Pulled most of the cards today, had most of this years usuals I've already posted. I did have three new ones to add to the 2014 buckbook though. Same deer in the first two: Check out the double throat patch: This is the 6x5 I had on this camera a while back but he's gained some growth and the 11th point is now more pronounced.
I had a nice buck here at home *five* (lost count it was 2009) years ago that was old enough to harvest and also had a double throat patch. Long story short, I skipped some work to hunt him and he busted me one evening and I never saw him again. That was the last year I bow hunted up until last year when I came back to it. It's extremely rare, I've seen very very few other ones in pics or TV but just two in person in the fairly long stretch I've been chasing deer..basically 30 years. This one is four miles across country from home where the last DTP buck was. No way it's the same deer either because this one is the same age as the one was four years ago which I believe is 4+ years old. The old one was a twelve point 170" deer...this one will never be that caliber but that double throat patch makes me happy.
I would love to disagree with you...but honestly I have not been able to make up my mind on aging that deer. I'm leaning towards agreeing with you at 3+. I don't have enough pics of him to feel comfortable deciding on his age. So far he's been too close to the camera or too far from that camera and at poor angles for me to decide for sure. I think this is him and if so is the only straight on broadside shot I have of him: SO I don't know, I go back and forth between 3 and 4 or 5 and even up to 6. The reason I am confused is because he has as many indicators of being old as being young to my eye. Here, check out a side profile of his head: The biggest two things that keeps me from saying five is his neck and the height of his front in relation to his rear half. Other than that, he's getting a roman nose, rounded belly, slightly sagging back and large front legs....so I don't know, he's confusing to me and I don't really run into that very often. Guess I'll have to shoot'em and have him aged by dental so I know.
