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Bucks - before and after rut

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Outdoor Enthusiast

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Carthage, TN
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?
 
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.
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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.
 
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.
 
DoubleRidge said:
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.
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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.
 

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BSK said:
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.
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Great example...absolutely agree...late fall and winter weight loss shouldnt change what you know you have pics of in early fall pre-rut.
 
Well reckon we can look in a month or so when the rut will be pretty much done, still going on as far as I can tell lol,
 
BSK said:
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.
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The original ozimpic
 
redblood said:
it doesnt seem to affect rhe super old age xlass bucks in my opinion.

Here is are 2 bucks in same plot 2 nights ago. I think they are both 5.5 plus
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Generally, it affects the oldest (or at least the most active breeders) the most. We see the biggest weight loss among the oldest bucks. With a normal peak breeding around Nov 15, by late December these old bucks are shells of themselves.
 
BSK said:
Generally, it affects the oldest (or at least the most active breeders) the most. We see the biggest weight loss among the oldest bucks. With a normal peak breeding around Nov 15, by late December these old bucks are shells of themselves.
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My super old age bucks are fatter than ever. My 3.5s and 4.5s have really falling off. This oic was taken 12/12- almost a month after peak rut and he is 3 ft wide
 

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JCDEERMAN said:
Over the years, you've grown some tanks consistently. You probably have plenty of food and not much pressure
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All these deer have cone off my old fanily place which isnjust hayfields and thick woods. They definitely get age but not sure the food is great. But oddly there, it seems i have very few does compared other areas nearby- im thinking less breeding and chasing?
 
BSK said:
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.
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dont remember that buck
 
BSK said:
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).
Click to expand...

Boy I sure wish they would believe you. I get so tired of this topic where hunters think if everyone passes up everything until it's 5 or 6 years old, we'd have a plethora of 5 and 6 year olds running around.

I had this conversation just the other day with a guy trying to tell me how we should manage an entire area. I could feel my toe nails curling. He wanted to do trophy management but shoot the less desirable bucks at 2 and 3 years old and leave the larger rack bucks to reach 5 to 6 years old. I just simply told him they would be shooting future shooters early and they would not have any mature deer to hunt. I dont think he believed me, I just told him you guys shoot what you want but I'm only shooting 4 year olds and up.

I've hunted a variety of farm locations, I do see what I believe to be a much higher survival rate in ag areas compared to woodland; especially river bottom land
 
Dumbluck said:
Boy I sure wish they would believe you. I get so tired of this topic where hunters think if everyone passes up everything until it's 5 or 6 years old, we'd have a plethora of 5 and 6 year olds running around.

I had this conversation just the other day with a guy trying to tell me how we should manage an entire area. I could feel my toe nails curling. He wanted to do trophy management but shoot the less desirable bucks at 2 and 3 years old and leave the larger rack bucks to reach 5 to 6 years old. I just simply told him they would be shooting future shooters early and they would not have any mature deer to hunt. I dont think he believed me, I just told him you guys shoot what you want but I'm only shooting 4 year olds and up.

I've hunted a variety of farm locations, I do see what I believe to be a much higher survival rate in ag areas compared to woodland; especially river bottom land
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This is so true. When doing photo censuses in ag land, even in areas with little cover and solid harvest pressure, I'll get 7 and 8-year-old bucks on cam. In ridge-and-hollow hardwoods, 7-year-old bucks are almost a figment of the imagination they are so rare. Little hunting pressure, no poaching pressure. They just die. At my place, running photo censuses since 1999, I've gotten a grand total of one 7 1/2 year-old buck. 6 1/2s are pretty darn rare too.
 

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