Help me age this deer!

His stomach tells me 4.5 and neck tells me 3.5
i know hes not a monster but if by chance he put on 20" from 3 to 4 years old id always regret shooting him with that thought. I do have another buck on this farm using his same scrape that is 145". Im in maryland and we do get 2 bucks to kill so im not really sure what route im going to take.any friendly advice would be appreciated

 

I wanna say 3 1/2 judgin by the lanky legs and his rack. Short tined

 

I think he's just bloated lol

 

I'm going to guess at least 4.5. He looks to big and heavy and round rumped for 3.5 to my eye but it's really hard to get a good idea from one pic and no history.

 

I have had people tell me 5.5 and a bunch tell me 3.5.... if hes 4.5 i wanna get him outta there plus he'd be a nice trophy.My wife was joking saying he had probably just ate and even though he is in a ban field i dont see his stomach growing that much. definatly a tough decision.

 

That's the problem right there. No way to really be sure when aging on the hoof.

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Not an expert by any means but it looks to me like a 3.5 yr old. His back is not swayed and the base of his neck is not filled out even with his chest cavity. Just a guess though.


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I would say 3.5, he looks like he may be hunched up a little, making his body look a little bigger and his back arch.

 

Agreed.

A clearer pic of head structure will probably show a decent 'Roman nose' for an older deer. This is also an earlier in the season pic, come the rut his neck should be much fuller (unless you put him down)

 

I would get him out of the herd if you're after giants. You wouldn't want his genetics in the herd for to long.