=hal53;2407851]yup 2 1/2, not sure exactly what Chain is saying????[/QUOTE]

Think he's poking fun at the old belief 2pt= 2 yr old, 3pt= 3 yr old etc and the different way of counting 'points' from east to west. I think it's pretty funny actually.

[Dunezilla]

Originally Posted by bark284

Took him to the butchers and got 125 pounds of meat

The butcher always weighs him & then tells you the weight & then once the butchering is done that 125lbs drops to about 40lbs. Judging by that weight I would say he is 2.5 years but no more than 3.5 years. Just wait until you kill a 275 lb WT Buck. Well done in getting that buck. Is it your 1st?

[Bigmoosehunter]

2-3 years old

[Pompey]

3 years old

[deercamp]

Originally Posted by N.S.hunter

Had an old hunter once tell me not to judge a deers age by his antlers. Check and see how worn his teeth are. Deer can have a bad year and not grow very big rack. Flatter the teeth, older the deer.

Ft b
This is true but anybody that has seen lots of antlers can tell an old buck from a young one regardless of size.

[CountryLife94]

2 1/2 years

[Dunezilla]

Originally Posted by deercamp

Ft b
This is true but anybody that has seen lots of antlers can tell an old buck from a young one regardless of size.

Teeth are still the most reliable. The thing about antler growth comes down to the individual deer’s access to good quality nutrition, age and genetics, and even the condition of the mother can affect antler development.

I shoot a buck with antlers that were 5" in height & the base was 1.5" in diameter. If he was a fawn then he would of been one big fawn weighing 120 lbs. I believe he was 2.5 years old. Then there was this other buck where the antlers were 2.75" high & about 2" across the top & he was 125lbs. Then there was that 275 lb WT buck I shoot & he was at least 7.5 years old & I doubt that even in his prime he was nothing more than a 4x4 (including brow tines).

My point is that teeth are the most reliable.

[deercamp]

Originally Posted by Dunezilla

Teeth are still the most reliable. The thing about antler growth comes down to the individual deer’s access to good quality nutrition, age and genetics, and even the condition of the mother can affect antler development.

I shoot a buck with antlers that were 5" in height & the base was 1.5" in diameter. If he was a fawn then he would of been one big fawn weighing 120 lbs. I believe he was 2.5 years old. Then there was this other buck where the antlers were 2.75" high & about 2" across the top & he was 125lbs. Then there was that 275 lb WT buck I shoot & he was at least 7.5 years old & I doubt that even in his prime he was nothing more than a 4x4 (including brow tines).

My point is that teeth are the most reliable.

I agree that teeth are the most reliable or most "scientific " way of aging a whitetail . A seasoned whitetail hunter can tell a lot by configuration and characteristics of the antlers as well as the shape and condition of the deer face and ears. Will be more generalized in the sense of old or young and not an exact number. But you would be surprised how close you'll come with practice .

[Jameson340]

looks like a 3 1/2 year old to me

[crownb]

Probably 2.5 but there is a small chance he is a smallish 3.5 year old.

[deercamp]

A nice meat buck. A few years away from maturity though. Probably his second rack after buttons .

[Stinky Buffalo]

Originally Posted by N.S.hunter

Had an old hunter once tell me not to judge a deers age by his antlers. Check and see how worn his teeth are. Deer can have a bad year and not grow very big rack. Flatter the teeth, older the deer.

...and here's the kit!

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Deer-...it/1182383.uts