Deer age?

[Phil87]

Does anyone have a guess at how old this deer is by his trail cam pictures? I ended up shooting him in november,and he's at the taxi now. Hope the pictures work I'm new around here lol, thanks in advance for any responses.

 

[TheLBLman]

4 1/2 or older

Nice buck,
and you'll probably get some estimates beyond 4 1/2, but that's all I'll venture based on those pics

If you have more and better pics, especially some from late October into November, please post.
Assuming this is a TN deer?

 

[Phil87]

Unfortunately this was the last week I got him on camera. They cut the last of the hay right around the same time I got these I believe and then he vanished until mid November, got a few more angles on my phone I will try to post. Oh and yes it's a east tennessee deer

 

[Mike Belt]

I'd go along with 4.5 or older. He carries some good mass out through those main beams. Congrats!

 

[Rjratliff1975]

Man that is a great buck!

 

[megalomaniac]

I'd go with fully mature (5.5+) with that much body weight while still in velvet. Post up the jawbone pics from the taxidermist, love to see them

 

[tree_ghost]

I'd go with fully mature (5.5+) with that much body weight while still in velvet. Post up the jawbone pics from the taxidermist, love to see them

I'm in the same boat...amazing deer! Congrats!

Care to give us the details of the hunt?


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[Phil87]

I'd go with fully mature (5.5+) with that much body weight while still in velvet. Post up the jawbone pics from the taxidermist, love to see them

I'm in the same boat...amazing deer! Congrats!

Care to give us the details of the hunt?


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Unfortunately I didn't take any of just the jaw, ( shame on me). I do have one my buddy sent when he was dropping a deer off a couple days later, its just the top of the skinned out skull.



As far as the hunt goes I was hunting the same place I usually do. My parents own a small farm 70sh acres that border loudon and Roane counties not far from where I live. I usually try and take the week before Thanksgiving ish off from work,( depending on how the dates fall) it's when I usually see the most big deer. I had hunted all week and nothing, two or three does and a yearling buck or two chasing. FINALLY on Thursday I hadn't seen the first deer, and about 12 I was texting my father in law telling him I was getting down for lunch. He said he thought he spotted a doe in the clear cut behind him moving in my direction so we decided to wait a few. The stand I usually hunt that week is a decent sized ravine or draw with a spring in the bottom and about a 30 acre clear cut to my right, behind me up the hill is a field and left and infront are all hardwoods. You can really only muzzleloader or gun hunt because of the leaves seeing down in the bottom and back up the other side, and the wind is horrid. Anyway. Back to the story lol, not very long after maybe 1230 it sounded like the woods were falling down. Two does busted out of the thicket to my right and then a absolute monster on there heals gruntin the whole way down the hill till he ran head first into a barb wire fence got up and kept running, I grunted yelled screamed nothin would slow any off them down full blast. Then 30 sec later maybe, here came a spike then a little six. Then 15 or 20min later a four pointer all of them nose down gruntin following the does trail. I just kinda set there dumbfounded for a min wondering what happened then got so mad I couldn't stand it, and called my father in law. He convinced me to give it a little while before crying back to the truck. I set probally thirty more minutes just staring and then somthin black caught my attention at the very bottom of the hill in the edge of the clear cut. I got my gun up and just saw him pick his head up and got the width and mass and new it had to be the same deer backtracking the way he came, he took three or four good steps up the hill and cleared enough brush and I let him have it.
The funny thing is I'm 99 percent shure it's not the monster that came chasing the does by me. That deer what I could seeof him looked like a clean 8 and his g3 was longer than the deer I shots g2s just from replaying in my head. O well was happy to get a nice deer that I had a little history with, sorry for writing a book lol.

On a side note was killing some time after work today and the taxi is almost done with him.

 

[tree_ghost]

Oh man what an action packed day of hunting!!! That's the rut for ya...haven't seen a deer all day and then bam! They jump out from behind every tree! Sure does sound like a memorable hunt. Congrats again!


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[megalomaniac]

Great story! What's his beam length? 23-24"? A VERY impressive 7ptr; congrats again!

 

[Phil87]

I was actually thinking about the beams when I went and saw him today, almost asked my taxi for a tape measure but I was afraid I would mess him up lol. The only thing I measured when I shot him was his spread , was just a shade under 21 on the inside. It was pretty warm that day and had to pick the little boy up, so I was rushed getting him to the processor. He's been at the taxi ever since, won't be long now though, thanks everyone for the responses and kind words