Look at him at 5 1/2 years old!!
 

This is one cool article ... one buck, through 8 years of life ..... the photographer could only get pictures of this guy during the rut ...... other than that, he was completely nocturnal ..... I wonder how many bucks like this guy die of old age .....

http://www.fieldandstream.com/fieldstream/photogallery/article/0,13355,1631624_0,00.html

RE: Look at him at 5 1/2 years old!!
 

here he is at 1.5, 2.5, 4.5 years old respectively

RE: Look at him at 5 1/2 years old!!
 

and 5.5, 6.5, and 7.5 years old .....

RE: Look at him at 5 1/2 years old!!
 

and finally at 8 1/2 years old .... what a pig!!!! Majestic .......

RE: Look at him at 5 1/2 years old!!
 

Wow, that is awesome. I've seen and killed some big bucks but they were never that old. If I can just have one encounter with an old bruiser like that. Look at the body size at 8 years!

RE: Look at him at 5 1/2 years old!!
 

Here's the article .....



"These shots are all of the same buck, that's what makes them so unique and rare.

I made a promise to the caretaker of this private property that I wouldn't disclose the location where these shots were done so I can only tell you they are from the upper midwest.

After photographing this buck I became addicted to capturing him on film every fall. This area is one of the most difficult places to make good shots because it is all wooded and the overhead canopy keeps it dark until the leaves fall. Even then it is dark because the oak trees hold their leaves so late into the winter.

Compound this problem was the fact that this deer was almost totally nocturnal. He only came out during the daylight during the rut. It made for a nearly impossible task to get him on film.

He became my first "obsessesion deer." I spent all my savings just to purchase fast-enough lenses, sturdy-enough tripods, and the best silent cameras. For eight years I spent every fall, during the rut, trying to get usable images of him. I spent so much time at it that my career suffered; business-wise my time would have been spent much more wisely photographing more productive areas.

But it was a grueling, satisfying journey. This buck taught me a tremendous amount about whitetail behavior, physiology, biology and social dynamics, so much that in seven seasons I gained a lifetime of knowledge from him.

He's my favorite whitetail subject ever, not just for his tremendous antlers but for his brutishly "boss" look. He only had to throw a glance at other bucks to make them back down. He's probably the largest-bodied whitetail I've ever seen. If I've ever seen a 400-pound whitetail, he was it!

I only ever saw his rut personality because that was the only time I could ever observe him; I never got a picture of him when he wasn't either with a doe or chasing does. His pattern was to never leave the hot doe alone. As long as I didn't spook her, I could get photos of him, if there was enough light! And there were a lot of photos of him that had to be thrown in the trash because poor light made for an unusable image.

How'd he get this big? The property owners made a conscious decision not to harvest him if the chance arose, thank goodness they did because they allowed one of the greatest bucks ever to live to a ripe old age!"
--Bill Kinney

RE: Look at him at 5 1/2 years old!!
 

that is a nice buck. i wish io could see somethin like that in my woods

RE: Look at him at 5 1/2 years old!!
 

Thanks for the pics.

It also shows the patterning. That picture at 2.5 is in the exact same spot as 4.5 years. I also think that is just about the same exact spot at 8.5 years.

RE: Look at him at 5 1/2 years old!!
 

Cool pics; thanks for sharing.

RE: Look at him at 5 1/2 years old!!
 

Great pics and story...thanks for sharing.

RE: Look at him at 5 1/2 years old!!
 

What a beast!!

I have a couple of books by Mike Biggs. He does some amazing phot work. In one book he has a whole chapter of following bucks from year to year. It is truely amazing what they ca do from one year to another.

If you ever have a chance to pick up one of his books, I highly reccomend them. His pics are in most of the big name whitetail mags.

RE: Look at him at 5 1/2 years old!!
 

That is cool thanks for sharing.

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Nice one! The neck on that guy is amazing!

RE: Look at him at 5 1/2 years old!!
 

When I first saw the pics I thought "Hmmmm, looks like the handy work of Bill Kinney."

I'm willing to bet that these photos came from NW WI.

Great photographer and great pics. Thanks for sharing Tony!

RE: Look at him at 5 1/2 years old!!
 

Very interesting article!!!

RE: Look at him at 5 1/2 years old!!
 

Yet another great example of why it's worth letting a buck grow for a couple seasons! Awesome photos!

RE: Look at him at 5 1/2 years old!!
 

That deer at 8 years old is an absolute monarch! What a pig of a deer! I hope to stumble upon one of these freaks this coming season!

RE: Look at him at 5 1/2 years old!!
 

now if every deer would jus look like that at 2 1/2 ..... or at least had that gene pool...

RE: Look at him at 5 1/2 years old!!
 

Bryan, my first thought after reading that article and looking at those pics, was "now there is the best argument for letting the smaller ones walk" ..... I mean look at how regal he is at 8 1/2!! To see a deer at that age in the wild would be AWESOME!

RE: Look at him at 5 1/2 years old!!
 

those are cool pics

RE: Look at him at 5 1/2 years old!!
 

Wow, what cool pics and what a cool story, thnx PT. He definately likes those oak hardwwods. Seems his biggest growth was between 2.5 and 4.5 although he did get a little more mass and some character on the rack after 4.5. That is one incredible whitetail.

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RE: Look at him at 5 1/2 years old!!
 

That is a beautiful buck. And what a cool story, it was awesome to see how he developed over the years.

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I can honestly say I have never seen a 6.5 - 8.5 year old buck in the woods before. There body size would be unmistakable. What a brute.

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What a stud! That would be one of the best feelings in the world to take a 8.5 year old buck that you had been watching for that long!

RE: Look at him at 5 1/2 years old!!
 

Wow...that's awesome...thanks for sharing!

RE: Look at him at 5 1/2 years old!!
 

Thanks for sharing. That was a great article and some amazing pics. Regal is a very good word to describle that buck.

I would venture to bet that it is very rare to see a buck that age, especially one in the wild. You don't get to see that around here, that's for sure.

RE: Look at him at 5 1/2 years old!!
 

Yeah thanks, that was cool!

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You can see the wisdom he gained on his face with every photo. Very cool Tony.

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Anyone else think this is a high fence deer? Not necessarily a hunting operation, but a private deer herd?

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Never really thought about that, probably because that doesnt really matter to me based the story behind the pictures.

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How about Quality Deer Managment?

RE: Look at him at 5 1/2 years old!!
 

No kidding. A 2 1/2 year old that would have been close to if not a P&Y buck. That is amazing to me.

A couple years ago I found the skeleton & skull of a buck (no rack it must have died after dropping) that seemingly died of old age. His jaw was a total mess of infection and his teeth were either missing or worn down to almost nothing. I know that he must have lived on our farms and neither my dad nor I saw him... at least not once he was over 4. They are amazing animals.

RE: Look at him at 5 1/2 years old!!
 

NO

There called "ghost bucks" they do exist. They are deer no one will ever see. A game camera maybe, byt not likely. They know how to avoid being seen;)

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Beautiful buck, hopefully one day ill have one like that on my wall.

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Man that is a pig!! Its amazing how much bone they can put on over the years if they make it that old.

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It’s cool to go back to the 1.5 year photo. You can definitely see that he had potential…

Let them go, so they can grow - punks!

RE: Look at him at 5 1/2 years old!!
 

I guess its really not a ghost buck then Germ if the guy is able to film it year after year in essentially the same locale. Sure I'm aware of nocturanal deer that are seen with very little frequency. But this guy is getting photos of the deer in the daylight.

RE: Look at him at 5 1/2 years old!!
 

If you read the article, the only day movement the the buck ever seemed to make was during the rut .... when his little fella was doin' the thinkin' for him :D

RE: Look at him at 5 1/2 years old!!
 

I'm not buying it, this camera man/author expects you to believe that he is the only person along with the property ownersthat have seen that buck in 8 years and he manages to photograph it twice in the same spot in different years (i.e. 2.5 and 4.5)? I appreciate the article and the photos, but I believe this to be someone's breeder buck. If that's a free-ranging deer this author manages to find year after year I'll put my bow down and pick up a pencil.