Bucks - before and after rut

[Outdoor Enthusiast]

I have been getting some pics of bucks before and after the rut. Oftentimes I am seeing bucks that I aged as 3.5 or 4.5 during the pre rut that now make me question if that was right or not.

Do any of you have pics you can share of bucks pre rut vs post rut to compare the body changes that occur due to the rut activity and the associated weight loss?

 

[Dumbluck]

This is a buck we call Horny cause hes just that. I believe he is 4 and as you can tell he runs hard. I would bet he's lost 50+lbs. I'm always looking at their neck/chest if I don't recognize a deer to age it. I like to target 4 year olds and up no matter where I'm at. If their neck blends to their chest and they basically have no clear definition at the chest to neck transition they are 4+ and thats all i care about. I've killed 6 and 7 year old deer after the rut so run down their body resembles a 3 year old except the neck to chest transition is always completely full. A 3 year old typically has a distinct chest and neck separation. But in my honest opinion the best way to age is to keep up with the deer over the years. I've watched deer that look younger than their body suggest and I've watched deer that looked older than their body suggest.

 

[backyardtndeer]

Their condition post rut can definitely make you second guess your pre rut age guesses.

 

[DoubleRidge]

Dont have before and after trail cam pics but the buck I killed 11/30 this year was clearly run down. Neck and shoulders looked normal and mature..but his hind quarters were thin and you could run your hand down his back and feel tips of the vertebrae on his spine...he had clearly lost weight.

 

[DoubleRidge]

And to your point...time of the year...summer, fall pre-rut, winter post-rut all factors in to the age estimate process...but late fall and winter weight loss shouldnt change what you know you have pics of in early fall pre-rut...most of the time they are going to look thinner post-rut winter months.

 

[BSK]

And to your point...time of the year...summer, fall pre-rut, winter post-rut all factors in to the age estimate process...but late fall and winter weight loss shouldnt change what you know you have pics of in early fall pre-rut...most of the time they are going to look thinner post-rut winter months.

The entire "aging by body conformation" system is based on body conformation just before the rut - when bucks are in peak condition. ALWAYS use the age you estimated on bucks around two weeks before the rut kicks off. In my area of western Middle TN, that would be the last week of October and the first few days of November (with a peak breeding around Nov. 15).

I talk a lot about the effects of post-rut stress on bucks. I really don't think most hunters believe me as to how detrimental it is to bucks. Many bucks die post-rut simply due to the physical stress. It is the reason - in ridge-and-hollow hardwoods - very, VERY few bucks live past 5 or 6 years old. It's not poaching. It's not other hunters killing these bucks. They die of natural causes (post-rut stress). A fully mature buck can literally lose 30% of their entire body weight during the 6 weeks of the rut. That's a 200 lb live weight buck dropping to 140 lbs in just 6 weeks. That would flat out kill most humans.

Below is a picture of an absolute tank of a 5 1/2 year-old buck. Picture was taken in late October. I will guarantee this buck goes 220-230 on the hoof (not that uncommon for a fully mature buck in the area). However, by shear chance, I killed that buck Dec. 31 - well past the local rut. By then, he was a shell of himself. He live weighed in the 170s.

 

[DoubleRidge]

The entire "aging by body conformation" system is based on body conformation just before the rut - when bucks are in peak condition. ALWAYS use the age you estimated on bucks around two weeks before the rut kicks off.

Great example...absolutely agree...late fall and winter weight loss shouldnt change what you know you have pics of in early fall pre-rut.