Chances of survival

[Swamp_bucks]

Was wondering what do you think the chances of a 4.5yr + buck being harvested by a hunter in NY?
 

clearly it happens but not often.  My guess would be 15% of bucks that reach 4.5 or older would ever be harvested by hunters. 
 

It would be interesting to know.  Not many make it to 4.5 for multiple of reasons. 

[Red]

I could be wrong but I believe a fair share of bucks make it to 4.5 but they turn into ghosts/extremely smart animals and are great at avoiding hunters.

[E J]

I have a buck that uses my property as part of his range that is a minimum of 6 years old. I have many pics of him mostly at night and have only seen him once with my own eyes. When I did see him I wasn't hunting. I was showing my kids how the combine worked that was getting beans off my field. He was chasing a doe along with 3 other bucks. Every year my neighbor finds his sheds out in his orchard about a mile from my house. I doubt anybody will get this buck. He's like a ghost. 

[Four Seasons]

1 hour ago, Swamp_bucks said:

Was wondering what do you think the chances of a 4.5yr + buck being harvested by a hunter in NY?
 

clearly it happens but not often.  My guess would be 15% of bucks that reach 4.5 or older would ever be harvested by hunters. 
 

It would be interesting to know.  Not many make it to 4.5 for multiple of reasons. 

A different animal for sure once they hit that age. Many I’m sure turn all but unkillable at that age. A few I was lucky enough to meet up with at that age the last few years. 

[Daveboone]

About fifteen years ago the 13 point non typical I shot near Cazenovia lake was aged at 4.5 years. I think the highway is more likely to get them than a hunter though.

[Robhuntandfish]

i think a buck making it to 4.5 has less to do with hunting and the biggest challenges for them are injury, disease etc. Of course if its heavily pressured land where people are shooting smaller bucks but for the most part all it takes is a cut to get infected, a broken leg, etc.  When a buck wears itself down during the rut and hunting season then has to face a long cold winter im sure a lot fall to that alone.  

because they are wary and wiser and also in less numbers all make them more difficult to find. To survive that long they have to be healthy and also have a spot that is safe for them to be. 

[Four Seasons]

56 minutes ago, Robhuntandfish said:

i think a buck making it to 4.5 has less to do with hunting and the biggest challenges for them are injury, disease etc. Of course if its heavily pressured land where people are shooting smaller bucks but for the most part all it takes is a cut to get infected, a broken leg, etc.  When a buck wears itself down during the rut and hunting season then has to face a long cold winter im sure a lot fall to that alone.  

because they are wary and wiser and also in less numbers all make them more difficult to find. To survive that long they have to be healthy and also have a spot that is safe for them to be. 

Safe is the big word. They have to have safety (In their mind)  We have a spot on this farm that is maybe 10-12 acres of just some nasty grown up brush that sits in the center of 400 plus acres of corn,beans every year and it always draws the biggest bucks in the area as their safe spot. We almost blew that over way back when to make it all field and not doing so was one of my best moves. 

[First-light]

1 hour ago, Robhuntandfish said:

i think a buck making it to 4.5 has less to do with hunting and the biggest challenges for them are injury, disease etc. Of course if its heavily pressured land where people are shooting smaller bucks but for the most part all it takes is a cut to get infected, a broken leg, etc.  When a buck wears itself down during the rut and hunting season then has to face a long cold winter im sure a lot fall to that alone.  

because they are wary and wiser and also in less numbers all make them more difficult to find. To survive that long they have to be healthy and also have a spot that is safe for them to be. 

I shot one years ago. This deer was chasing two does. After we hung him in garage I started to look him over. Both front legs were screwed up. At the knee joint on left it was the size of a baseball. The right leg more towards the shoulder had a bump on it. I cut it open and the wadding from a slug was under the skin. Cardboard back in those day! Tough SOB's

[BizCT]

I think there may be more 4.5's killed on this forum than people realize. Too many people incorrectly judge a buck's age by the score of their rack. My Dad's 4.5 buck last year didn't crack 100". We had pics of him september through november, but neither of us ever caught a glimpse of him until my Dad shot him with the xbow from the ground (no blind) under 25 yards. Can't shoot them from the couch.

[LET EM GROW]

Theres a lot more out in the woods then people realize. And alot killed each and every year. The older they get the smarter they typically get. Also, many people tie in antler inches to age and that is not accurate. And each geographic location within this state is slightly different than the next.. I made a quick loop around the block the other night and i only saw one buck that was a 4.5+ but several that were probably 3.5s. I only traveled by a dozen or so fields and it was early yet. I own and lease near Amish land and we still see and harvest 4.5yr old bucks each year. They are there, but they aren't going to be where they dont want to be( where they dont feel safe or have what they need to live)   

Ive had the joys of following three different bucks over the last decade.. one disappeared around XMas time one year.. he was 10.5 years old .. another that was killed that same year on the same hill and he was 9.5yrs old.. Also, another that was killed this past year that i had a lot of history with that was 7.5 or 8.5 years old.. This hill is heavily hunted and many are brown its down guys..

These bucks are out there.. but again you wont find them where they dont feel safe and have what they need.. 

[SilentStalker]

Bow only zones... Having hunted the finger lake region as a yongster, to the ADK's for almost 20 years and now more recently a bow only zone, i have found that there are many 4.5 harvested that no one ever hears about. Very good bucks too that would easily mnake the books... 

I have unfortunately lost the bow access, but I know those that still hunt the area are extremely secretive/selective about what they harvest and see year to year. My time in stand and trail cameras confirmed they are out there in all areas of the state, but the bow only zones allow for more 4.5+ deer for obvious reasons...  

And I also found that midday movement for mature bucks during the rut is a very real thing as they move from bedding area to bedding area in their search for the next one..

 

[BowmanMike]

I agree with all that said if a buck makes it to that age he will be very very difficult to kill. Hunting land is so fragmented now that there are a ton of hiding places for the smart bucks. 

That is not even counting the thick stuff that is on huntable land. I got a pick of a 3 year old on a game cam and he did not let that happen twice. He got killed the next year by a guy who saw him from the road and got out and popped him. I was less than thrilled about that effort...

[G-Man]

Older than 4.5  are usually taken by accident .  By a new hunter going to a clump in middle of field.. a walk behind neighbors house.. ect..  many simply die of old age finding a sanctuary to hide out in.

  Many are taken  if pushed  knowing or unknowingly. 

If found numerous skuĺls with huge pedicals died of old age most likely many never killed by a hunter ( at least not recorded in books) that we know of...  

I really feel there is a mature buck in everyones area.. just learned to hide well. We are pretty patternable as hunters for game.