Mature buck or not?

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BlountArrow

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I found BSK's handy dandy deer aging post with pictures to be quite helpful but wanted to get a second opinion on one. I have a small farm and combined with a neighbor we have close to 500 acres and I've been managing my piece for about 7 years and have never taken the first buck off of it. We just don't see very many mature bucks - ever; and I'm just not going to throw away my hardwork by killing an imature buck (that's just me and that's just the way I see it). In my area bucks probably rarely, very rarely make it past age 2.5. However last year and this year, I actually started getting a buck or two on film that I believe are mature and I had another pic of a monster.

I can't post pictures because I cannot access the Photobucket website from this computer. I was wondering if someone would be kind enough to post a pic or two for me so you guys could tell me what you think the age of the deer is, i.e. whether or not he's mature.
 
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Re: Mature buck or not?...PICS ADDED

Definately mature look at that sagging belly... at minimum i'd go 4.5 but i'm sure its atleast 5.5
 
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Re: Mature buck or not?...PICS ADDED

You are headed in the right direction on ur management efforts i'd say. it does take time especially if others around u arent practicing the same way you are.
 
Re: Mature buck or not?...PICS ADDED

travle said:
You are headed in the right direction on ur management efforts i'd say. it does take time especially if others around u arent practicing the same way you are.
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Thanks...obviously the date and time stamps are off BTW. I have one Bushnell Trophy Cam that when the batteries get a little weak it stops keeping track of date and time for some reason. I'm not experienced with judging age at all and I was thinking more like 3.5 - 4.5 tops.
 
Re: Mature buck or not?...PICS ADDED

Looks like at least 5.5 to me; 3.5 he would not have that gut and usually 4.5 year olds don't have a gut either.
 
Re: Mature buck or not?...PICS ADDED

Definately mature. He could easily be 5 1/2 based on his waist line, deep chest and full back hams. Also, he appears to be asserting his dominance over the younger buck in the last picture.

This is evidence of your management practices. Even with an intense harvest of younger bucks, there are always a few that slip through and reach maturity. However, if the hunting pressure is high, those that do reach maturity will likely relocate.

If you don't already, you need to leave certain areas of your property completely off limits. Mature bucks need a stress-free core area that is free from human intrusion.
 
Re: Mature buck or not?...PICS ADDED

Wow, guys I definitely have some age studying to do as I would not have imagined he was that old. Maybe I can down me a big Mountain Buck here like ol' String Music. We do have a couple places that are fortunately off limits just by the natural lay of the terrain, but something I need to be more serious about indeed.
 
Re: Mature buck or not?...PICS ADDED

BSK said:
At least 4 1/2. Might be 5 1/2.
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Excellent, I was hoping you might chime in. Well, just goes to show like you have said...you can't go by the antlers. He's a trophy to me for a lot of reasons but doesn't sport a trophy rack to some guys on here I'm sure. I'd be thrilled to take him personally.
 
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I would be thrilled to take ANY mature buck, even if both antlers were broken off!
 
Re: Mature buck or not?...PICS ADDED

BSK said:
I would be thrilled to take ANY mature buck, even if both antlers were broken off!
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Couldn't agree more. I used to not think that way earlier in my hunting career.
 
Re: Mature buck or not?...PICS ADDED

I didn't see the second deer in the picture, but he is displaying some dominance for sure. He's ears looked pinned back, and his neck looks a little swollen.
 
Re: Mature buck or not?...PICS ADDED

BlountArrow said:
He's a trophy to me for a lot of reasons but doesn't sport a trophy rack to some guys on here I'm sure. I'd be thrilled to take him personally.
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I believe he would be a nice trophy for a lot of folks. He would be for me also, as i don't see a lot of bucks this size. The only thing i see he could be lacking in is his mass. Maybe if mass is a concern for you, might not be, you could put out several mineral locations to help future bucks produce heavier racks. I know a personal friend of mine that puts out mineral lick locations that he mixes into the ground. Those deer have those spots tore up to the size of a truck hood or bigger and have it dug out pretty deep.
 
Re: Mature buck or not?...PICS ADDED

BSK has a class on Aging Deer on the Hoof. It was the beginning of my learning to age bucks. You can also find many pictures on the internet. However, timing makes all the difference. In the late Fall, near the rut, bucks are much easier to age.

Your buck... very mature. Neck, chest, gut, hams, short legs, antler bases: all point to Mature Deer.

Hope to see his jaw-bone soon. :D Hope you get him.
 
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travle said:
Maybe if mass is a concern for you, might not be, you could put out several mineral locations to help future bucks produce heavier racks.
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Unfortunately, there is no scientific evidence what-so-ever that mineral supplementation does anything for deer or antler growth.
 
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I'm sorry, but i just don't see how minerals that you buy from Co-op that support animal health wouldn't support a deer's health. Every animal needs nutrients to support a healthy body. Even we do.
 
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travle said:
I'm sorry, but i just don't see how minerals that you buy from Co-op that support animal health wouldn't support a deer's health. Every animal needs nutrients to support a healthy body. Even we do.
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Yet there is no evidence those minerals are even digestible by deer let alone actually do anything. And I promise you, mineral supplementation makers have tried to produce evidence of health improvements. So far, nada.
 
Re: Mature buck or not?...PICS ADDED

BlountArrow said:
Wow, guys I definitely have some age studying to do as I would not have imagined he was that old. Maybe I can down me a big Mountain Buck here like ol' String Music. We do have a couple places that are fortunately off limits just by the natural lay of the terrain, but something I need to be more serious about indeed.
Click to expand...

Figure out where he beds and your chances of harvesting will increase. Do you have a topo of your property?
 
Re: Mature buck or not?...PICS ADDED

Brother I hunt here in Blount and the best buck I have seen was an 8 this year and he wasn't near as big as the smallest of those three. I would say they are all shooters around here for sure!
 
Re: Mature buck or not?...PICS ADDED

Imo he's 3.5 he doesn't seem to have the mass of a 4.5 or 5.5 deer we have killed 3.5 year olds before and field dressed over 200 pounds so can't just go off of body. He has a good good body but not much mass for me to say he is above 3.5. Imo
 
Re: Mature buck or not?...PICS ADDED - UPDATE

So, I ran out real quick yesterday to grab a trail cam that is in a different spot than these night time photos and guess who strolled through at 9:50am on Mon 11/12 and guess who strolled through yesterday evening at 4:58pm. Yes, sir - this buck right here. "Unfortunately", I have prior hunting commitments with a friend and his family elsewhere so my brother and I did some serious figuring last night and hopefully my brother can get on this buck. We already have a stand in the day time photos location and you can slip into it very quietly. If the wind is right maybe my brother will get him Saturday. But, things never seem to go exactly as planned.
 
Re: Mature buck or not?...PICS ADDED - UPDATE

String Music said:
BlountArrow said:
Wow, guys I definitely have some age studying to do as I would not have imagined he was that old. Maybe I can down me a big Mountain Buck here like ol' String Music. We do have a couple places that are fortunately off limits just by the natural lay of the terrain, but something I need to be more serious about indeed.
Click to expand...

Figure out where he beds and your chances of harvesting will increase. Do you have a topo of your property?
Click to expand...

Now that I have daytime photos we're hoping we can make it happen. I have a pretty good idea of where he could be bedding. The only maps I have of the property are off of the property assessor's website - but I grew up here so I know the lay of the land from years of boot work.
 

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