Panhandle 8 Age

[BIGTERRY75]

I used to hunt the Pease river area. That deer is prolly more like 4.5. He is as some one stated a "slick 8" and needs to go.

He would be on the hit list if I had anything to say about it.

We were trying to let the better ones live to 6.5+

Our Does averaged 160lbs and bucks were 220+ and that was in the drought. It is not to far fetched to harvest a mature deer in that country at 300lbs.

[Tshelly]

Thanks fellers. I cant imagine how someone figures him to be 3.5. I thought maybe I was misjudging him and could possibly be 4.5. but I'm seeing 5.5+

Lol just wait a little while. 3.5 is the patented answer around here usually.

Looks 5.5 to me as well!

[Redraider]

Mature and needs to be shot. Problem is it's a one buck county and a lot of hunters won't shoot that deer and wait for a trophy. Maybe you have a generous guest policy. I would rather shoot that deer than a marginal buck that could be really nice with good genetics to spread for a couple years.

[PanhandleAggie]

He's not 3.5. He could possibly be 4.5 if he was one of the very few fawns to survive 2011 but, 4.5 year olds are virtually non-existent this year where I hunt. Either way, like mentioned above, this deer is approaching maturity and should be culled in my opinion. If your hunting rules allow guests or a younger kid to hunt on the property this deer would make an excellent harvest for someone.

[CabezaBlanca]

He's a shooter!

[HoustonHunter]

Lol just wait a little while. 4.5 is the patented answer around here usually.

Fify

[huntingjunkie]

Not certain if he's 5.5 but I'm pretty darn certain he isn't 3.5. Not many 4.5 year olds out there so I would say it's a safe bet that he's a 5.5 year old...which means shooter!

[Heron]

Not sure I understand the debate or the point of the debate. Even if he's "only" 3.5 yrs old, he should have larger antlers, if that's the goal, based on this year's moisture and groceries. So, regardless of his age, I don't think you guys will see a significant jump after this year if you let him walk. Bottom line, not all "mature" deer (however one might define this) are going to have massive antlers.

Putting it slightly differently, if I saw only the antlers without the body, I'd guess him as a 2.5 year old on the place I hunt in the Panhandle. Seeing the body, I'd call him a cull regardless of whether he was 3.5 years old or older.