Mr Minnesota may have just touched on the proper terminology. Many "older" deer die as a result of natural causes. Disease, predators (not human), and old age all take deer in the name of natural causes. One post mentioned a deer that was so old he only had three teeth. In the winter, a harsh winter, it would be hard for that deer to survive. Starvation might be the demise of a deer like that.

You are kidding yourself if you think no one is sneaking into and hunting any little patch of woods that they can around Pittsburgh. I know people that hunt in some RIDICULOUSLY tight places.

I think it probably depends on what you are considering "Dying from old age". To me, when a buck hits 8 or 9 and he starts to slow down physically, predators get to him, and maybe even gets sick with a disease or something, to me that's a buck's way of dying from old age.

I mean how many humans actually are considered dead from old age? Sure alot of people may be old when they die, but most often then not it's a cancer, heart attack, disease, or something coming from COMPLICATIONSdue toold age. We often say these people "Died from old age". So to me, once a buck gets "old" (8 or so)and dies from a cancer, a bad heart, gets diseased, or something of the likes, then to me he's dying from old age.

Guess I should have phrased the question differently. How about. Do many bucks live to be 10 years old in the wild?

I dont know about old age, but where I hunt Im sure more bucks die from causes other than man than from hunting.

This kind of goes against what i think, but I guess anything is possible. I recently watched the new Drury Outdoors videos, and I think it was Dream Season 11. Jared Lurk killed an 8.5 year old buck called Corkscrew. They saw this deer at 3.5 and Jared passed on him at 4.5, and for the next 3 years they saw no sign of him at all ( no pics, no sheds, no video, nothing...) And you know if a deer goes unnoticed on the Drury's land it is a miracle. He must have had a home range of about 100 yards. Older bucks are some amazing animals, they devote their lives to survival and become some real experts at it.

I would say very few deer die of old age. If they aren't killed by hunters, there are many other things that can cause their demise. Deer can live to be 20 years old.

certainly the area etc....will be a factor.

Where I hunt they say the avg buck killed is 1.5yrs old I believe.
Guys shoot button bucks, .5 yrs old., 1.5, occasinally 2.5,

A 2.5yr oldbuck here is going to be pretty nice, 150". Its rare to see a 3.5yr old, you hear about guys seeing them, etc..., my dads 183" was a 3.5yr old. I think most of the "monsters" around here are typically 3.5, so its very rare to see a 3.5, and 4.5 etc...super rare.

Taxidermists told me couple years back, that bucks in this area life span would be about 5.5 in the wild.

So I'm sure some bucks die from old age, ie winter kill, post rut etc..., but I think of it as a pyramid, say theres a 100 yearlings, then maybe 25 1.5yr olds, then 10, 2.5, then 3 3.5....it just windles down so quickly.

So in my area I'd say very few die of old age, bucks anyway, though I saw a 5.5yo + doe last year.

A deer that dies at 5.5 isn't dying of old age.

i would consider a buck droping dead of natural causes, something like the buck is walking/running along and has a heart attack. or he is so old his hip gives out and he goes under,weather something eats him or not.

i would say the buck would have to fail or be unable to live or endure under his own power. if he becomes too slow or lose his senses and the preditors get him, well it isnt because of the ability of the preditor but because of the disibility of the buck.

for the sake of the discussion lets say a buck that gets so old his body giving out and it leads to his demise.

but how many dandy bucks are found each year dead with not a scratch on them? got to be at least a few intact bucks are found every year that just seemingly dropped dead(old deer, dying of old age as suspect)!