Another Age Question?

[ETX]

How old do y'all think these two guys are? Passed both this season. Shot them with the camera instead of an arrow. One is a 12 point, the other has 16 scoreable points. Thought they needed another year or two.

[tuthdoc]

Middle age. I'd guess 5 1/2. Another year shouldn't hurt, especially if they have access to protein in case we don't get a wet year like we did this past season.

[txhunter83]

I think the top deer is 3 1/2, bottom buck 4 1/2. Neither deer has much staining on their tarsal glands, when were the pics taken? Great deer nonetheless.

[shawn]

I would have thought the top would be 4.5 and the bottom.

[ETX]

Both pictures were taken in Nov. '07. I aged both deer at 3 1/2. The second deer I have been watching for a couple of years and last year he looked really young, almost like a 2 1/2 year old. In the past year he put on alot of weight and looks alot older than I think he really is. I am almost certain that neither is 5 1/2, especially the buck in the top picture. The second buck I may be off by a year.

[cbrown]

5.5 and 4.5

[oktx]

[SaltwaterSlick]

ETX, good call in my opinion. If you are in a situation where they are not likely to be killed by others, then you did good. If not, you may have screwed up! Especially that second deer. I really like deer like that... big, wide, tall tines, AND all those stickers!!!!!!!!

Looking forward to '08 LDP's...

[Little Shark]

All I know is that those deer are huge.
I would fall out of the tree if one of those bucks walked out.

[ETX]

Lil' Shark....Thanks, but these bucks are just a good representation of some of the middle aged bucks on the ranch. The big boys do not get a free pass till next year. We practice a "let them grow" type management. They have to get the age to show off what they can do. The buck in the bottom photo was a main frame 8 last year and would be considered a cull on some ranches. If he would have been culled last year look what you would have missed.

Slick even though we are low fence we are big enough that these guys are pretty safe unless they chase a girlfriend a couple of miles.

Good Bowhunting!

[Spike]

I'm gonna say 4.5 for both bucks.The top one looks like a 3.5,but his antlers,both tine length and mass lead me to belive he's older.It's really hard to judge the age by one photo.You made a good call by letting them walk.They should both be great bucks in the years ahead.

[Brian H]

i don't think either one of the bucks is 3.5. They both look 4.5 to me.

[SaltwaterSlick]

ETX, That's the way we are. We're in the middle of a 56,000 acre ranch. Your Screen name suggests East Texas, but those pics weren't taken in East Texas... Where you hunt?

[Coacher]

Those deer are still pretty young...no sway in the back and the bottom one still has that long narrow snout. I'd agree with you at 3 1/2.

[Squealer]

3.5 on both, good call