Age vs. Antler

[Arrowbender]

I spent a lot of time in the bush this season and thus had plenty of time to think. Probably too much. One topic that plagues my wee brain is killing an older buck over a large rack. Either way it is mainly for self-gratification that you duped a mature buck. That being said many opine that they would just as soon kill a truly mature buck w/ a feeble rack than a booner 3 yr old.
That is fine and dandy other than the fact that few times we really know the age of the deer.
Case in point happened to me in one day; or rather in less than 15 minutes this past season.
One morning I had a nice 10 point come through chasing a doe, I got pulled back on him but didn't get a shot. Shortly after he was gone a HUGE bodied 8 came into 15 yds, & offered a perfect broadside shot. I passed on him because he was less than a 100" deer. My guess would be he is easily 5 yrs old if not older. 220 lbs dressed minimum I'm guessing.

Why do I need that bone on my wall ? Both deer were duped, or better stated I figured their travel pattern during the chase phase. But I just wasn't going to be satisfied by the dainty rack.

Is it because even though we claim this pursuit is for self fulfillment; we don't want to have to make excuses to our buddies.
"The rack ain't real big but he was a 9 year old ".
Or do we just need that tangible proof that we are capable. Maybe I just like the beauty of cranial hardware.

After mulling all of this over last week I did put "Big & Dainty" on the hit list. He never showed again.

[dan]

Interesting subject matter Arrow... I think what we are looking for changes with age and the maturity of the hunter.
When I was younger I was more self centered and wanted to break records and be better than everybody else... I guess there is probably a little of that in each of us as we get older too, if we admit it.
I like huge bucks, and I like old bucks... Can't say I wouldn't pass on an old buck if it had hardly any antlers... To me personally I think an old buck gives me greater satisfaction than a large rack on a young deer... If you remember I shot that big 8 pointer last year during gun season only to find out it was a huge 2 y/o.
I think a lot of people throw ages out there that are not realistic, and might be more "wishfull thinking"... I don't call them out, I just say "nice buck" and don't ruin there moment. But you see a lot of of bucks that appear to be young called old because of big racks.
I can say that I am probably wrong in my guesses a lot too. Who really knows? Without the history of trail picks and sightings of the "cull buck" Andrae shot, I would of likely called it a 4 y/o.

[Bucky]

I would say fair share of "big bucks" killed each year by hunters in WI are 2 and 3yr olds.....

Like Dan said, hard to tell for sure unless you got years worth of pics/sheds/history

[Arrowbender]

Good points Dan, I have definitely changed my program in the past few years. If I just see deer and deer activity I really have confidence that I will succeed. I do still find myself getting frustrated when I have what seems to be aligned stars with weather, moon, fresh set up and great property to only have a "skunk" sit (no deer sighted). But I find it a lot easier now days to overcome that frustration and staying positive, that in itself seems to help put meat in the freezer.

Dan stated

I guess there is probably a little of that in each of us as we get older too, if we admit it.

That is kind of what I was getting at when I started this one. While sitting in the stand I was questioning my own conceit. Does the size of antler on someone's wall dictate the caliber of hunter that he is. You hear about these farmers in Iowa that have piles of 150" racks laying behind the machine shed. Man; those guys must be awesome woodsman.
I won't even compare what Tiffany puts into a season compared to some of our own Beasts; and yet her wall is probably more impressive than most of us can imagine. Are all of those big racked beasts any more wary or intelligent than the Big & Dainty that I let go?

Who knows?
I guess I maybe should play games on the smart phone and squelch the wondering mind.

[tim]

one of my farms im hunting we have history to a buck and sheds from a buck when he was 2.5 and 3.5 and now hes 4.5 and his rack is much less than most 2.5 or even with on other farms i hunt. i look at this deers pic this year and im dumbfounded that this deer is 4.5 but pics/sheds dont lie. and then there is a potbellied 6 point that i have no idea how old he is but his body is huge rack is thick. this is the beauty of hunting to me these deer are all so different. if the deer makes me say wow no matter if it be for antlers or body or both im shootin and dont care what others think. sometimes what went into the hunt or how it played out made the hunt succesful. if i shoot a monster and find out hes 3.5 will i be mad, heck no. i got a slammer right now thats pushing gross boone if hes not already that i believe to be 3.5 and if he comes by hes getting it but will not be mad if he makes it another year. i prayed he wouldnt cross my path last year cause he was an amazing 2.5 but knew id a pry killedd him if given the chance. dans right the older i get my idea of a trophy changes. but i refuse to let a score dictate what i shoot but have nothing against anyone that does. we all hunt for our own reasons .

[Autumn Ninja]

I think a lot of people throw ages out there that are not realistic, and might be more "wishfull thinking"... I don't call them out, I just say "nice buck" and don't ruin there moment. But you see a lot of of bucks that appear to be young called old because of big racks.

YES!!!! Kinda like aging bucks by rub's...LOL!!!! Good stuff!!!!

[swamp-assassin]

obviously im by no means an expert...but i believe once a buck gets past the age of 4 they become a very different animal...almost more like a black bear in their elusiveness in that you wouldnt believe they are there because you never see them...case in point...there is about a 4 square mile piece of public that is mostly swamp (dogwood and tag alder brush) that is close to the swamp i hunt...i hunt it occasionally but i dont like it so much because it gets pounded because of easy access...there are dyke roads running all through it...anyway...every gun season a local family of ridgerunners and their accomplises get together about 50 people and drive the entire swamp from north to south...the south end of the swamp is lake michigan....not only is this ridicoulous with how many people they have driving but its public land and there are about 30 other hunters on the piece at any given time...very dangerous...not to mention a hmong was shot by a guy a few years ago during an altercation with a white guy about a freekin squirrel or something...so i dont like going in there...but when i do, i see plenty of 4 finger tracks, huge rubs and other sign that screams big bucks...a few people say there are some very big old deer in there...but yet these guys on the drives never take anything older than 3.5 at the most...even when 50 people drive the deer toward lake michigan to an army of posters on the beach the savvy old bucks manage to be smarter than 90 percent of the hunters.

[Schultzy]

Great subject! This year I changed my stubborn ways with this. Prior to this year anything under 130 Inches would always get a pass no matter what I had for bucks on the land I hunt. This year I changed my ways and told myself I'll take the next best thing If I don't have a 130 class buck around. There's 2 bucks on the land I hunt that I 100% know for sure on their age. One Is a tall tined but small massed 4.5 year old (got trail cam pics to prove It) and the other Is either a 4.5 or 5.5 year old massy 8 point with short tines (got trail cam pics of him too to prove It). The massy 8 point I should of had, hit him In the back.

[Stanley]

Great topic.
If we think the majority of hunters are after age and not antler size we are being a little naive. The record books are prime example of this. All of the state awards are based on antler size in Iowa with no mention of age. I personally try and be aware of age but still put antler size on top (I could lie about it but that would be just stealing words). I love keeping track of certain deer and watching them develop into mature bucks. I think we also should keep into perspective the #1 reason putting an old buck on the wall is so difficult; they are few and far between. Not because they are so much harder to hunt. 200 inch bucks are freaks of nature not the norm, also keep this in perspective. Old bucks are more common on large parcels of private ground with few hunters than smaller parcels of private ground with many hunters. Not all bucks are killed because of antler size either, some are killed because they may have huge bodies, or an unorthodox rack, or a palmated hide, or just plain hunter opportunity.