You know what I hate?

[wfmiller]

The term "mature buck". Exactly what is a mature buck? How old he is? His rack size? I shot a spike a few years ago that the biologist said was 8.5 years old. Is that a "mature buck"?  Someone might see a 2.5 year old as mature, but someone else will say it's just a young deer and it hasn't matured yet. Think about it, if you think it's rack size, some deer grow racks faster then other deer. I just think that term "mature buck" is wrong. 

[turkeyfeathers]

I'm 48 and far from mature

[moog5050]

lol - I think of a mature buck as 4yrs or older, but you are right it is not a well defined term.  I target 3yrs or older so I guess I am content with what may be a teenager in deer years.  By the time they get to 4, they seem to be wiser than most deer (or perhaps that's why they got 4 years old).

[growalot]

Nahhh that RARELY happens in the wild(old spikes,4's and 6's)...LOL....I really only comes down to body size(characteristics) and location as far as that goes, to a point....Wait, wait for it...tooth aging...but remember to shoot that deer dead first...or they bite!

Edited October 30, 2017 by growalot

[Merlot]

We have been inundated with videos from Jordan/Kisky/Drury people about maturity of a whitetail. The deer on the properties under their control have fewer hunters, less hunt pressure and are able to develop older deer and rack size. In areas where I hunt deer almost never have the opportunity to grow to larger bodied, large rack bucks. Deer are less likely to develop more fully due to harvests in areas say in wny where hunters will take deer when the legal opportunity presents itself...ok by me, but less likely to see big boys roaming.

[TreeHugger]

I usually just tell a fart joke. If I hear giggles I let him pass. 

[vizslas]

A mature deer is anything that's left in the freezer from last season.

[NYBowhunter]

The word "mature" can be used however when people  try to use horns alone to determine maturity, it does not work. In my area (central NY), i can use horns as a base to determine maturity because i have hunted this area for many moons, along with that you need to look at body characteristics.  In my area, you shoot a 3 1/2 year old deer, your doing good (body size and horns on  a 3 1/2 yr.old  are substantially larger then the typical 1 1/2 and 2 1/2 yr.olds).

[The_Real_TCIII]

A 2.5 year old buck in NY has seen some sh#t lol, they "mature" quickly

[grampy]

Antler size does not have as much to do with what I consider a mature buck to be, as age does. Anything past three years of age is an entirely different animal, than a year old deer. And I believe, for every year after three, they become twice as hard to kill as the previous year.  Some of the most challenging deer in the woods to hunt are the old doe, five or six years old or older! But for a buck to live past three or four years, he has learned his lessons well! There are mature bucks out there, that will never die by the hands of a hunter, becoming 'almost' unkillable! That's ok by me. They are the ghosts that show up on trail cams at night, or perhaps seen only once, at fist or last light, never to be seen again. 

[NFA-ADK]

A mature buck is considered 5 years old.  They are suppose to get to full body size by 3 and then fill out by 5 according to the experts.  In so far as maturity in hunting it really depends on the individual.  Some consider any deer that is 3.5 or older mature like me, others who have shot many in that class tend to consider 4 or 5 mature that is based usually on experience with the class of deer in the area.  Some area's a spike is mature because that is the only bucks ever seen.  Area and experience determine what that hunter deems mature enough to shoot but 5 is the age most deer reach full body size and sometimes the antlers can get larger at 6 or even 7 in extremely rare cases but that has many factors like stress, food and nutrition. 

[Doc]

I suppose the maturity of the animal that graces the table is a big deal to some. Those that are fans of veal or lamb chops may have a different opinion on the necessity of maturity of their entrée. Those that have dull or missing teeth might think that an old tough "mature" chicken, or bull, or goat, or deer, is not necessarily the best thing that they have ever gnawed on, so they may not be fans of maturity in their main course. I guess I just see these critters as what they will eventually become if I shoot them.....my meal.

Of course if you wait for a deer to get mature enough, it might be easier to hunt those blind, half-deaf, sway backed, old-timers that can just barely drag their tired old carcass through the woods. I guess if you wait for their maturity to progress far enough, hunting may become a case of mercy-killing .... lol. I suppose that may be why Mother Nature seems to provide an over-abundance of the more palatable younger deer for those of us that are a bit more discerning when it comes to the quality of their meal......lol.