Instead of just asking how old this deer is, I will give you some history of him first. This is a deer I will be chasing this 2011 hunting season and I am really wondering if he will be 3.5 or 4.5 years old this year. Last year was the first year I had run trail cameras on this property, so I only have 2010 pictures of him. I was able to lay eyes on him a couple times during the summer months last year. I also had him within 60 yards three times on November 2 and spotted him bedded down with a doe on November 7, just was never able to close the deal. I know that this deer has made it through hunting season and hopefully he will make it through the rest of the winter. Will be looking for his sheds very soon. Really looking forward to chasing him this upcoming season. Here are some trail camera pictures of him from this past July. How old do you believ this deer is?
I'd bet he is going to be 4.5yo, this coming year. Could even be 5.5yo., as these photos are from the summer time. Also, I'm impressed with the trigger range of that camera !! Good luck !!
I'll be chasing this 5.5 year old buck. Had him on trail camera for 2 years. Missed him in 2010. Puke.
Am i the only one that thinks he may be a 2.5? Its very possible hes 3.5 but he doesnt strike me as and "old" deer...
We can only base our guesses off of personal experience. Where I hunt, there are some pretty big bodied bucks(one killed this year field dressed at 242lbs), but, this is not the normal. Most 2.5yo bucks that we've killed and weighed, tipped the scales in the 140-160lbs range(one of these was a kill of mine, which weighed 151). Most 3.5yo bucks, tipped the scales between 160-180lbs, dressed, with 4.5yo's weighing in at around 170-215lbs, dressed. These "averages" are based off of deer my friends and I have killed and weighed, and, the input from other hunters that we know, and, have spoken with, over the years. The buck photo'd above, looks a little too filled out in the chest, his back is a touch too flat, his belly sags just a little bit, his hind quarters seem well developed, and he has a slight "arch" to his nose- all indicating a bit of age, under his belt, but, not fully mature, yet.. To me, he is at least 3.5yo, in the photo. In some areas that I hunt, he could even be a less than average sized 4.5yo. 2.5yo ? I'm going to have to disagree. Again, this is based off of my knowledge, of the deer in the areas that I hunt.
The skinny summer neck and smaller looking head makes it look like a younger buck at first, But the brisket and the hump in the shoulder makes me think it's at least 3.
