Let them walk - 3 years of Progression

[HB_Hunter]

One of my target deer was killed by a neighbor this year. I started paying attention to him in 2018. I probably had pictures of him in 2017, but it is always difficult for me to identify them after the fact and I don't do a good job of keeping photos of younger deer. He has a very distinctive double throat patch, so I'm almost positive this is the same deer. Any thoughts on age in 2018? I assumed he was 3 based on the size of the rack and his mass. Normally our 3yo's don't have this much mass. Rack coupled with body size made me think 3.

 

[HB_Hunter]

He really blew up in 2019. Based on body and rack size, I assumed he was 4, but thought he could also be 5. He had the crooked brow tine both years and looking at pics I thought it was the same deer. Lack of late August/September rain kept me from getting a food plot in so cob corn won out. Please ignore the gigantic pile .

Looking frail late season. Only daylight picture I had in 2019.

 

[HB_Hunter]

This year he was a true giant for our area. I think he was 5, but couldn't be certain. I'm glad we had a deer like this running around. I would have loved to have killed him, but am happy he was taken legally by a deserving hunter.

 

[catscratch]

Awesome!

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[willy]

wow, thanks for sharing the progression. I'd say your aging is as good as any

 

[Drycreek]

I think you are spot on with aging. He certainly is no more than a three year old in the color pics IMO. Good buck, sorry you didn’t get him.

 

[buckdeer1]

Did you happen to hear what he scored and was he shot bow season or gun and just wondering was he cruising a bedding area,looking for does or coming to food.Always interested in mature bucks and what gets them killed

 

[Native Hunter]

Awesome

 

[HB_Hunter]

Did you happen to hear what he scored and was he shot bow season or gun and just wondering was he cruising a bedding area,looking for does or coming to food.Always interested in mature bucks and what gets them killed

I heard the story first hand after the shot because I was heading in to hunt him. I had just gotten a picture of him an hour before (2:15pm) he was killed cruising through my food plot. I was heading up to hunt a pinch point right on the property line.

He dropped him of at the taxidermist and hasn’t had him scored yet. He had 15 or 16 scoreable points with plenty of mass and tine length to go around on a huge frame. I’m pretty confident he’ll go over 170 and might even break 180 gross.

He was killed with a gun on 11/21 about 50 yards from my property line. He was chasing a doe with three or four other good bucks.

 

[HB_Hunter]

I know a guy that is an official scorer and he’s going to score him after the drying period.

 

[Chainsaw]

Great deer to have grown up in your area. It is also great that he was taken legally.

 

[BoneCrusher20]

i'd say your aging looks accurate....2018 photos to me look like 3.5 year old, but i'm comparing that to a 3.5 i would see in my region obviously KY to WI can have variances, but appears right.

 

[Drycreek]

Kaintuck grows some great deer !

 

[readonly]

I lived in and hunted in Fayette County KY for 6 years. I was young and was just excited to get a bow shot at any deer back then so looking back I somewhat squandered some of the best hunting years I will ever have had. But the genetics and soil in KY combine to make it extremely difficult to age 2-3 year old bucks. The tooth wear remains light on the good ag food. The body weights can be heavy even on a yearling buck. And the antlers can be huge for a 2 year old. On the farm I hunted, several of us shot a handful of bucks that I never could figure out how old they actually were. The buck in 2018 photos could be 2 or 3 and I can't put my finger on the scale one way or the other. Good decision to pass though.

 

[buckdeer1]

He shot him in your food plot?

 

[weekender21]

He shot him in your food plot?

I had the same question!

That’s a great deer, would be a giant in my area as well. I’d agree with your age estimates as well, great looking 3 year old but really blew up the next year!


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[HB_Hunter]

He shot him in your food plot?

No. I had a picture of him in my food plot at 2:15pm. Nose to the ground. I think he shot him around an hour after that about 50 yards from the property line. He was coming up out of the property he was hunting though.

I was up there right at 4:00pm and the deer was on the ground, gutted, behind the 4 wheeler.

 

[HB_Hunter]

I lived in and hunted in Fayette County KY for 6 years. I was young and was just excited to get a bow shot at any deer back then so looking back I somewhat squandered some of the best hunting years I will ever have had. But the genetics and soil in KY combine to make it extremely difficult to age 2-3 year old bucks. The tooth wear remains light on the good ag food. The body weights can be heavy even on a yearling buck. And the antlers can be huge for a 2 year old. On the farm I hunted, several of us shot a handful of bucks that I never could figure out how old they actually were. The buck in 2018 photos could be 2 or 3 and I can't put my finger on the scale one way or the other. Good decision to pass though.

Fayette Co isn’t terribly far from me. I’m with you, but I really struggle between 3 and 4. The body types of the bucks on the farm are also very different. Some are long, tall and lean. Others are short and stocky. The first generally grow the biggest racks.

Racks between 3 and 4 are usually very similar. This deer and one other deer had more dramatic changes.