Unfortunately, that is not always possible. A german saying goes "Old rubs before young". For other methods that you can use to make sure you can make the shot in time, try reading about the "10 Second Bowhunting Rule". 24:08. Field & Stream‘s Dave Hurteau explains how to do it. Three-year-olds have finally bulked up with muscle, so look to see if the rump and chest are bulging and in equal proportion. Instead, when I found my buck that I shot under clear blue skies at 10:15am from less than 15 yards, he was the monster 15 point 5 year old we were after. They’ll also appear to be all legs. Starting in 1986, a year mark was added. We aged his deer at 2 1/2 years old. Thus, if you encounter a roe buck in mid-may who has completely shed his antler velvet, with a deeply seated coronet and markedly gray tones to especially his face and overall hide you can pretty safely conclude that this is a mature buck. Once a buck passes 4½ years of age, his personality causes him to progressively shift from being a rutting machine to more of a survival machine. Each method has it time and place, for example the Cementum Annuli process is a great way to age bucks within a hunt club, in particular when you can compare the findings to the real world personal following of individual bucks. At this age the neck usually meets the chest farther down the body, and during the rut this front half of the deer will take on a more swollen appearance. The second-most important factor for keeping older-age-class bucks on your land, so you can harvest mature bucks every year, is to hunt the property the right way. As bucks mature into older age, the territories they claim and wander shrink in size and they tend to stray around less. If you spot a 10-point buck, you could probably be staring at a three to five-year-old buck. Roe deer usually shift colors from the neckline on downwards and later on through the back. Consultation with a knife expert can yield clues based on rivet placement and other minute details to pinpoint the exact year of manufacture. Bucks with their first set of antlers are the easiest to age. This is particularily true when you consider that most hunters are typically aging bucks up to 4.5 or 5.5 in the best case scenarios. Surely this is one of the more difficult and vague indicators of age for a roe buck. Throw in the fact that this Wisconsin buck is flat across the back, and I feel confident in calling this guy middle-aged. They often reflect a very bad attitude, when compared to the happy-go-lucky whims of younger bucks. Although online and printed materials to age a buck often revolve around body characteristics, I urge you to make an attempt to formulate a solid plan of attack for when the moment of truth arrives in the field. With a bit more weight on his front end, I’d put this buck at 4 1/2-years of age. As it typically does when hunting from a treestand in the woods, the buck was within shooting distance in less than 10 seconds. How to Play Buck Buck. Yet, the results were still highly inaccurate. So come back and practice your aging skills anytime you like! But please send any photos you have that meet the criteria above, regardless of what age you think the buck is. My initial estimate is that the buck is 3 ½ and will grow into a 120- to 130-inch 8-pointer. That remaining 25% can be the difference between a 130-inch buck at 3.5 and a 160-inch buck at 5.5. The following characteristics are fairly consistent for whitetails throughout their range. Our August article had 66 total comments, with 27 of them picking the correct age (5.5). Each time you take the quiz you will be randomly given 10 different bucks from our question bank to age! While some folks, even deer managers, occasionally lump the previous age class in, and despite what you may have read or heard, a white-tailed deer is not mature until it reaches age four. 1980-1981 One dot on left side, two dots on right side. An 8-point buck in the eastern region of the USA could be 2-3 years old. If a model number is inscribed, the knife would have been made after 1973 but before 1986. Then, set that shed antler close by while you scroll back through your trail-camera images and see if you can find a full-body, broadside photo of the buck that once carried it. *Make sure to check out my whitetail book series including, "Whitetail Success By Design" and "Food Plot Success By Design", to help you find mature bucks this hunting season! Please refer to this chart to find out the age of your knife.110 & 112 MODELS:1974-1980One dot on each side of model number1980-1981One dot on left side, two dots on right side1981-1986Two dots on each side*2002The anvil was used instead of model numbers (on all knives) this year only. Always take note that the age of the buck is one of the most important things you need to consider when figuring which is a cull. While you can’t guarantee determining the exact age, there’s a good way to make a very educated guess. Lingual crests, or the pointy ends of molars, are sharp when the teeth fi… After randomly selecting a name, the August Age This Buck winner is Zack Wiest. Once a buck reaches that age where he finds out that nighttime activity offers him the least chance of interaction with humans as a prey animal, he simply becomes a virtual nocturnal ghost. If your Buck Knife is manufactured after 1986, match the symbol next to the model number inscribed at the base of the knife blade to the corresponding symbol on the dating system chart. These elements are also used to determine if the photo is “scoreable”. And in the moment of truth, would you be able to make that distinction? But along with beam length, coloration and antler mass, the attitude of a buck can really help you narrow down your estimation. Why? While it is possible to get an older buck with eight points on its antlers, you should use other relatable features to distinguish an older one from the youngsters. Here are some of the most important aspects to help you determine a roe deer bucks age: The antlers offer a lot of information and clues as to what age a buck might be, but should never be the sole source for determining it. Our August article had 66 total comments, with 27 of them picking the correct age (5.5). At 3 1/2 this buck scored in the mid 170s B&C. Hunters interested in the age-based harvest of whitetail bucks are interested in some level of deer management. Although the results were much better than the accuracy levels reflected by the process of jawbone estimation, they still were not perfect. As for projectiles, my preference lies with expanding bullets as it guarantees a reliable penetration and energy release even on wider distances. This behaviour is only exhibited by the younger, less attentive and apprehensive bucks. I felt pretty confident this buck would meet the first two, but I wasn't certain about the age. I’ve always used antler bases as a good indicator of age; knurly, burled, growing close together, heavy and large are all good base indicators that you’re looking at an old mature buck. Regardless, there are bound to be a few mistakes made when it comes to judging a 150-class trophy buck. The symbols stamped onto your blade indicate which year your knife was made. On the hoof, he looks to be a 3-year old deer based strictly on body shape, but I think he muscles up a bit in the next month. Throw in the fact that this Wisconsin buck is flat across the back, and I feel confident in calling this guy middle-aged. Age matters for rack size as well. GET BUCKSCORE. *How much time do you have to estimate a buck's age, grab your bow, ready for the shot and take the shot? Culling or elimination is often carried out during this time. From: bumpinblaze4x4. His body was just so dang deceiving and at 221 pounds dressed weight, he was and still is, the largest bodied whitetail I have ever shot. BUCK’S DATE CODE CHART. In its third to fourth year, the bone structures roe deer will stop growing as the bone hardens and the buck will start to look more mature. Huge body but a young buck. This buck is a perfect example of why a hunter should learn to age bucks on the hoof — so the bucks can reach their full antler potential. The facial coloring of a deer is just like a fingerprint, it is unique and will vary from individual to individual both in size and nuance. Buck Knife production started in 1961. On a 3-year-old deer, the lingual crests on the first molar (third tooth from the front) are blunt, and dentine is as wide as, or wider than, the enamel. You will develop a more effective management plan if you can distinguish a buck’s age by assessing it in a photo or by sight. For in the field judgement calls in less than 5 seconds, I highly prefer the antlers and attitude method, and for the ulimate level of precision during lengthy field or deer cam observations the body characteristics can offer a very high level of precision. At 1½ years, bucks are all legs. Good roe buck management starts with age estimation and knowing your roe bucks. About a week ago, I posted this blog introducing you to this buck, and I asked readers to give their best estimate on the buck’s age and how big he’ll get. The many facettes to determining the age of a buck is a big draw for many hunters. Get a side view of the deer and … This is his first set of visible antlers. Even know body characteristics are the best way to age a buck, the body can also be very unreliable within most real world hunting encounters. There are many online sources to teach hunters and landowners how to judge a buck by using it's body characteristics of neck, chest, back, stomach, etc. His hinder quarters are also much larger than his front shoulders but this will change to the opposite as he ages. Only to make sure that I could place my pin on his chest, while ignoring everthing else. Reportedly, Rebecca Buck was born on 17 January 1990.Therefore, as of now, she is 30 years of age.But, her birth sign is unknown. The height and seating of the coronet are quite telling indicators of the bucks age. In 2007 I thought I was shooting a real nice 12 point that we had on the land, which we thought was a 4 year old. Reddog, you are exactly right, and that's also what QDMA advises: Every hunter should set a personal, local standard for the age of buck they want to harvest based on their experience level, personal desires, and conditions where they hunt. Specifically, this is a most opportune time to assess what age ranges the various bucks are at, as it becomes increasingly more difficult as the season progresses. The symbols stamped onto your blade indicate which year your knife was made. Culling or elimination is often carried out during this time. Although the process of using the jawbone (tooth wear and replacement) to reflect a buck's age may be the best method for use in mass data colletion efforts, how reliable really is it? "Age This" Live! Check out the process of making a Wood Buck for a track nosed roadster. Should you however  come across a buck who struts and prances around well before the break of dawn in bright sunlight, with a radiant red-ish coat with tightly and high-seated antlers then it would be safe to conclude that he is one of the younger ones. In fact you can actually find a very high level of accuracy by using the body to estimate age, right down to nearly the exact age. After shedding, the coloring of the antlers is not a reliable factor for age determination however. But how often does that happen? You won’t learn if a buck is 3 years old or 4 years old. Particularly earlier on in the season, the hide serves as a reliable indicator of age for a buck. QDMA's Interactive Buck Aging - Duration: 24:08. I don't think so. A step-by-step guide to measuring that big whitetail you just tagged, from our in-house certified B&C scorer If you guessed 5.5 years of age, you were entered to be one of our Age This Buck winners. Every year during opening weekend of firearms season, biologists with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources show up at check stations around the state to compile information regarding the age and sex structure of that weekend's deer harvest. Obtain a Buck Knife dating system chart available at the Knife Collector website. I personally have experienced that using the antler size to estimate a buck's age is better than jawbone estimation in most cases, when comparing those individuals familiar with tooth and antler wear in a give region. The Buck Age Quiz was developed to help you practice your skills for aging white-tailed bucks on the hoof. They usually prance more boldly and their gait appears more powerfull. Having said this, in general as a buck matures his antlers will gain mass, darken in color, and widen. Other physical characteristics which indicate a white-tail deer age include the size and rounding of the rump, whether the belly sags, and the presence of asymmetrical points on the antlers. Simply by protecting yearling bucks and allowing them to live another year or two before harvest provides the greatest return on investment from an antler growth standpoint. Everybody likes to think that they can accurately age on the hoof and there are several benefits to being able to accurately age a buck on the hoof. Please refer to this chart to find out the age of your knife. But wait, try to take a step back and ask yourself, could using antler size to estimate a buck's age between 2.5 and 6.5 years of age be any worse than the accuracy level reflected by the process of jawbone estimation? His shoulders were giant, his body was a tank and his antlers weren't too bad either. For more tips on estimating age while in the field this season, check out "Field Judging Antler Guide". I simply saw him chasing does from 50 yards out and closing fast, made a split second decision that he was mature, and tried to make a good shot. A few keynote characteristics would be skinny frame and neck. Thankfully, buck age structure is the easiest, cheapest, and quickest of the “big three” to improve. 1981-1986 Two dots on each side *2002 . If the goal of your hunting is bigger racks, then strong nutrition and available food won’t do any good without the age to support it. Is there one method to age a buck that is better than the others? The only problem? Hunters know that it takes age, the right genetics and good nutrition to grow big, mature bucks. When we hunt the same are for a long period of time, there's always that one buck or two that either stays out of our range or gets passed up each hunting season. 1/ Determine the age of your bucks. Also, with the seasons and limits that most southern states have it's HARD to get a buck to 5-6 or older unless the land is highly managed and most places are not managed to that degree. 23-Nov-20. It takes on-the-ground management through habitat enhancement, food plots and/or supplemental feeds to provide the deer on your property with high quality food sources, but harvest management is necessary for removing the right deer and the right time. The best way to age a buck is by personally following his growth through the use of trail cams and individual sightings. Field & Stream‘s Dave Hurteau explains how to do it.. Hardly any hunter would criticize you for shooting a 3 1⁄2-year-old buck. The easiest bucks to judge are youngsters. Typically 10 seconds or less. An older buck's neck gets larger with age and connects lower on his chest. The most efficient method of estimating a buck’s age on the hoof is to become familiar with antler measurements after the buck is harvested. Aging a buck using the number of points it has on its rack depends on the counting concept used to number the points. Bucks at 1½ years of age may have spikes or even small racks sporting 4×4 or more points, but few racks will exceed the width of their ears. But whether you are hunting, judging trail cam photos or checking out a buck's age after the harvest, it is important to know the age class of that monster that you just harvested. You won’t learn if a buck is 3 years old or 4 years old. Not only do 3½-year-olds have more muscling and features common to a mature buck, they also can have tempting racks. I don't think it is a stretch to say that the % of accuracy for each age class, for the 263 jawbones studied within the process, reflected higher than average results compared to most State game agencies. 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