How old do you think this buck is?

[Elkfun12]

My brother just made it up to his cameras. Got a single picture of this beast. Crowned on top. Looks like a old warrior to me. What do you guys think?

[mburrows]

Looks like a mature buck but not super old based on my completely uneducated guess. He’s missing the sway in his back real old bucks seem to get. I’m gonna guess a 4 or 5 year old buck.

[swanderek]

6-7
Just a guess

[JakeLand]

By his face , blocky squared chest and tapered hind quarters I’m guessing 9+ but as anything it’s a guess

[bigmacc]

Nice buck, big buck and many more compliments as far as judging a nice buck goes. IMHO, this buck is in the prime of his life, not old, not young but right in his wheelhouse, probably feels pretty good about himself, still a bit cocky but is at that time of his life where he's thinking his best years may be behind him. No sway back, no belly, no droopy shoulders or hind quarters. Once again, prime of his life. My  , 3-5 years old

[Doublelunger]

He's a mature buck in his prime. No sway back yet so not an old timer. I guess 5-7.

[huntnnw]

unless you have a history with a specific buck it is almost impossible to age a buck once he hits 4.5 and older

[dvolmer]

unless you have a history with a specific buck it is almost impossible to age a buck once he hits 4.5 and older

totally agree with above.  Plus the picture is not very good.

[OutHouse]

His noggin looks pretty darn big when zoomed in. With my limited skills, I'd say he's at least 3.5!

[Smokepole]

If you take me here this fall, I will gladly let you know the date of his death.  Then you'll have some data to go by.  Hope this helps.

[Elkfun12]

Yeah I know it's a crappy picture. It's the only one he got and he has no history with him. He switched out the camera for a 20mp camera so maybe he'll get a better picture next year but slim chance. I zoomed in and took a screen shot hopefully it will be a better picture when I post. Looks old to me but I'm no expert. His chest is super wide and his eyes look sunk into his head. Maybe he's just tired of rutting who knows. Thanks for the input. Just passing the time during off season

[Seabass]

unless you have a history with a specific buck it is almost impossible to age a buck once he hits 4.5 and older

I 100% agree with that statement. After 4.5 the changes aren't drastic enough to pinpoint. I have countless trail cam pics to back that up.

[idaho guy]

By his face , blocky squared chest and tapered hind quarters I’m guessing 9+ but as anything it’s a guess

  looks old to me also 7-10 

[bigmacc]

My dad killed a big non-typical in 1967 that the game dept caught wind of, the game manager at the time came to camp to talk with my dad about bringing a "few others" up t o get a look at him, my dad said sure but didn't want a "big deal" made of it, it was agreed. In the next couple days or so a handful of Game dept folks with a portable scale, cameras and clipboards showed up. My dad said no pictures, (I did post our pictures years ago) they weighed him in at over 400lbs, not going to tell the actual weight or how he was cut when weighed, he was field dressed is all I will say. The 2 Bios that were there said he was the biggest buck both had ever seen. They took his jaw and a few weeks later were told he was probably about 13 and 1/2, they said he probably wouldn't have made it through the winter because of his lack of teeth, his hooves were in bad shape and his body was done. I was with my dad when he killed this buck, it was the last buck out of about 6-7 in a herd that numbered over 30 or so. He came out of a thicket moving up a draw, head down swaying side to side, I remember my dad saying something to the effect of "I'm gonna take that one and put him out of his misery". He had the worse case of sway back and drop belly I've ever seen on a buck and I've killed a few in the 6-10 year old range. In my opinion, right around that 6-8 year range is when things start their downward spiral as far as the body goes. I did kill a buck in 2011 that had a head like a herferd cow, big, wide and white faced. I was curious and had him checked, he had the sway back going on and the droopy belly/hind quarters etc and lots of scars on his face, he looked a lot older than a few of the older bucks I've killed and had checked, he even looked older than that buck my dad killed in 67, they claimed he was only 6 and 1/2 and was probably on the downturn, by the looks of him they said "he certainly hadnt led a charmed life" . I guess you just never know, looks can be deceiving

[Old Man8383]

I love the photos on this web page of these amazing old bucks.  He's probably been dodging cougars and hunters for over 10 to 15 years.  Closer to 15 than you might imagine.  I've had the privilege over the years of aging blacktail and mule deer does and bucks by the old wear method and then had a tooth from each deer sent to the lab to determine age by cementum annuli.  Oldest buck was 13.  I field checked that 13 year old buck and pulled the tooth.  He looked like a normal smallish 3pt except his muzzle was white and his front teeth were worn to the gum line or missing.  His lower back molars were badly worn to the gums in spots.  I hope that old buck in the photo was able to dodge cougars and poachers since the photo taken and will make through to another fall.

[blindluck]

4.5

[OutHouse]

That head just keeps looking bigger and the face older the more I look at it. I'm gonna up my prediction to at least 5.5, but again, no expert etc.

[bigmacc]

That head just keeps looking bigger and the face older the more I look at it. I'm gonna up my prediction to at least 5.5, but again, no expert etc.

I think you and blindluck are right in the wheelhouse, I'm sticking with my 3-5 prediction, fun to guess but like I said in my story of mine and my dads bucks, looks alone can be deceiving, either way. I told bone during one of our conversations of a buck my dad and I seen over 45 years ago or so, I think bone's question was something about deer that haunt us or something to that effect. I told him of a buck my dad and I watched and filmed for a good 5-10 minutes during some post season scouting in late November. The buck was by himself even though the rut was in full swing. When we spotted him he was less than 100 yards away, standing in knee deep snow, looking directly at us, could care less. He was a specimen to say the least, a rack that was easily over 30 wide and fairly heavy but just looking at him you could tell his prime was behind him, his body was broke down and you could tell his best fighting days to collect the gals were over. We watched him go up a small draw heading for a big bowl, he every once in awhile would look back at us but never panicked or ran, just slowly walked away, head down, swaying side to side, very eerie, almost ghost like, I remember my dad saying, "Im glad we are filming him, take a good look, he won't make it through the winter". I must have watched the old 8mm movie of that trip 100 times, to this day I've often wondered how old that buck may have been.

[OutHouse]

That head just keeps looking bigger and the face older the more I look at it. I'm gonna up my prediction to at least 5.5, but again, no expert etc.

I think you and blindluck are right in the wheelhouse, I'm sticking with my 3-5 prediction, fun to guess but like I said in my story of mine and my dads bucks, looks alone can be deceiving, either way. I told bone during one of our conversations of a buck my dad and I seen over 45 years ago or so, I think bone's question was something about deer that haunt us or something to that effect. I told him of a buck my dad and I watched and filmed for a good 5-10 minutes during some post season scouting in late November. The buck was by himself even though the rut was in full swing. When we spotted him he was less than 100 yards away, standing in knee deep snow, looking directly at us, could care less. He was a specimen to say the least, a rack that was easily over 30 wide and fairly heavy but just looking at him you could tell his prime was behind him, his body was broke down and you could tell his best fighting days to collect the gals were over. We watched him go up a small draw heading for a big bowl, he every once in awhile would look back at us but never panicked or ran, just slowly walked away, head down, swaying side to side, very eerie, almost ghost like, I remember my dad saying, "Im glad we are filming him, take a good look, he won't make it through the winter". I must have watched the old 8mm movie of that trip 100 times, to this day I've often wondered how old that buck may have been.

That's really cool. Sounds like a wise old deer that knew it didn't need to be afraid. I really don't know much about aging bucks just some of the basics. I believe I saw a regressing whitetail once. His face looked really old and sort of grayish, his antlers were smaller but his bone structure still looked huge. But it was as if a lot of the muscle was going away and he didn't have a very steady gate. Its almost like you have to see the darn teeth to get a good idea.

[ridgefire]

That's probably the biggest bodied Blacktail I have ever seen. Nice buck. 

[bigmacc]

That head just keeps looking bigger and the face older the more I look at it. I'm gonna up my prediction to at least 5.5, but again, no expert etc.

I think you and blindluck are right in the wheelhouse, I'm sticking with my 3-5 prediction, fun to guess but like I said in my story of mine and my dads bucks, looks alone can be deceiving, either way. I told bone during one of our conversations of a buck my dad and I seen over 45 years ago or so, I think bone's question was something about deer that haunt us or something to that effect. I told him of a buck my dad and I watched and filmed for a good 5-10 minutes during some post season scouting in late November. The buck was by himself even though the rut was in full swing. When we spotted him he was less than 100 yards away, standing in knee deep snow, looking directly at us, could care less. He was a specimen to say the least, a rack that was easily over 30 wide and fairly heavy but just looking at him you could tell his prime was behind him, his body was broke down and you could tell his best fighting days to collect the gals were over. We watched him go up a small draw heading for a big bowl, he every once in awhile would look back at us but never panicked or ran, just slowly walked away, head down, swaying side to side, very eerie, almost ghost like, I remember my dad saying, "Im glad we are filming him, take a good look, he won't make it through the winter". I must have watched the old 8mm movie of that trip 100 times, to this day I've often wondered how old that buck may have been.

That's really cool. Sounds like a wise old deer that knew it didn't need to be afraid. I really don't know much about aging bucks just some of the basics. I believe I saw a regressing whitetail once. His face looked really old and sort of grayish, his antlers were smaller but his bone structure still looked huge. But it was as if a lot of the muscle was going away and he didn't have a very steady gate. Its almost like you have to see the darn teeth to get a good idea.

Yes sir, like some have said and I agree, its a crap shoot trying to get an age of a buck by just looking at it, I've had enough aged through the years that have surprised me in both directions, some have looked much older than they actually were and vis-versa. One thing I have found though is that most bucks under 5 1/2 don't have the sway back/drop belly going on and the hind quarters are still "blocky", I have found gravity starts taking effect on the back and belly going farther past that age. Some guys look at heads, faces, antler regression etc, all of which can indicate a ball park age for sure but those "looks" can also be heavily skewed by genetics and diet, kind of like the buck I figured was older than the 13 1/2 year old my dad had killed, turns out he was much, much younger, he "just hadn't led a very charmed life". I killed another buck back in the early 60,s, in the same route I killed that big fella this past season as a matter of fact. That buck I killed back in the 60,s was traveling with 11 other bucks and around 60-70 does, I watched this herd for over 20 minutes or so as they slithered down a ridge. He was trailing the whole bunch by 50 or so yards, I got a good look at him, he had a big body but looked old in the head area, a very palmated thick 5 by 5, almost moose like(to this day, my favorite set of antlers), not real wide but heavily palmated. He got to about 70 yards or so from me and I got a good look at his head and face, big, wide roman nose, white face, big head, numerous notches out of each ear, scars galore but no sway back, I still figured him to be old. My cousin who was working for IFG at the time was hunting with us, yep, worked in Idaho but hunted the Methow every year, he said that he would have put it up against any state as far as quality mule deer went, that was when the Methow was good, another topic   Just by looking at him he figured him at 7 1/2- 9 1/2. Turned out he was 4 1/2. I would have bet money by looking at his head, face and antlers he was an old bugger, he was another that apparently "hadn't led a charmed life" I guess. Bottom line, IMHO, antlers, head and face can be deceiving but the old sway back/drop belly/ saggy rear quarters can be a pretty good giveaway...

[HntnFsh]

bigmacc, I love hearing your stories and experiences with those big old bucks. Makes me a little envious!

[bigmacc]

bigmacc, I love hearing your stories and experiences with those big old bucks. Makes me a little envious!

Thank you, it certainly was a different time, glad we have albums full of pictures and a few of the older folks still left from the old camp that can still remember Pre North Cascade Pass was a very special time in the Methow, I'm blessed to have been in my prime during those times, I seen a lot of country one step at a time and have been fortunate enough to have seen 10,s upon 10,s of thousands of deer in my life, I can still remember the days where seeing a thousand deer over a 2 week season was the norm, some years you'd see twice that, I remember days when Id see 200 deer and not a horn, then 3-4 days later seeing 20-30 bucks of all sizes moving down a ridge. Between my familys history going back to 1917 in the Methow and me being around to not only witness some of it but to also be able to sit and listen to the stories of my great grandparents who lived well into their 90,s who were the originators of the camp and the stories my dad told me when he was a boy hunting the valley back in the 30,s, you bet I've had some experiences and have heard a few stories of some experiences. I will admit I have a hard time remembering them all but my younger brother and his clan and my son and his bunch are now the ones with the better memories and it will be up to them, I guarantee, I myself have forgotten more than I remember, certain memories stand out more than others these days . Thank you for the kind words.

[OutHouse]

bigmacc, I love hearing your stories and experiences with those big old bucks. Makes me a little envious!

Thank you, it certainly was a different time, glad we have albums full of pictures and a few of the older folks still left from the old camp that can still remember Pre North Cascade Pass was a very special time in the Methow, I'm blessed to have been in my prime during those times, I seen a lot of country one step at a time and have been fortunate enough to have seen 10,s upon 10,s of thousands of deer in my life, I can still remember the days where seeing a thousand deer over a 2 week season was the norm, some years you'd see twice that, I remember days when Id see 200 deer and not a horn, then 3-4 days later seeing 20-30 bucks of all sizes moving down a ridge. Between my familys history going back to 1917 in the Methow and me being around to not only witness some of it but to also be able to sit and listen to the stories of my great grandparents who lived well into their 90,s who were the originators of the camp and the stories my dad told me when he was a boy hunting the valley back in the 30,s, you bet I've had some experiences and have heard a few stories of some experiences. I will admit I have a hard time remembering them all but my younger brother and his clan and my son and his bunch are now the ones with the better memories and it will be up to them, I guarantee, I myself have forgotten more than I remember, certain memories stand out more than others these days . Thank you for the kind words.

Haa haaaa! The conclusion from this piece:

Bigmacc has forgotten more about mule deer than most of us will ever know!      Based on my reading of the entire deer thread, the same could be said about Bone 

[bigmacc]

bigmacc, I love hearing your stories and experiences with those big old bucks. Makes me a little envious!

Thank you, it certainly was a different time, glad we have albums full of pictures and a few of the older folks still left from the old camp that can still remember Pre North Cascade Pass was a very special time in the Methow, I'm blessed to have been in my prime during those times, I seen a lot of country one step at a time and have been fortunate enough to have seen 10,s upon 10,s of thousands of deer in my life, I can still remember the days where seeing a thousand deer over a 2 week season was the norm, some years you'd see twice that, I remember days when Id see 200 deer and not a horn, then 3-4 days later seeing 20-30 bucks of all sizes moving down a ridge. Between my familys history going back to 1917 in the Methow and me being around to not only witness some of it but to also be able to sit and listen to the stories of my great grandparents who lived well into their 90,s who were the originators of the camp and the stories my dad told me when he was a boy hunting the valley back in the 30,s, you bet I've had some experiences and have heard a few stories of some experiences. I will admit I have a hard time remembering them all but my younger brother and his clan and my son and his bunch are now the ones with the better memories and it will be up to them, I guarantee, I myself have forgotten more than I remember, certain memories stand out more than others these days . Thank you for the kind words.

Haa haaaa! The conclusion from this piece:

Bigmacc has forgotten more about mule deer than most of us will ever know!      Based on my reading of the entire deer thread, the same could be said about Bone

Well thank you   I feel honored that you even put me in the same sentence as bone, I have much respect for him


Still sticking with my 3-5 guess, hope you get a crack at him one day Elkfun12

[blindluck]

I have to agree with the above stated, I’ve been stupid lucky in my mule deer hunting career, nothing to do with knowing what I’m doing just luck unlike those two mule deer veterans. I too love reading all of their stories.

[fishnfur]

By his face , blocky squared chest and tapered hind quarters I’m guessing 9+ but as anything it’s a guess

  looks old to me also 7-10 

I'm with these guys - That roman nose doesn't happen on 5 year old bucks.  It takes years and years to get their skull looking like that.

[Twispriver]

Out of curiosity how many people and how long did it take to drag a 400 pound field dressed buck back to camp. My son and I tried dragging a rag horn bull one time, over snow, and we decided right off that carrying pieces was waaaaaay easier than dragging it whole.

[bigmacc]

Out of curiosity how many people and how long did it take to drag a 400 pound field dressed buck back to camp. My son and I tried dragging a rag horn bull one time, over snow, and we decided right off that carrying pieces was waaaaaay easier than dragging it whole.

Oh boy I should have learned , the one I killed this past season, took 4 of us about 3 hours I think, all down hill, in fact it was so steep we rolled him down the hill the majority of the way. The one my dad killed in 67 that they came up to weigh was the same, all down hill in about a foot of slick crusty snow, my dad, myself, a cousin and my great grandpa were in on that one( those on here that know the story of this buck and where it was killed know it was one of the easiest drags on earth). As far as the other two or 3 that I know of that were over 400lbs, I know a couple were cut in half(I posted pics of them on here) and another was brought in in quarters(pictures were posted on here also). Sorry I will not post anymore pictures, I posted 30 or 40 on here and was tipped off they were being copied. Hope that satisfies your curiosity. I will say this we've packed some out in pieces, but a couple of those big fellas were easier drags because of where we killed them than it would have been trying to pack them out, once again those on here that know where we've killed these deer know exactly what I'm talking about. Its, official, I have learned my lesson ...Good luck on connecting with that buck Elkfun12

[jkononen]

I'm gonna say since Im pretty sure this is a blacktail. 6+ years old.

[HntnFsh]

Frustrating to me that because of peoples selfishness and jealousy that we cant see and enjoy more pictures. I can only imagine how an evening around the campfire would be with you and your crew!

[bigmacc]

Frustrating to me that because of peoples selfishness and jealousy that we cant see and enjoy more pictures. I can only imagine how an evening around the campfire would be with you and your crew!

I think folks were copying them because a lot of them were vintage pictures, many were old black and whites that are in pristine condition, some are very unique and some are quite frankly to some, unbelievable in todays hunting. I pulled most of them because I couldn't imagine someone else having them thats not family, they are treasures, and when I posted them I had no idea they could be copied or what ever, I am not computer savvy.  A couple of those pictures had 20 bucks hanging on a meat pole, all the bucks that were in that picture were 4 point or better, they were all black and whites from the 30,s and 40,s. I had old black and whites that had been colorized,high tech back in the day . I had pictures of my great grandma and her sister with a huge 4 point they had lassoed .  I put one old black and white on here of my great grandmas friend named Gabe who later went on to work for Alaska Fish and Game, it was from the 40,s also, Gabe was 6'.5" tall and weighed over 270 Lbs, Gabe was standing next to a buck on the pole that he had killed, a HUGE non typical, they did not weigh it, the buck made Gabe look like a little boy, in fact that picture is the one I was tipped off about and a few others. I posted pictures of my dads 1967 buck and many more, sometimes it doesn't matter, people still want to question things, human nature I guess, like I say, I've learned some lessons here, including don't talk about how much a deer weighed, even if you do have pictures or the game department weighed it ...Oh, by the way, that monstrous buck that Gabe killed was bigger than the 1967 buck my dad killed, it just wasn't weighed, for those who may have that picture, remember Gabe was 6'5" and weighed 270lbs

[Elkfun12]

Yes this is a "westside" deer