I don't think you can throw hunter avoidance abilities into the equation. That would mean that a 6 year old buck in Alberta that has never seen a person is not mature.

According to my wildlife biologist neighbor, who has been a wealth of knowledge, a 2 year oldis an adult, a 3 year oldis mature. Also, judging the age of a deer on hoof is no easy task. You can have monster 2 year olds, and small 3 year olds. Also, identifying bucks from 1.5 to 2.5 is difficult. I am not doubting those who say they have done it. I am simply saying that their racks can change drastically between those two years.

A final note. Most 1.5 year olds here have at least 8 points. We have the occasional 9 or 10 point yearling. So, you can't use # of points as an indicator either.