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2016 Buck |
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jonoMT
Optics Master Extraordinaire Joined: November/13/2008 Location: Montana Status: Offline Points: 4853 |
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That's a really nice one and sounds like an enjoyable hunt too.
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Reaction time is a factor...
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sucker76
Optics Journeyman Joined: June/13/2013 Location: Texas Status: Offline Points: 392 |
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Nice buck. How did you tell the age? With the jaw bone and teeth?
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Stamp collecting since 2015
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RifleDude
MODERATOR EVIL OPPRESSOR Joined: October/13/2006 Location: Texas Status: Offline Points: 16337 |
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We can tell age by tooth wear and body conformation clues. Since deer have a pretty short lifespan, and their bodies go through some noticeable changes each year, with practice, it's not that difficult to determine their age with a fair degree of accuracy. The guy at the meat processor we use also gives us the age of deer we bring in to confirm.
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Ted
Money can't buy happiness... but it's much more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than on a bicycle. |
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sucker76
Optics Journeyman Joined: June/13/2013 Location: Texas Status: Offline Points: 392 |
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Thanks for the info. I knew about the teeth but not much else to age the deer. The lease I have hunted on is managed by a biologist and we save the lower right jaw bone for him and he ages them among other things.
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Stamp collecting since 2015
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8shots
Optics Jedi Knight Lord Of The Flies Joined: March/14/2007 Location: South Africa Status: Offline Points: 6253 |
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Very nice buck and cool hunting story to go with it
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RifleDude
MODERATOR EVIL OPPRESSOR Joined: October/13/2006 Location: Texas Status: Offline Points: 16337 |
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Here is a pretty good explanation of how to age bucks "on the hoof." More good info: I've become pretty good at aging bucks over the years. Mainly, you look at proportions of body features -- the apparent length of their legs relative to torso ratio, whether there is a perceptible transition between the chest and neck, sway in the back, presence of a "Roman nose," thickness of body throughout, tight or loose skin, amount of staining on tarsal glands, and antler development. It's very easy to see the difference between a 1 - 3 year old deer, a little more difficult to see the difference between a 4 - 6 year old, and very easy to detect a deer over 6, which is pretty rare. Most "mature" bucks taken will be between 3 - 5 years old. The physical characteristics of deer will vary by region, and in general the further north you go, the larger the average body size will be due to the need to survive colder winters. So, a 3 year old buck in Saskatchewan may look a lot like a 5 year old buck in Texas.
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Ted
Money can't buy happiness... but it's much more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than on a bicycle. |
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sucker76
Optics Journeyman Joined: June/13/2013 Location: Texas Status: Offline Points: 392 |
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Excellent write up.
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Stamp collecting since 2015
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