Yearling or two year old?

[fishnfur]

Here's a young buck showing some good bone growth for a little guy and early evidence of at least one eye guard starting.  He can't be more than 80 lbs though, probably less.  I thought at first he was a two-year-old, but now I'm wondering if he's just a yearling that's going to be a fork horn at 1.5 years old.  What do you all think?

[DOsborn]

That look like a mature buck to me, in fact I would say he is going to be a nice buck.

[dreamunelk]

That look like a mature buck to me, in fact I would say he is going to be a nice buck.

 

[Taco280AI]

3-4 year old?

[fishnfur]

Nah, he's a young boy.   The first pic didn't show him well.  He has no mass in his chest or hips.  He's so skinny his ribs are showing.  He's no more than two years old in my book.

[REHJWA]

However old he is he is showing potential....

[dreamunelk]

Young deer don't have a rostrum that big.

[yum tag soup]

I'm leaning towards 3+ also keep an eye on him. Looks to have potential.

[BIGDOG253]

How old is this guy? 3-4 year old? I think he might be the same 2x3 I saw a lot last year.

[fishnfur]

Tough to tell without seeing his body - 4 - 5, 6 maybe.  He's definitely older than the one I posted.  The eyes are a dead giveaway on a mature buck - since they don't grow with the animal, they look very big on fawns and young bucks, and as the buck matures, the eyes seem to shrink in proportion to the head.  On a very mature deer, the eyes will look tiny compared to the rest of the head.

There are many good discussions on field aging deer online.  The sway in the back on this last deer, if it is present at all times generally indicates at least a 5 year old (if I remember correctly), though with just this one photo, this is really just a guess.