Buck weight by age?

[OTCHunter]

Just curious what you guys have seen for bucks dressed weights for your harvests and what age class you felt they were. This would mainly pertain to guys in the Midwest, I'm in central Minnesota. I started weighing every deer for the last couple years to try help get an idea. Seams 2 1/2's usually are around 140-150lbs, 3's in the 170lb area, 4+ 180 and up. Had a 4+ go 202, a 3 go 172, and another 3 go 170.
The 3 years olds got me thinking about this cuz one scored in the mid 120's and the other only went about 110 inches. Could it just have been a lesser buck, or a chunky 2 year old? I figured them both to be 3 on the hoof.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[Jonny]

My 2.5 this year weighed 125 dressed. My 2.5 year old four years ago weighed 125 dressed. All depends on where you hunt, what are they munching on (and how much is around), and what time of year you shoot your deer. Pre-rut they will weigh more, end of the rut, expect some weight loss. This is for west central wisconsin public land. And I am pretty sure both were from a bad acorn year. This year was for sure

[mainebowhunter]

Age class is really really a very subjective thing. When your aging deer without checking the teeth. Guys argue back and forth...and mostly its a judgement call. Buddy in KS this year shot buck. He is CERTAIN its a 3.5yr old. My other buddy is CERTAIN its a 2.5yr old. In the end, who cares. But the only way to really tell is cementum aging. There are general characteristics we all look for in older mature deer for sure. General weights that are usually associated with age. But most times, we usually put all the clues together and come up with an educated guess.

Antler score does not dictate age.

[JoeRE]

Having history with a buck over several seasons can give you a pretty darn accurate estimate too. Second only to cementum analysis.

Its pretty easy to get adjacent age classes mixed up by looking at body size and tooth wear but I'm confident I can tell just about any 3 year old from a 5 year old if I can look at it in person. Photos can be deceptive, including trail cam photos.

Gotta look at all the general indicators if you are not going to send in the teeth for cementum aging - take history, weight, body structure, tooth wear, antler pedicle diameter all into consideration...its not an exact science but at the same time its not hawgwash.

Some like to bash age guesses and I'm not sure why. Done right its a very educated guess but again only as accurate as the guesser is smart. I have seen some questionable ages thrown around too but a lot more good estimates from what I can tell.

For dressed weights there is a big range particularly post-rut when some bucks run down to nearly skin and bones. In eastern Iowa, even pre-rut I have seen fully mature 5+ year old bucks weigh anywhere from 280 down to 230 on the hoof - 230 down to 180 dressed. So I think it varies just like antlers. You can drop all those weights down 20-40 lbs post rut.

[Dewey]

4 of my last 6 bucks I killed dressed out over 200 lbs. They were all for sure 3 years old or better except for my 2013 10 pt. He dressed out just over 200 lbs but I still believe he was an unusual freak of a 2 year old. I killed him opening day of the bow season and he had by far the most fat I have ever seen on a deer. No doubt a leaner buck his age would have only dressed out 170 lbs which is a little more what I would expect for a well fed 2 year old. Also my 2009 11 pt. was for sure at least 3 year old but only dressed out at 175 but think he was run way down from the rut.

It's really hard to put an age on a buck based on weight but I believe a healthy well fed 3 year old not run down from the rut should be approaching the 200 lb dressed range.

[OTCHunter]

Thanks for the input so far guys. I should have added I shot all these bucks in the first 2 weeks of November, so they all had been run down a little. The smaller one was from last year and I had no history with him. He came in right at first light so I had to make a pretty quick decision, but I put him at 3 in the binos.
My brother shot a 10 last year that we knew was 4 years old, weighed 201. One of my targets this year we knew was 4 as well, he got shot a half mile away 2 days after he busted me drawing. Weighed 218. I try to put together all the info I can like Joe stated to try get an age. Does it cost anything for the teeth aging?

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[RogueMedic87]

3 year old this year wasn't weighed but I'd guess 175. My 4 year old 2 years ago was weighed and came in at 268lbs field dressed. Both in NE Kansas.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[dan]

My weights have been pretty consistent on younger bucks. Im in Wisconsin.
120/ 130 pounds = 1.5 year old
140/ 150 pounds = 2.5
175/185 pounds = 3.5

Most 4 year olds go 190 to just over 200...


The point where it gets tough is at 4 in my opinion, cause at that point weights start to very. In a couple of extreme cases (and after rut) I have had mature bucks (over 4 y/o) weigh in the 180's. And weight seems to very or stay steady after 4... Most bucks I shot that were well over 200 pounds (220+) were 5 or older based on my history with them. On the 1.5's and the 2.5's you can pretty much be sure if it weighs what I wrote down, its that age.

[Edcyclopedia]

A September weight verses a November weight is likely to be a 10-15% difference, maybe even as high as 20'ish...

[ Post made via Android ]

[Lockdown]

I weigh every deer I shoot and they definitely vary quite a bit. Especially due to time of year like others have said. Body weight and antlers are two separate entities as far as guessing and aging. Here's my .02 for MN deer killed mid season:

1.5 yr- 100-140lbs
2.5 - 140-165
3.5 - 165-200
4.5+ - 170 and up

There can be a lot of overlap. I have killed several 2 yr olds in the 155-165 range. I've killed 174 and 190 lb three year olds. 104 pound yearling. Buck I killed this year was a 190 lb 5.5 year old. 2006 buck was mature and rutted down... 180 pounds. The big 8 that dad killed in 2013 was a 8.5 or 9.5 year old buck on the downslide (antlers) and he dressed 176. Buddy's 3 yr old from this year was 185. Saw a 2 yr old at the big buck contest this yr that dressed 186... Doubt the rack hit 100" but was huge bodied. Saw a buck in Aberdeen SD a few years ago that was close to Boone but doubt he weighed 170.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[Hawthorne]

The only bucks me and my family have shot over 200lbs dressed has been in early October not run down from rutting. I shot one oct 29 that weighed 195 he was chasing does. We weigh all our deer and think lockdowns chart is pretty accurate for my area.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[JoeRE]

The only bucks me and my family have shot over 200lbs dressed has been in early October not run down from rutting. I shot one oct 29 that weighed 195 he was chasing does. We weigh all our deer and think lockdowns chart is pretty accurate for my area.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

Agreed. Very rare for me to see a post-rut mature buck that would break 200 dressed. I have weighed a couple dozen shot December and January with guts in and the heaviest one was 235 lbs. That would have put him right at or just below 200 lbs dressed. He was skin and bones, bet he lost 40-50 lbs in the rut, was a giant bodied old buck. If it had been October he would have been considered small bodied at that weight, most big bucks are heavier per my first post.

I need to start weighing them dressed. Growing up we always tried to get deer home with the guts in. My dad always said it was cleaner to butcher them start to finish at home. I know full and empty stomachs make a difference as well. These days I don't shoot many close enough to the road to keep the guts in anyway.

[Stanley]

I weigh every deer I shoot and they definitely vary quite a bit. Especially due to time of year like others have said. Body weight and antlers are two separate entities as far as guessing and aging. Here's my .02 for MN deer killed mid season:

1.5 yr- 100-140lbs
2.5 - 140-165
3.5 - 165-200
4.5+ - 170 and up

There can be a lot of overlap. I have killed several 2 yr olds in the 155-165 range. I've killed 174 and 190 lb three year olds. 104 pound yearling. Buck I killed this year was a 190 lb 5.5 year old. 2006 buck was mature and rutted down... 180 pounds. The big 8 that dad killed in 2013 was a 8.5 or 9.5 year old buck on the downslide (antlers) and he dressed 176. Buddy's 3 yr old from this year was 185. Saw a 2 yr old at the big buck contest this yr that dressed 186... Doubt the rack hit 100" but was huge bodied. Saw a buck in Aberdeen SD a few years ago that was close to Boone but doubt he weighed 170.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

I think this pretty much sums it from my perspective. Seems like when a buck is 3.5 they often sport a big rack and smaller body weight and vice versa. When they hit 4.5 it seems big rack and big body weight are more common. The bucks I have killed that were 220 and up dressed were in the 4.5 - 6.5 range.

In my opinion the most accurate way to age a buck is a known history. This supersedes any other method including cementum aging.

[mainebowhunter]

I weigh every deer I shoot and they definitely vary quite a bit. Especially due to time of year like others have said. Body weight and antlers are two separate entities as far as guessing and aging. Here's my .02 for MN deer killed mid season:

1.5 yr- 100-140lbs
2.5 - 140-165
3.5 - 165-200
4.5+ - 170 and up

There can be a lot of overlap. I have killed several 2 yr olds in the 155-165 range. I've killed 174 and 190 lb three year olds. 104 pound yearling. Buck I killed this year was a 190 lb 5.5 year old. 2006 buck was mature and rutted down... 180 pounds. The big 8 that dad killed in 2013 was a 8.5 or 9.5 year old buck on the downslide (antlers) and he dressed 176. Buddy's 3 yr old from this year was 185. Saw a 2 yr old at the big buck contest this yr that dressed 186... Doubt the rack hit 100" but was huge bodied. Saw a buck in Aberdeen SD a few years ago that was close to Boone but doubt he weighed 170.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

I think this pretty much sums it from my perspective. Seems like when a buck is 3.5 they often sport a big rack and smaller body weight and vice versa. When they hit 4.5 it seems big rack and big body weight are more common. The bucks I have killed that were 220 and up dressed were in the 4.5 - 6.5 range.

What is really interesting is that when you start heading south..deer weights get smaller. Even in the state where I live, far northern deer have much higher body weights 2hrs north of me. They see deer in the field dressed neighborhood of 240-260. Some of their 2yr old deer will push 180. When you start looking at top 10 body weight deer every year, the majority are always north of me.

And where I hunt in KS...pretty much what Stan said sums up what I have seen. There are anomalies thats for sure. Shot buck last year, for sure was 4 or 5yr old from the size of his head but he was thin and only weighed 180#.

[headgear]

You guys have some pretty good number that align with my estimates as well, like mentioned there can be some overlap that makes guessing ages extremly hard without any previous intel. Kind of like if you take a class full of 10 year olds, you are going to get a wide variety of heights and weights, deer are no different.