Field-judging buck age examples

[RiverBuck10]

Great stuff..

 

[turkinator]

 

[Robbhorn]

Great info! I was never taught what exactly to look for in aging. Thanks for the info!

 

[BSK]

Glad you found the information useful Robbhorn.

 

[vabuckbuster]

That would be great printed out on photo quality paper and put in a binder.

 

[BSK]

That would be great printed out on photo quality paper and put in a binder.

One of these days I'll finish updating the poster and have it professionally printed and laminated. Depending on printing costs, I'll probably sell copies for $20. And the image is set up for poster-size paper (24" x 36"). I can currently print that with my plotter on high-gloss paper, but it has to be laminated or framed to keep the poster from getting wet (I don't have waterproof ink).

 

[cfmartin1833]

Excellent post, BSK!
Great info, seldom even mentioned in the popular (and generally worthless) hunting magazines.

. . . when field-judging buck age, always, always, ALWAYS ignore the antlers.

This particular yearling buck illustrates one of the main reasons I usually don't like antler restrictions being used as criteria in defining "shooter" bucks.

By not focusing on age first, many QDM clubs (and particularly WMA's with antler restrictions) are actually "high grading" their best yearling bucks and above-average 2 1/2-yr-old bucks, mainly leaving the genetically inferior survivors into the older ages classes. Many WMAs and QDM clubs would actually be producing more genetically superior antlered older bucks if they were NOT using any antler restrictions, particularly if they just made yearling bucks illegal (no matter what the antlers on that yearling).

I like to focus on AGE first, while trying to totally ignore antlers.
In the field, a quick focus at the buck's neck is where you start. "Skinny" neck = young buck. "Very fat" neck = 3 1/2 or older buck.

WBy the way, regarding this particular yearling pic above, there are probably no reasonable antler restrictions that would prevent him from being a "legal" buck at the age of 2 1/2. Yet it is bucks like this one that have the most potential to become the very top-end largest antlered bucks whould they survive to 3 1/2 or older.

I agree completley but wouldnt it be pretty hard to enforce an age restriction vs. an antler restriction because so many hunters wouldn't be able to do it accuratly. I mean alot of us know the difference but sometimes there is no way to be 100 % sure. It seems to me that an antler restriction is the best chance at saving the younger bucks. IMO of course!

 

[BSK]

Antler Restrictions not only don't work in most locations, they can cause real biological problems. It is MUCH easier to teach hunters how to identify the difference between yearling and 2 1/2 year-old buck than it is to create an Antler Restriction that actually works well.

And I'm talking about a private property or club. States SHOULD NOT be involved in regulating the age of harvested bucks on a region or statewide basis unless it is abslutely biologically necessary (and this situation RARELY occurs in the Southeast--it is primarily a northern state problem due to extremely high hunter densities). Now if a State Agency wants to set up specific WMAs as "older buck" harvest areas, that's fine.

Mistakes will happen under any system. As long as mistakes make up only a small percentage of the harvest, don't worry about them.

 

[vabuckbuster]

That would be great printed out on photo quality paper and put in a binder.

One of these days I'll finish updating the poster and have it professionally printed and laminated. Depending on printing costs, I'll probably sell copies for $20. And the image is set up for poster-size paper (24" x 36"). I can currently print that with my plotter on high-gloss paper, but it has to be laminated or framed to keep the poster from getting wet (I don't have waterproof ink).

I would buy a couple of them.

 

[Boone 58]

 

[BowGuy84]

Any idea if these are ever going to be avaliable...would make a cool addition to any man room or cabin.

 

[F0ster]

Great post BSK! Thank you all for sharing.

 

[WDS]

BSK does not know a darn thing about judging whitetails !!! He has been hitting that bong way too hard. He even photo shopped the images of him with that toad of a 6.5 y.o !!! I killed that deer in Perry county with a hickory stick (half rotten) ...I was friggin NAKED at the time (Don't Ask).. while Bryan was chasing ME with his damn camera trying to get a pic of a REAL mature buck's 'member' !!!!! Im so fired up I just grunt-snort-wheezed !!!!! Hippie PERVERT !!!!!!

Bryan, things are looking good at Cedar Point !!! All due to your consultant services !!!!! Truly the best thing I could have done for our farm was to hire you !!!!

You got any more of that Clumbian 'funky weed' that you had us plant ????? The deer are all bloodshot when we kill 'em and smell like skunk !!!! Haaaaaa !!!

 

[Rubberduck270]

A man that would even attempt to kill a deer with a half rotten hickory stick in the nude would have to be from Perry county lol.

I have worn this thread out over the past couple weeks trying to decide how old some of my bucks are. This is a great reference for the TN hunter.

 

[WDS]

Not from Perry County, but close enuff !!!

BSK is the man to contact over anything whitetail !!!!! I have a very deep respect for the man and consider him a friend. He better agree with the friend thing cuz he has taken a lot of my dang $$$$ . All of it being the best I have spent on Cedar Point !!!! His consultation services are without a doubt worth their weight in gold !!! .... ok maybe in 2005 gold prices !!! Good, honest and knowledgeable man!!!

 

[skynimrod]

BSK does not know a darn thing about judging whitetails !!! He has been hitting that bong way too hard. He even photo shopped the images of him with that toad of a 6.5 y.o !!! I killed that deer in Perry county with a hickory stick (half rotten) ...I was friggin NAKED at the time (Don't Ask).. while Bryan was chasing ME with his damn camera trying to get a pic of a REAL mature buck's 'member' !!!!! Im so fired up I just grunt-snort-wheezed !!!!! Hippie PERVERT !!!!!!

Bryan, things are looking good at Cedar Point !!! All due to your consultant services !!!!! Truly the best thing I could have done for our farm was to hire you !!!!

You got any more of that Clumbian 'funky weed' that you had us plant ????? The deer are all bloodshot when we kill 'em and smell like skunk !!!! Haaaaaa !!!

 

[sure shot]

good stuff i love it !!!

 

[All-Around-Hunter]

Great Post!

 

[Drop 4/5]

Great informative post, thanks for your hard work and for sharing the knowledge. Would love a couple posters if you make it happen.

 

[plinker22]

Every time I revisit this post, I learn a little more!