guess the age

[catman529]

based on neck and body, guess the age.

Won't pull jaw bones till after T-day when I boil the skull for a euro mount.

I think 3 or 4, what you say?

I know his body is kind of hunched up because that's the way he died

 

[rem270]

looks 4.5 to me

 

[easy45]

I would guess 4.5

 

[redblood]

3.5

 

[pass-thru]

2 or 3 but it's hard to tell from a pic

 

[ROUGH COUNTRY HUNTER]

4.5

 

[catman529]

2 or 3 but it's hard to tell from a pic

let me tell you he ain't 2.

 

[jfarm65]

2.5 or 3.5

 

[DntBrnDPig]

3.5 imo, but i'm not good at this

 

[rooney]

4.5

 

[deerhunter10]

3.5

 

[nick2720]

I think its 2.5 body really doesn't look that mature and how can you base age on size of neck? its the rut necks swell sometimes entire body's and faces do too. just saying dont look mature to me just looks like a 2.5 year old in rut. if he is 4 like some people say that sucks because genes.in that wma or private land.you hunt must not be too good.here in west tn if a deer is 4.5 they are big with exceptions to wounds. I shot a 2.5 year old 135in 8 pt this year. thought based on weight and rack at least three well I was wrong. just an example of how you can't tell based on younger deers body. just cut slit in one side of jaw and take look at the teeth.

 

[catman529]

I think its 2.5 body really doesn't look that mature and how can you base age on size of neck? its the rut necks swell sometimes entire body's and faces do too. just saying dont look mature to me just looks like a 2.5 year old in rut. if he is 4 like some people say that sucks because genes.in that wma or private land.you hunt must not be too good.here in west tn if a deer is 4.5 they are big with exceptions to wounds. I shot a 2.5 year old 135in 8 pt this year. thought based on weight and rack at least three well I was wrong. just an example of how you can't tell based on younger deers body. just cut slit in one side of jaw and take look at the teeth.

I am going to get the jaw bones on friday when I skin and boil the head for the euro. there's no way he is 2.5, I haven't ever seen pics of one that had that big of a neck. Compared to the 5.5 that I killed, this one was a bit smaller neck but not much. I think he is at least 3 but will post pics when I get the jaw bones out.

 

[nick2720]

well if you want I have plenty of big body 2.5 and 3.5 s on pic s that have bigger necks and body s. may just be different where your at I hunt in hardeman near Ames plantation big deer in the area

 

[catman529]

It could also be a bad angle due to the way the buck died. When I first walked up to him I knew he was a big deer and almost as big as the 5.5 year old I killed. Looking at BSK's field aging pics in the QDM forum, I don't see how it could ever be a 2.5 year old. There is very little distinction between the neck and shoulders and I noticed that when the deer was on hoof before I shot him.

Maybe if I get the chance today ill skin out the head and pull the jaw bones, otherwise ill just do it tomorrow.

 

[timberjack86]

At least 3.5!

 

[lpo1981]

I'd say 4.5 all day...

 

[lpo1981]

I think its 2.5 body really doesn't look that mature and how can you base age on size of neck? its the rut necks swell sometimes entire body's and faces do too. just saying dont look mature to me just looks like a 2.5 year old in rut. if he is 4 like some people say that sucks because genes.in that wma or private land.you hunt must not be too good.here in west tn if a deer is 4.5 they are big with exceptions to wounds. I shot a 2.5 year old 135in 8 pt this year. thought based on weight and rack at least three well I was wrong. just an example of how you can't tell based on younger deers body. just cut slit in one side of jaw and take look at the teeth.

Dude you obviously don't know much about aging deer or what to look for and I'm not sure if your aware of it but you can have older deer with not huge racks.. I get sick of this stereo typed hunting that all the professional hunters have turned it into.. If it doesn't score high its not a trophy! Don't get me wrong i love high scoring deer but I get more satisfaction out of killing a 4.5 y/o buck who doesn't score but 110 as I would shooting a 2.5 140. And frankly if your shooting 2.5 y/o 8pts that score 140" then your nuts, either you can't score deer very well or really haven't put a tape to it to actually score it.. I'm off my soapbox for now but seriously that deer will go 4.5 no way he is 2.5 swelled up neck during the rut or not!!

 

[nick2720]

that's funny your saying I didn't kill a 2.5 that's 135 in well its on a post you can look for yourself. even funnier thing is that you say I know nothing about deer... and I have a bachelors in wildlife biology haha. and finally it's funny how you twist words that I said, I never once said a old deer had to have a big rack. just simply said if it was that old it sucks for that area because genetics suck. and believe it or not about big deer being young where I hunt there are good genetics responsible hunters food plots and noone walks away with a small deer at the end of the season. if they do they at least have seen.one.... o yeah did I mention it borders Ames plantation which strictly abides qdma and have tons of pics that are young deer that are soon to be monsters. they are on their website take a look if you don't believe that.stay tuned to this I'm not trying to hijack but I'll post pics tomorrow evening on another post unless cat doesn't mind. there was a 12 pt killed last week on our bordering property that had 3 droptines and had a 2.5 year old body.

 

[catman529]

Genetics aren't bad around here. Also the dirt is good. It's Williamson county and the buck was killed a few miles from where I picke up this skull back in 2010 -

But not every 3.5+ y/o buck in the area is going to have a big rack, just because some do. Oh and I'm still sure my buck is 3.5+ because I've seen and held it and I admit the pic is not the best.