WHAT do you call mature?

[Encinal]

In my area in east Texas antlers tend to start going downhill at the 5.5 age. The typical buck is best from 4.5 to 5.5. By targeting the 4.5 we have two years to kill them before they decline much. I shot a 5.5 year old three years ago that had lost 8-10 inches from the year prior. It all has to do with nutrition IMO. Where I hunt there is not great nutrition so they get old fast. Other places I have hunted have better nutrition ( both native and supplemental) and deer get bigger at these older ages

Do they really go down, or does their score go down?

Building a rack is a process. Lots of times from 4-5 there is a shift from tine length to MASS.

This lowers the score, but increases the antler volume. It's a function of B&C scoring bias, not antler size.

[FCTrapper]

Do they really go down, or does their score go down?

Building a rack is a process. Lots of times from 4-5 there is a shift from tine length to MASS.

This lowers the score, but increases the antler volume. It's a function of B&C scoring bias, not antler size.

Many interpret not making a big jump up as going down. Drives me nuts.

[Javelin]

it would be very interesting to see something from your place that made it to 6+ to see if they would bounce back, like FCT said.

Only pic I have of the one I shot is of him after I shot him. I have had two computer crashes since then. Like I said though, I have been in other areas of East Texas that the deer seem to keep getting bigger till 6+ years old, but in certain pockets the growth does seem to stop at an earlier age than the other places.

Also in the late 90s my dad and another guy hunted a particular deer for 4 years, he was very recognizable. Anyhow he started as a 3yr old 9pt that would go upper 140s, then at 4 was a few inches bigger. As a 5yr old he was low 130s and then when dad killed him he was a fugly 6pt at 6 years old. Obviously no trail cam pics nor pics from the kill. I can get the pics of the rack though

[Javelin]

Do they really go down, or does their score go down?

Building a rack is a process. Lots of times from 4-5 there is a shift from tine length to MASS.

This lowers the score, but increases the antler volume. It's a function of B&C scoring bias, not antler size.

The one I killed lost tine length, but mass didn't change that I could notice. Now the one I described that my dad killed lost lots of stuff, points, spread, score, everything except mass at 6yrs old.

[millman]

Thanks for the thread! After purchasing my first place big enough to manage I only can hope that in 7 years I have some experience to add.....

[jshouse]

Great write up. We averaged 7.5 on the bucks we harvested last year on our pasture. All these deer had sagging briskets, scars, and worn knees. I use to think huge body meant old age but I changed when we shot a 3.5 to 4.5 old management buck that field dressed 185. Deer are like humans, genetics plays a big role in their antlers and their body size. We have two strains of deer on our lease.

do you have any more pics of that deer in your avatar? that dude is BAD, has the body of a pit bull.

[J-Jac]

Great thread and 1st hand information Rodney! I will post some pics later when I get them resized.

[rtp]

Look at this tank. He was 6.5. How much do you think he weighed? Besides his body size and shape, look at how dark and stained his tarsal glands are. He is stained good and dark all the way down to his hooves.

[rtp]

Another thing I have noticed and don't see it on younger deer is instead of the buck being up on his tip toes (or hooves) he will be sitting back on them. Im not sure if Im saying that where it makes sense but hopefully the picture will show better than I can explain. I never got this deer killed after 3 years of trying but I guess him to be 6.5 in this pic. He could have been older.

[rtp]

This deer was at least 7.5 last year. You can see the callouses on his knees in this pic. His best rack was at 5.5. He went down a little at 6.5 and lost a lot of tine length at 7.5. His brow tines remain strong as would be expected.

[rtp]

The easiest way to age is to get to know your deer herd, especially the young bucks. Try to find something about them that is unique whether it be something on their rack or a marking on their body. It is easy to spot a 2.5 yr old. If he is still around each year you will know when he is 5.5, 6.5 or 7.5.

One other thing I would like to comment on is this notion that older bucks will have Roman noses and sway backs. This is very hit and miss, in my deer herd at least. They can be good indicators of age, but are far from conclusive one way or the other.

[In Rut]

Interesting, thank you for the post. How long can a whitetail live with a good feed plan in South Texas?

[rtp]

Here is another buck I watched for 4 years. The first year I saw him it was late in the season and couldn't tell for sure whether he was 3 or 4. 4 yrs later he would have been either 7 or 8. This was the best rack he had grown at that point. He was shoot by the neighbors opening weekend last season and they said his teeth aged at 5 or 6, I cant remember. Notice the bald spots on the front of his knees. He was pretty regular at my feed pens so Im sure this helped his teeth and his rack at that age. You can see his skeletal size is for sure mature but you can tell he is starting to lose his muscle(bulk) on those bones. My 5 and 6 yr olds will be stout and look like Hercules.

[BIG BONE]

Nice pics RTP

[Mexico]

Glad to see you hit the point about the triangle head, one of the best ways to judge a mature or old deer!