Age this?
- Thread starter dgallow
- Start date
Native Hunter
Well-Known Member
Looks young to me Doug - unless that is one of the dwarf deer I have heard you speak of that you have seen in that area. Neck looks small like a young deer, but gut looks big like an old deer. Body has mature characteristics but looks like a small stature.
So, I'm thinking you already know the answer and this is a trick question.....
So, I'm thinking you already know the answer and this is a trick question.....
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That pic is representative of that deer during summer....just grabbed a recent broad side pic to show his girth and back sway. His range is small and like many of you we were thinking 3+ but waiting for his body to change as rut progresses to finalize age estimate. No trick question....instead, a prelude to an interesting happening.
After filling feeders, there is always a half bag of corn left over...so we just put that out at one of the better camera locations. When I drove up on the ATT, he was bedded about 50 yards away....stood up, came closer, and stared.
Put out the corn so the camera has time to finish snapping images before opening. I was a bit un-nerved when he hopped the fence and came inside the small plot with me....very brazen behavior.
Pretty obvious his intentions....and here is ATV at same zoom for reference....yes, about 4-5 yards apart (all three of us).
So I just reconfiged the cam to hyperfire mode, swapped batteries and took about 40 pics on my iPhone of him. When I left then he left! Pretty sure this 'lack of fear' behavior (very small flight zone) is indicative on a 2 year old. Three year olds or older tend to be a bit more reclusive with larger flight zones. Main frame 9 with extra eye guards growing rearward.....good basal antler mass for a young deer...maybe he lives a couple more years! I know deer have acclimated to our routine moving cattle and such...but wasn't suspecting this level of acclimation!
After filling feeders, there is always a half bag of corn left over...so we just put that out at one of the better camera locations. When I drove up on the ATT, he was bedded about 50 yards away....stood up, came closer, and stared.
Put out the corn so the camera has time to finish snapping images before opening. I was a bit un-nerved when he hopped the fence and came inside the small plot with me....very brazen behavior.
Pretty obvious his intentions....and here is ATV at same zoom for reference....yes, about 4-5 yards apart (all three of us).
So I just reconfiged the cam to hyperfire mode, swapped batteries and took about 40 pics on my iPhone of him. When I left then he left! Pretty sure this 'lack of fear' behavior (very small flight zone) is indicative on a 2 year old. Three year olds or older tend to be a bit more reclusive with larger flight zones. Main frame 9 with extra eye guards growing rearward.....good basal antler mass for a young deer...maybe he lives a couple more years! I know deer have acclimated to our routine moving cattle and such...but wasn't suspecting this level of acclimation!
I agree with 2. And a handsome 2 yr old at that. Deer readily acclimate to consistent activity just as they quickly figure out humans and bang, bang, bang can be bad. In front of my house I have an area called sanctuary road. People drive this multiple times a day. I have a corn feeder there year round and no hunting anywhere close. Over time there has developed a quite tolerant group of does, fawns and young bucks. By the time the bucks reach 3 or so they move away...except during the rut. Then its nice to have gentle does to hold most anxious bucks a bit still to get to watch.
3.5 yo. Chooter
dogghr
Well-Known Member
Yea thats a close one D. I say with belly, very slight swag in back, and early in year yet, that he's a 3.5. Deer can be quite acclimated to ATVs, I see that often here even with heavy pressure. I've ridden to few yards of bucks often as they feed in fields. I know how that road passes up by your place and will volunteer to thin the herd of him if you need me to late one night! Just sayin. Nice buck regardless.
Here's why I think he's 2. I offer this strictly for discussion making no claims that I'm right. Just observation and opinion.
In many circumstances the first thing I look at is the head and face. To me this deer still has a baby face. Nose is long and slender. Eyes are round and bright. There is no 'boxing' in the forehead. Ears are clean with no cuts.Overall the head is still small. I'm guessing that a 3 yr old buck in Dougs area would weigh 180-200+ lbs. To me the pictured deer looks smaller than that. Even with a fat belly from Doug's high quality habitat the deer looks little. Neck and body frame don't mean much this early in the yr. but nonetheless 'doe like' . No staining on dorsal gland but again early in yr. Behavior pattern supports 2 more than 3 as well.
In many circumstances the first thing I look at is the head and face. To me this deer still has a baby face. Nose is long and slender. Eyes are round and bright. There is no 'boxing' in the forehead. Ears are clean with no cuts.Overall the head is still small. I'm guessing that a 3 yr old buck in Dougs area would weigh 180-200+ lbs. To me the pictured deer looks smaller than that. Even with a fat belly from Doug's high quality habitat the deer looks little. Neck and body frame don't mean much this early in the yr. but nonetheless 'doe like' . No staining on dorsal gland but again early in yr. Behavior pattern supports 2 more than 3 as well.
I can tell your not used to looking at SE Oklahoma deer...they are little - even full growed they are little...a lot of why a small rack anywhere else looks huge on these deer...
I am in NE Oklahoma and the bodies on our deer tend to be a little bit larger than the ones in SE Oklahoma so going off what we have the largest bodied buck I have ever killed was at leat 5.5 yr old and field dressed 150 lbs and that is huge for this area of no ag and ridge runner acorn bucks...An average mature 4.5 - 5.5 yr old shooter buck here dresses between 120 and 125 and a big one go's over 130 field dressed...
In western Oklahoma AG country they are quite a lot bigger...
Is that "gutted" weight or is that like I call "Texas Weight" where they are weighed full of gut...
I killed a Hill country buck one year on an out of state hunt. It was pretty small bodied even by our standards... I think it dressed 95 lbs and had a decent 8 point rack and the biologist said 5 yrs old...
All my weights are full body. I weigh first then begin processing.
