Show your pics of deer - 2009 ??

[Oklahomabassin]

deshijm not arguing, I am just going to say why I doubt that the deer is 4.5 or 5.5 years old. An old deer will start showing a sagging back, and a pot belly look. His neck will be thicker giving it a shorter appearance. Shoulders and rear will square off more instead of a rounded look.

 

[EFsDad]

Here's a few of my recent ones...Any guesses as to what they might score?

I'd say that coon would run about 10 lbs if you saved the heart and kidneys.

 

[lameduck]

deshijm not arguing, I am just going to say why I doubt that the deer is 4.5 or 5.5 years old. An old deer will start showing a sagging back, and a pot belly look. His neck will be thicker giving it a shorter appearance. Shoulders and rear will square off more instead of a rounded look.

Are you talking about the first and biggest deer? If so... look at the fourth pic where he has his head up and you can see the sagging back and pot belly. When deer are feeding with their head down it arcs their back and makes them look younger. The neck will not be very big yet because it has not puffed out for the rut. Just like after the season they have skinny necks, the only difference is after the rut their skin is sagging and before the skin is firm. I bet in about a month that deer will put on more weight, and show his age a little more as the rut gets closer. 4.5-5.5 is probably a good assessment from my experience. Other tale tale signs are darker antler color, on the beam and tines, and kickers around the bases. Not saying younger deer cannot have kickers, its just means usually it shows maturity.

 

[deshijm]

Oklahomabassin...understood. I didn't take it like you were arguing. I appreciate the comments. If you're right and it is a young deer, man I can't imagine what kind of potential this thing would have with a year or two more on him!

 

[Oklahomabassin]

Are you talking about the first and biggest deer? If so... look at the fourth pic where he has his head up and you can see the sagging back and pot belly. When deer are feeding with their head down it arcs their back and makes them look younger. The neck will not be very big yet because it has not puffed out for the rut. Just like after the season they have skinny necks, the only difference is after the rut their skin is sagging and before the skin is firm. I bet in about a month that deer will put on more weight, and show his age a little more as the rut gets closer. 4.5-5.5 is probably a good assessment from my experience. Other tale tale signs are darker antler color, on the beam and tines, and kickers around the bases. Not saying younger deer cannot have kickers, its just means usually it shows maturity.

I might be mistaken, but the post with the 4 pics is 3 pics of one buck and the 4th is a different buck. As to the darkness of the antlers, I can still see dried velvet and during the shedding time antlers will have dried blood making them have a darker tint. Very nice 2.5 or 3.5 year old deer in both pics.

 

[Oklahomabassin]

This pic was taken in September of 2007 and the deer was harvest in 2007. Biologist aged jaw bone at 4.5 years old. In the back ground you can see a buck that is photoed again and harvested in 2008. Notice neck, and large squared off shoulders and hips.

This buck was pictured in 2007 and again in 2008. It was harvested and dressed out at 192 pounds in 2008. Biologist aged at 4.5 years old.

 

[RidgeHunter]

That deer does look young, I would not go quite as young as 2.5, but it is not an old timer that's for sure.

That's just crazy to have a place with antler growth like that on young bucks. A 3 1/2 year old with 125" of bone on his head is really exceptional in my area.

deshijim, what part of the state are those deer in (Don't be too specific, just west or east part of the state.)

Oklahomabassin, what about the deer in tjones pic on the last page? I'd say he is an old buck based on the saggy belly and roman nose, what say you?

 

[Oklahomabassin]

Ridge its hard to say in the infrared black and white, but it looks like its about 6 months pregnant.

 

[RidgeHunter]

Haha, yeah it does have that pregnant glow.

This buck is one of the oldest to come of my lease (if a buck walks under a hunter, he usually gets shot in this area). He was covered in grey hair in October, only had one eye, chunks of his ears gone, had that old worn out dairy cow look. In fact the whole deer looked like it had beat up, chunks out of the hooves were missing, scars all over, just a ragged old deer. Plus all his teeth were worn all to hell, and some were gone completely. Not biologist aged, but the taxidermist said 6.5 was a safe bet and maybe older, which is what we were thinking.

Taped 123" with a 13.5" inside spread.

So young deer with antler development like that is just mind blowing to me. If I ever see antlers like that in range, I won't being trying to age him on the hoof, I'll be picking out a patch of hair behind the shoulder to stare at!

 

[Oklahomabassin]

Ridge I know what you mean when you say its hard not to shoot a buck in the 140s even if it is young. As far as an old deer with teeth worn down that is why the antlers have started decreasing in size. Compare old deer and old people. Both usually have shrinking body mass, and skeletons are starting to shrink.