Central Illinois Buck - Surprise at the end

[Blizzard Ridge]

Is there an age where the deer teeth become so worn that it affects their eating and nutrition? Seeing it hasn't been mentioned yet I figure no, or is it at an age well beyond 6 or 7 that we're talking about here.

The buck in my avatar was an 8 year old with back teeth worn below the gum line. As you can see he is pretty fat and when it came to food sources he was a bully. He would even run the doe out of the fields to keep the food to himself. He dressed out at 265# putting him over 300# live weight. I don't know the actual calculation to figure live weight from dressed weight.

I guess what I am trying to say is he found a way to eat with no back teeth.

 

[Baker]

 

[Baker]

That is the jaw of a 10 yr old. Scored 205 with his biggest rack ever. Was fat and sassy

 

[Baker]

Never mind. Pic won't post from ipad

 

[George]

Good stuff you guys, are you trying to shut down another forum.

Cutman, I don't think that I'll get any argument from Steve or Baker when I say that that the more reclusive and non-violent bucks express the most potential for antler development.

A set of one but empirical evidence non the less.

One of my boys, at 3 1/2, pushing 130 wanna be 9 pt. He always had his hair peeled off his back which indicated to me that he was active and did a lot of rubbing and scraping.



At 4 1/2 his rack leveled out a bit and I was calling him 140".





At 5 1/2 he expressed his wanna be 9th point and I figured that he was pushing mid 150" gross.



At 6 1/2 he was a 10 with reduced mass, tine and main beam length, 140 maybe. He looked to be dragging his ass end a bit. I didn't shoot any bucks that year because it was a drought year and they all seemed to be about 10% reduced.




At 7 1/2 he appeared to be a big strong healthy deer again sporting a gross 130".



The next day the Sheriff issued a salvage tag and they loaded him up in to a borrowed truck. The truck that hit him faired about as well as he did.



G

 

[Blizzard Ridge]

Sucks to see the old boy hauled off in a truck that way. It did show that my focus on waiting for a buck to get to 5 - 6 year old range is about right on though. Thanks G nice history of a free range buck.

 

[George]

Sucks to see the old boy hauled off in a truck that way. It did show that my focus on waiting for a buck to get to 5 - 6 year old range is about right on though. Thanks G nice history of a free range buck.

I wanted bucks to reach 5 1/2.

Someone here in Colorado said recently that elk aren't like deer, they try to kill each other during the rut. I know that person never spent a fall in Iowa.

I wonder if the racks in south Texas would continue to increase with age beyond 5 1/2 if they pulled all of the water troughs off the ranch?

G

 

[Lost Arrow]

I wanted bucks to reach 5 1/2.

Someone here in Colorado said recently that elk aren't like deer, they try to kill each other during the rut. I know that person never spent a fall in Iowa.

I wonder if the racks in south Texas would continue to increase with age beyond 5 1/2 if they pulled all of the water troughs off the ranch?

G

I think that is why it can depend so much on location as well as weather conditions. Even in the same location if extreme weather conditions are present (extreme drought, long winter) I think it would affect maxing out at a certain age differently.