a VERY nice 2.5 but possibly a 3.5, just because his belly is hanging a little lower than most two's, but itd be sweet if he was a 2.5 for sure

I will have a much better feel if I see him in person... Photos can be really deceiving....

1.5 yrs.

That buck is without a doubt 3.5 and perhaps a bit older even. But 3.5 yr. old would just about be my best estimate.

A 2.5 yr. old will have much more of a squared head. A thin body with practically no sagging belly.

Neck size is not determined by age. Neck size develops as the breeding season draws nearer. Even a 1.5 yr. old will get a larger neck.

round 3 yrs impo

I will argue that neck has nothing at all to do with age as most all of the older bucks I have pics of no matter the time of year have nice thick muscular necks.

I just have a hard time calling him 3.5 from these photos....

Like I said a visual will tell me everything I need to know.

Duke.....I've always heard a 1.5 yr old buck looks like a big doe with antlers. One thing that distinguishes bucks from does is their neck size. Are you saying there's no real difference in the size of a 1.5 yr old buck and a 3.5 yr old? One thing I always look for is how much of a "transition" ther eis between the neck and the body. It seems (to me,.....and I may be looking all wrong)....that the older the buck....the more "seamless" the transition from neck to body is.

Interested in hearing if this is not correct.

He is actually 5.5. The Jack Lalanne of deer. Just kiddin'. Looks most likely to be a 2.5.

No Jeff.. you are correct. A 3.5 yr. old will more than likely have a larger neck than a 1.5.. (usually).

I was just commenting on someone's earlier evaluation on the neck(s) of the first picture being to small and therefore the deer was .. (I forget what he put). I was merely stating how the size of the neck has little to due with age.

The difference in late sept. is usually not too much between a 2, 3, 4, even a 5+ yr. old. Not to mention that deer are as different from one to the next as you and I and some 2.5 yr. olds will have bigger necks than some 4.5 yr. olds. Some deer (like humans) are more passive and some more aggresive.

The pic. can be deceiving... but the ear size, antler mass, elongated roman nose, starting to droop belly and chest all signal to me the presence of a deer reaching the biologists version of an adult deer. That is.. one being of 3.5 or older.

Well stated, Duke. Thanks. Hope you're doing well!