Deer age
 

What do you guys consider an old deer. I never thought bucks got over 6, but you guys talk like 6 is young. I shoot a 5.5 year old and thought it was a grandpa. I dont think they get that old up by me because of the winter kill. They sure dont grow as fast as the deer you guys talk about. He was 5.5 and a nine point, not much mass but 12inch tines. my bigest to date.

RE: Deer age
 

My neck of the woods, a 6 year old deer is at his peak-antlerwise-generally. They begin to go downhill in growth after that, but still live. KANS and I have found many a gnarly shed or even skull with rack that we have estimated to be over 7 or 8 years old. Thing is, the older they get, the more instinct, the less you see of them. They don't get old or big by regularly parading themselves openly ;) Just my thougts.

RE: Deer age
 

In the southern part of the state I'd be surprised if 5% of bucks make it to be 5.5 years old. The hunters are too concentrated and between roadkills and habitat loss to urban sprawl the deer are being squeezed with ever growing pressure.

Drive north a couple of hours and the game changes completely. Deer dying of old age in the north woods is not uncommon. I wouldn't be surprised to see old deer 4.5-6.5 year old animals being killed with greater frequency by hunters.

In NH the highest percentage of bucks harvested over 3.5 years of age was in Coos Co.. The Great North Woods provides great hunting for older deer. I can attest that the hunting is more difficult then in the suburbs of the southern portion of the state.

So to actually answer your question, 3.5 years old is an older animal in the southern parts of NH and Maine. In the Northers or less populated portion of the state 3.5-5.5 is not uncommon.

RE: Deer age
 

Consider old at 6.5 and older, Consider mature at 4.5 and older. By 9 he's ancient.

RE: Deer age
 

6 years old in pa....ha.......an old deer here is a 3.5 year old, if he has made it that long, he is pretty damn smart!!

RE: Deer age
 

People have said that 6 year old deer has its best rack and all. I agree and I wish bucks like the beatty buck would have been killed at 6 instead of 4. Don't get me wrong I will shoot any buck that has a big rack no matter what his age is.