ORIGINAL: GMMAT
Yeah Matt......It amazes people who aren't privy to the deer we see all the time. I have a "little" trouble now with differentiating a VERY healthy 1.5 with an average 2.5.....but it's the exception rather than the norm.
A 3.5 yr old deer (and older), here (and where you live) is quite evident to those of us who see them day in and day out. Anomolies, they are.
A 3.5 and above here are noticably superior. I can look at a field of a bunch of does and even in them it's evident who the "older" does are. The deer seem to take a big jump fromm 2.5 to 3.5 here.
Like last year I killed 2 young deer. One being a button buck (bow) and a 2.5 6pt (muzzleloader). But I saw ALOT of 1.5 and 2.5yr old deer. I saw ATLEAST 6-7 different 2yr old 6pt's last year. All with their own different variations. None bigger than 70". Seeing that many younger deer makes the mature ones stand out quick. The reasoning I decided to shoot the buck I did was simply because the rut was winding down and I wasn't sure how many more opportunities I'd get. Not to mention it was a very short window for a decison. He was covering ground FAST. He covered 100yds in about 30-45 seconds and he wasn't running. I guess my point is though, seeing so many young deer in this area makes it easier for us to point out the mature ones. It's hard for northern hunters to successfully "guess" the deers age because of how different the deer down here compare to the deer up there. Body size AND rack size.