How old is this buck?
Filed under: How Old Is This Buck?
Hi Grant, big fan of the show, always read others questions so I figured I’d throw this one at ya, we got this buck last winter on the farm, never thought I’d have the chance to hunt a droptine buck, never got pics this summer of him, found his set of sheds which contained a large amount of skull matter, didn’t think he made it until I glassed him tonight and he looked fine. I know the pics aren’t the best but I’d like to hear your thoughts on his age?
Thanks,
Brock
Brock,
Thanks for sending us the photo! Glad that you use the Ask Grant section to continue educating yourself about wildlife management.
This is a great looking buck, I would be excited to have him on our property as well!
The last picture you sent offers one of the best views for accurately aging this buck. I would estimate this buck to be 3.5 years old. In the fourth picture, the buck has a very clear break between its neck and brisket. However, other features like this buck’s shoulders and mid section appear to be rather large. The buck’s front legs appear short for this deer, another good sign of an older deer. The date in this photo is especially significant to look at. This is generally considered a stress time period for deer. This can mean body condition is not in it’s normal state. We have witnessed many of our mature bucks this season lose body mass during the late season. I believe the same has occurred in regards to this buck as some other body characteristics appear more mature than his neck/brisket line.
I hope this deer stays a regular on your trail cameras until next deer season.
GrowingDeer Together,
Matt Dye
2016-02-07
