2013 8 Point

[ingerson84]

This is from last year, I never got a chance to stick him. Can you tell me if he's a mature buck. I have pics of him after season, hoping this will be the year.

[G-Man]

Looks like a possible 3 year old or goo d. 2 year old. Either way should be a good buck next year.

[Merlot]

Nice buck...hope you get a crack at him this fall.

[ingerson84]

When you look at this buck or any others what features are you looking for that would determine young or mature?

[moog5050]

Looking for (1) sway in back; (2) defined neck to chest; (3) hanging stomach; (4) wrinkles in the neck area; and my favorite (5) legs that appear short and stubby in front by comparison.  Hard to tell by that photo, but it looks like he has some sway in the back and possibly some neck wrinkling.  I bet he will be a target buck for this next season.  Good luck.

[First-light]

Looks like he has some shoulders, I bet 2.5 or better.

[phade]

I want to commend you on a great cam set. You got that buck walking away, which is what I prefer. Not easy to do.

 

I say a 2.5 or 3.5 in that pic. Hard to tell with the angle, but in any case, likely a target this fall.

[WNYBuckHunter]

I agree, 2 1/2 or 3 1/2, tough to tell from that picture. Id like to see the shoulder and neck/chest areas. Should be bigger this year though.

[moog5050]

When you look at this buck or any others what features are you looking for that would determine young or mature?

 

 

I too am curious what you guys look for.  Antlers are an indication, but I think the body tells a more accurate story.

[phade]

Potter here does use antlers to age bucks - actually I think he goes by base size and measurements of the pedicles to one another or the eye sockets - I forget the specifics. It's actually pretty unique and itsn't talked about much in management/QDMA circles. If he sees this and posts, he can explain it better.

 

But there's alot of things to look for, many of which you noted.

[G-Man]

antlers are only a basis if you know the area and deer from that area well. by its horns if that was at my place it would be a 2.5 . body charastics are much better to go by, but after 4.5 i admit all i can tell is that its older than 4.5 and thats it.. use of trail cams is a great way to keep tabs on specfic deer and can throw an experts aging right out the window. A good example of this was a nice 10 point i knew to be 3.5 . happend to be taken by a friends aqaintance just off my property last day of muzzloader. The expert taxidermist told him it as 2.5 looking at the teeth. I happend to run into the hunter and had photos of that buck for 3 years which i gave him.. he took that to the taxidermist and the responce was "well i'll be dammed never would of said 3.5." and he had a dead animals teeth to look at at legnth..

Edited April 18, 2014 by G-Man

[dbHunterNY]

too difficult to tell I say 2.5 or older like the others.

moog hit many of them.  the transition from brisket, chest, and neck will carry from one to the other and won't be well defined.  it will be heavy and "defined" or muscular as he put it in that context.  vertical depth of body at a point between his belly and rear legs is another thing to look at.  at 3.5-4.5 years old this will have a taper too it and the buck will have a body looking like a race horse.  at 5.5 - 7.5 he'll look more like a feeder steer with chicken legs.