Kinda exciting to "follow" a particular buck over a period of years.
Kinda like you get to hunt them, and hunt them and hunt them, and maybe some day even enjoy the harvest of that long journey. I greatly enjoy the journey even if I never kill him, just makes it better if I ultimately am that hunter or know the hunter who gets him.
I found a fresh shed last Friday from a very identifiable buck, and I really had believed he had either died or been killed. Was very exciting to find his fresh shed, and know he survived thru the 2015 deer season.
Do you have a history with this buck (years of pictures of him)? I ask because I too question how old that buck is. Now I'll be the first to say aging bucks by body conformation is VERY difficult far post rut. If a picture is taken in late January or into February, I don't think I could accurately judge age from body conformation at that time of the year. But I would also be careful of using "belly sag" as an aging criteria. I've heard hunters mention this characteristic on many occassions, but I've personally NOT found this to be a consistent indicator of age. For example, this VERY mature buck (6 1/2+) has very little if any true sag in his belly: