Methods on aging bucks: Roman nose?

I dont think the "Roman Nose" has anything to do with age. I as you can see by the spike below, he's got a bulge, I have pictures of him the following year and the nose is the same.

Weight is also minimally useful when looking at a deers age. My father took a large 9 point 12 years ago that was 5 1/2 years old and an absolute monster, nose to tail filled an eight foot truck bed and it came in at 312 lbs dressed and was verified by a scale. My buck from this year that barely stretched across a 5 1/2 foot box was guessed at 5 1/2 by a taxidermist and although never saw a scale "might" have been 200 lbs dressed. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...2c039ce91a.jpg

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Originally Posted by oaknut

I dont think the "Roman Nose" has anything to do with age. I as you can see by the spike below, he's got a bulge, I have pictures of him the following year and the nose is the same.

Weight is also minimally useful when looking at a deers age. My father took a large 9 point 12 years ago that was 5 1/2 years old and an absolute monster, nose to tail filled an eight foot truck bed and it came in at 312 lbs dressed and was verified by a scale. My buck from this year that barely stretched across a 5 1/2 foot box was guessed at 5 1/2 by a taxidermist and although never saw a scale "might" have been 200 lbs dressed.

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That's a very interesting assessment. I've never seen a spike that looked like that. Also 312lbs dressed?! That's gotta be a record holder and I don't mean that sarcastically. Saying that's a once in a lifetime buck would be the understatement of the century. Any pictures of him hanging or his mount?

I hunt with a buddy in 68 and we have weighed deer(about 20 altogether) for maybe 20 years. The largest we have had on the scale was just over 170lb field dressed, an 8point with only the guts out and still with the hide. The largest doe went 135lb dressed. Haven't tested the scales in a few years but when we did I used 50lb of weight and it was close to bang on, so I feel confidant they are within a few lbs. I do have pics on cam of deer that are bigger then the ones we killed so I know the 200lb are there, just not when I am armed.
I usually look at the teeth for wear to try to guess the age, but I aint no pro, just to see if it is old or not.
John

I dont know how to age deer at least not professionally....... but IMO this deer is past his prime and big. It has to be one of the biggest deer that I have ever seen..... Maybe its the camera adding extra lbs, but this dude seems big, real big to me...
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e37e0212_c.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...a2e53bcd_c.jpg

Leonard Lee Rue III one of top deer expert in North America stated the only reasonably reliable method of aging a deer is a measurement of the teeth height ,measured from the gumline to the crown. One of the morals-do not remember buy now ,which one.
I tried few times to measure my deer, but figured -why care?

Every deer is a "trophy" ,regardless of age, sex ,size of the body,weight on hoof , field dressed,or antler size.

The harder the conditions the deer was harvested in(while conditions were ethical)the bigger the "trophy".

I’ve been fortunate to have shot a handful of old bucks and I can attest that they all had large/fuller muzzles. The deer also had 200 pound + dressed weights. These characteristics don’t reveal a deer’s specific age but are just indications of physical maturity.

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Originally Posted by fratri

I dont know how to age deer at least not professionally....... but IMO this deer is past his prime and big. It has to be one of the biggest deer that I have ever seen..... Maybe its the camera adding extra lbs, but this dude seems big, real big to me...
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e37e0212_c.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...a2e53bcd_c.jpg

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That's a big buck in real poor shape. Look at the depth of his chest back to brisket. They do get poor antlers there last year.

Largest doe i have ever taken:

https://live.staticflickr.com/4910/4...afd55091_k.jpg

That toboggan is exactly 5 feet long. That doe weighed 138 lbs field dressed (gutted only) at the butcher.

3rd Heaviest buck i have ever taken (don't have pics of the 2 heaviest):

https://live.staticflickr.com/4727/3...dc6fa723_k.jpg

He field dressed 189 lbs at the butcher. Heaviest i have ever taken dressed 199 lbs at the butcher and was taken late December after he already shed - so with his antlers he would have just made 200 lbs dressed.

My local game butcher ran a big deer contest for many years. I won 2 years for a doe at 142 lbs and a buck at 202 lbs.
Both were field dressed with hides still attached. Just to put things in perspective. He butchers at least a hundred each season.

Not saying there are not bigger out there but just a sample over the years.