Obese deer & age guess?
 

lol how else would you describe this buck? :biggrin:

This is a 6ptr that my 13yr old son let walk Saturday morning which was the opening day of TNs juvie gun wknd. Just going by the head/skull, rack, and movement/body language of this buck (he fed in an oat plot for 15mins) I think this buck is young (2.5-3.5yrs) But then there's that LARDA## body of his. The thing looks & eats like a horse.

I truly think we have 2 "types/strains" of bucks on my river bottom farm. 1). Is like this buck. Well over 200#ers with typically a large 6 or 8pt rack. 2). Is the more desired, preferred "rack stars" that grow heavy, taller, less wide, more tines/points as well as stickers & kickers. These bucks rarely exceed 200#. (With ZERO mgmt under the previous owner the farm produced 2 over 180inches, one a typical, one a non-typ) A 12000acre Federal Refuge with limited hunting lies 4500ft from one of my borders.

And no this isn't a Canada or northern states deer. My very rich soil river bottom swamp is in west TN! We've taken 4 bucks over 220#s (weighed at processor) and some mature does on my place I feel confident in saying will go 150+#. :rock:

How old would you guess this buck at? He has no sway back, nor squared hips, no long nose, wide face nor a roman nose & like I said he moves & acts like a youngster.

????????????

wow.i've killed two deer that dressed well over 200 lbs and they looked like they were on slimfast compared to that pig!

He doesn't apear that old. But good gawd he needs to stay away feom the fridge

WOW!
You need to put a saddle on that bad boy and ride it!

We're going to need a bigger freezer....

Your boy needs to be caned, for letting that much meat walk away. Nice a wall mount rack is, you can't eat horns.

Excuse me? :rolleye0011: My son makes HIS own decisions on what HE considers worthy of shooting! Meat is NOT a consideration for our buck hunting. I prefer not even eating a big ol musky buck, I'd rather donate that meat to our local Hunters for the Hungry & we'll process prime eating does for our own consumption. In TN we can take 3bucks per year but meat is NOT a problem as my farm is in "Unit L" which allows 3 does per day from the beginning of bow season (last Sat in Sept) until the last Juvie gun wknd which is usually the 2nd Sunday in Jan. So with the option of killing nearly 300 does per man, per year, "gettin meat" is never a problem.

We are thoroughly managing our property for an increased age in our buck herd, I take great pride in my kids & guests dedication & adherence to such mgmt. If him letting that fat 6 walk angers you you'll REALLY be torqued about the 3.5yr old, 125-130" 10pt (mainframe 8 with two stickers) he let walk yesterday afternoon! Personally I'm PROUD of him for letting 2 bucks walk this weekend that most kids would kill for. He fully understands that to get our herd to that "next level" it is crucial to protect the 2.5-3.5yr old age class bucks.

He got over the "gotta kill any & all" mentality after 2 seasons of "see & shoot" when he began hunting at the age of 10,
HL

I dont think I could shoot that deer strictly on the fact id have to drag him out of the woods. It's a shame he eats junk food or he could use some of the nutrition to grow some nice horns lol.

looks like a 3.5 yr to me...but he looks like he ate the rest of the herd...lol

He looks like he would be good eating.I shot a buck who must have been a great fighter.He was all muscle and when cooked so tough my dogs thought it was a chew toy.

Dang thats a hog. I have a hard time believing a deer could get that big by 2.5. That thing has to be pushing 300lbs live weight. What in the world you feeding them deer? :D

I loved hunting TN when I lived there. That is a hog. I would guess 3.5 with age. I bet is BP is through the roof. Better not spoke him going into your stand he might have a heart attack.

Also I agree your son can make his own choices. People hunt for different reasons.

Agreed, and I also would have been proud of a young son that had let two bucks walk for the sake of QDM.

Many don't have that option. Four seasons ago I could take a buck, and four antler-less deer. After a few tough Winters, this year I can take one deer of either sex. It's nice when you have the option, but some here in MN only hunt a two week rifle season, and many of them may only be able to hunt the weekends. For some, to let a buck like that walk may be letting their only chance that season walk away.

That's a big sucker but he wouldn't be legal in PA due to antler restrictions. :D

I"ve shot some old bucks, 6.5, 5.5, 4.5 , 3.5 ( 2) and a few 2.5 yr olds, never had one that after skinning smelled musky or tasted any different

That is a PIG of a deer, he has a 7.5 yr old body and a 2.5 yr old nose ?

Wow.. if you guys every kill that thing I'd love to send a tooth off to have it aged..

I had a 9 point buck I shot under after hitting a weed a couple years ago, on video ( why do you always get perfect video of yoru misses ? LOL) but he had a huge body like this, but I was sure he was just 2.5 or 3.5.. maybe 130 gross...

Now I did shoot him for the body size.. I try to shoot bigger bodied mature deer, I love the racks but as long as they are over 125" and I got my bow its a shooter

I will say , not trying to start anything, that letting this dude walk is only letting his genetics continue on.. its a hard line.. to let it walk in hopes of a better or help the herd out and take it out.. especially before breeding season.

Personally I don't care what people shoot or pass.. as long as they are legal

you can just look at the jaw and see how old it is...no need to send off a tooth..:)

Well at least he now has a name, a bud on another site saw these pics & said if left to grow he'll become a "Mack truck" so Mack it is! :p

That's my take on it, if he doesn't put on mass next year (he looks 2.5 yrs to me), he get's the arrow or the bullet. A big part of QDM is knowing when to drop the string on a weak genetic buck. Maybe TN is my retirement state.

I would say that deer is older than what everyone is thinking. I say 5.5 years at least. You really cant go by antler size. He has the big barrel chest and the belly sags.

Your son is a smart man. I would have passed too, as I'm not dragging a 500lb deer out of any woods !!

Hatchieluvr, your son made a decision, that was right for him to make. I don't have your luxuries. I have a 9 day season on heavily hunted public ground. Here, QDM is a waste of time and money.
I hunt for meat, period, and am allowed 1 deer per year, per season (primitive, muzzel loader, modern firearm).
I only have the time to hunt the modern firearm season. SO i get 9 days, not the 60 -70 that you seem to have. I would not have made the same decision, your son did.

Good for him, and his decision.

That's fine scon and I understand your situation but my reaction was in your suggestion that he be caned.

It's all good! :cool2: