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Help aging this Buck

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EastTNdeerkiller

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Saw this on my trail camera a couple months ago and just started thinking about aging him, I have some more pictures if needed, Thank you in advance
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This is the first year in our lease that we have started seeing results from all the work we have done and I can't wait till he is fully matured


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EastTNdeerkiller":3e8kgl3v said:
This is the first year in our lease that we have started seeing results from all the work we have done and I can't wait till he is fully matured
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Assuming he was 3 1/2 this past season, he's 4 1/2 this fall.
That may not be "fully" mature, but perhaps mature enough for him to be on your target list.

Keep in mind bucks may commonly roam over 2 linear miles from Point A to Point B in just a 24-hr period during the rut, commonly being killed over a mile away from where anyone had pictures of them. Unless your lease is several thousand acres with a majority of the hunters not wanting to kill bucks prior to full maturity, can become unlikely for any particular above-average-antlered 3 1/2 yr old buck to survive to 5 1/2 or older. The 3 1/2's most likely to survive to full maturity are those with smaller-than-average antlers.

Just based on those pics, I'd guess he was a 115-class buck this past season.
Assuming he was 3 1/2, as a 4 1/2 he'll likely be at least a 125-plus-class buck this fall (likely in the 130's).
Should he live to 5 1/2, the gain in score is typically around 5% more than whatever at 4 1/2.

It can be an enjoyable challenge to hold out for fully mature bucks, but it can mean going years between killing bucks, and it often means you do not personally kill many of the bucks you let walk as 3 1/2's and 4 1/2's.
 
I agree he looks like a healthy 3.5 yo. Given the date on the photo stamp he looks to have held on to a good portion of his fat stores which should be a pat on the back for and your hard work keeping a solid food source for the deer. As far as score I agree with LBLman on 115". Good luck with him next year. Did you find his sheds?


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BSK":391e1jh2 said:
I'm going to disagree and say he is only 2 1/2. Scores 105-110.
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I'm not going to disagree with you. :mrgreen:

He looks "young", yet that's a lot of neck for a 2 1/2.
Antler mass is in line with a top-end 2 1/2 (although not sure what area of state we're talking here).

Knowing how 2 1/2's so relatively stupidly roam during daylight, increasing the likelihood of his being shot this past season if he were only 2 1/2, still believe odds are he's a 3 1/2 --- but certainly agree he could be only 2 1/2 --- that would be great, as he'll have a huge gain in antler this summer. Typically 40% gain going from 2 1/2 to 3 1/2?

Very healthy (especially early born ones) 2 1/2's often "look" more like a 3 1/2.
However, they will typically have smaller bodies, making their antlers appear larger than the reality, hence that score of 105-110 is "spot on" if this is a 2 1/2. Even on older bucks, those with smaller bodies can really fool you, as their antlers typically look much larger than they are.
 
BSK":3d6q6y8z said:
I'm going to disagree and say he is only 2 1/2. Scores 105-110.
Click to expand...

Well that was my first assumption due to lack of front shoulder development and lack of brisket depth. Once I saw the time stamp being early December I decided to judge him at 3.5 since he has so much weight and plenty of neck to go with it...

What characteristics led you to age him at 2.5?


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I would add, if he was only 2 1/2 in 2015, he's got some pretty decent individual antler genetics, and believe he will evolve into a mainframe 5 x 6 eleven-pointer by this coming fall. (Note the subtle "bump" on his left beam between the roughly 3/4" G4 and the beam tip.)

What county does this buck reside? Campbell?
 
tree_ghost":1phaqfig said:
What characteristics led you to age him at 2.5?
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Lack of chest depth, and for still very close to the rut, not enough musculature in the neck. Generally, at 3 1/2, around the rut bucks have a clearly defined line between throat and neck muscle. And by that I mean there is usually an obvious "line of definition" between the throat area and the muscle that forms around the side and back of the neck. See the pictures below for examples. If you compare the chest depth and neck musculature of the below pictured bucks (all 3 1/2) to the top pictured buck in this thread, I think you will see some obvious differences.







 
BSK is the line of muscle separation still identifiable on an IR flash camera or does it tend to muddle the subtleties to much?


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tree_ghost":ndgj3n5f said:
BSK is the line of muscle separation still identifiable on an IR flash camera or does it tend to muddle the subtleties to much?
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Still fairly identifiable. However, what can really muddy the waters is a particularly cold night. In cold conditions, deer often "fluff up" as they stand their hair on end to try and trap more air for staying warm. This "fluffing up" often makes a buck look bigger and older than he really is.
 

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