Age this buck?

[Don Stokes]

In the hardscrabble hills of north MS where I live, the bucks run small, with live weights of mature bucks rarely exceeding 160-175 pounds, and they rarely grow larger than P&Y minimum. This buck is bigger than average.

Here he is last year:

 

The next two pictures are from this year, in velvet and and around Thanksgiving.

 

 

I've never seen him in the flesh that I'm aware of, but the last picture was taken only about 250 yards from my back door. The rut is just around the corner here, so I have high hopes of seeing him. I think he's probably 4 1/2, based on the size of his rack last year. VERY few 2 1/2 year bucks are that big around here.

He really bulked up between feeding in the soybeans in July and November acorns. It makes his rack look bigger in the velvet, but I'm fairly certain it's the same deer. He was a 7 point last year, too.

I don't see many mature bucks, so I'm not good at aging them.

[KSdan]

At least 4.5.

Go get him.

[TSP]

Antler/body size is generally not a good indicator of age since much of what that shows depends on genetics and food quality.  Better to look at the teeth.  

Can you get a closeup of him grinning/flossing/using a toothpick?  That would help.

[Don Stokes]

Dan, I'd love to have been after him today, but it's been raining all day. Cabin fever is setting in. Tomorrow we have flurries in the forecast, with high wind, with the temp dropping to the low teens tomorrow night. That's COLD in MS.

TSP, I'll try, but down here we don't do much of that. Well, toothpicks maybe.     :D

[Follower]

Hoping we see a close up of him Don - with your hands wrapped around those bases.  Good luck!

[ti-guy]

I'm far from being an expert but this buck is not skinny,his neck is thick and he has a big butt!! Best of luck on him.

[Gatekeeper]

I would guess him to be 3.5 years old.

His neck and shoulders haven’t blended into one, which is typical of a 4.5 y.o. and older buck, but his chest appears to be deeper then his waist which is not typical of younger bucks.

yep, 3.5 id say, let him go a couple more years.

[Don Stokes]

In my neighborhood, it's a miracle if a buck gets to 3 1/2. All my neighbors hunt, and with a season that runs from Oct. 1 to Jan. 31, a buck needs a lucky charm to survive to maturity. This is the biggest buck I've seen in several years here. Things may improve with the new regulations, which require a minimum 10" inside spread or main beam length of 13". At least the 1 1/2 year old bucks will survive, for a change.

[South MS Bowhunter]

Don that a good one for sure, and your right they don't get to 3-4 years by chance here.  Not when a lot of our fine friends kinda of wink at the rules.

[Roy Steele]

He's well definded.Chest starting to portrude belly and back sags legs look short for his body he's 4 1/2 at least.Maybe 5 1/2

[greyghost]

It sounds and looks like he is a trophy to you and the area you hunt. I would not worry about age but how to justify the taxidermy bill to the wife.

Hope to see a pic of you checking his teeth.

[bad arrow]

Some nice hams. My  first impression was 3 1/2 yrs.....Phil

[SOLDIERII]

4.5 - 5.5 maybe

[Don Stokes]

South MS Bowhunter, I've had first-hand experience with that winking. Too many times. I could tell some stories...

Roy, that's the way I was thinking, too. Regardless, I'll take him if I get the chance. He may not be much by northern standards, but greyghost is right- he's a trophy here. There's also an 8 point on the place that is almost as big that better not cross my path.

I love this game camera. I wouldn't know either of them existed without it, and it increases my enjoyment of hunting immeasurably just knowing they're here.

[SEMO_HUNTER]

TSP said it right, the teeth are the only way to know for sure. I'd say 3.5 yrs. old, judging by his nose length, little bit of pot belly sag starting, and his general posture. But, I'm one to mis-judge without checking the teeth.

My 8pt. I got this year during the gun portion here in Mo. scored 135" and I swear to look at him I just knew he was at least 4.5 maybe 5.5 years old......closer inspection of the teeth revealed that he was only 3.5 years old.
He had just been eatin' good I guess? Thick neck, pot belly, and just plain big all over.
He was a toad!
So looks can be very decieving.

[chanumpa]

Neat pictures .Hope you get to see his teeth in a year or two.

[Spurs]

Don, I would guess 4.5.  I hunt around Benton County which is about 30 minutes from you.  Our mature bucks live weight are 200-220.  We kill about 3-4 mature bucks a year.  The weights are much better there than around the Corinth area.  Tom

[Friend]

My guess is 3 1/2. I would expect to see more sway in his back at 4 1/2.

Beautiful deer!

[Don Stokes]

Tom, I hunted in Benton County for many years, before the population got high enough here in Union Co. The deer definitely average smaller here. I killed a doe with a button fawn this year that wouldn't have made over 65-70# live weight. I was in a club in Tippah Co, just to the north, for several years, and the biggest buck taken while I hunted there was just about P&Y, and no 200# deer were killed out of hundreds checked in. I think it's the soil fertility, or lack of it. The area was farmed to death by the preceding generations, and eroded down to the red clay subsoil. I've given up trying to grow a decent garden. I think maybe the National Forest land in Benton must not have been farmed out, so the soil is better. Benton Co. has the lowest human population in the state, and there is not a single red light in any of the towns in the county. Rural defined.

I did kill a 200# deer in Union about 30 years ago, but it was an exceptional buck with a long drop tine and a couple of stickers.