Is this an old deer?

[IOWA DON]

I shot this deer a couple days ago. The antlers are not that great (8 points with very short tines and not very heavy beams and an outside spread of 20 inches). However, its face has a lot of grey compared to others I taken with better antlers, so I am wondering if that means its an old deer which is past its prime in regard to antlers. Any opinions?

[SHOOTALL]

can't tell in the photo need better profile . But that's not a sure way . Go on line and serch gdeer jaw bones then compare the pictures to your deer . That is the best way I know. Racks can decline with age but also with poor diet.

[IOWA DON]

SHOOTALL- I printed out South Carolina DNR information and compared it to the deer after cutting off its lips and prying its mouth open. Its teeth look even more worn than the 5-1/2 year-old-example. I was going to throw away the antlers as they are not that good by Iowa standards, but now, figuring its 6-1/2 years old, consider them a real trophy, so will put them on a plaque. Here's a photo of the whole deer. Thanks. - DON

[Squib]

my opinion is that the snout is too short to be an old deer, head is too small ESPECIALLY in relation to the ears, the lower legs aren't the least bit meaty let alone "buff", and the tarsal glands aren't dark and puffed out line a porcupine.  the hide appears to be tight, no droop, and the white spots aren't blended with the colored.  the hooves aren't any bigger than a standard doe's.  I think you shot a young one (probably a yearling!) that was carrying the genes to look very distinguished in a couple years. 

[IOWA DON]

SQUIB - I agree, it looks like a young deer in those respects but has a lot of grey hair and the teeth of an old deer. The pixie nose is the biggest thing, but there are old guys that do not have a big nose like me. - DON

[mirage1988]

Don-
Its a mature deer, you can tell from the hump above his nose, the older they get, the bigger the hump gets. Also as they get older, their legs look shorter in relation to their body. Here is a site that has a bit more info-
 
 
http://blog.stickemarchery.com/index.php/aging-whitetail-bucks-hoof-101/

[IOWA DON]

Here is a photo of a deer my son and I found about a mile from where I shot the deer. It was killed by others and, no, we did not keep the antlers but eventually somebody took them. To me it looks way to young to have antlers like that and we wished it would have lived a couple more years to fully develop them. However, now I'm thinking it might have been older than we thought, but it's too late to examine the jaw. Maybe it's a son of the one I shot? If so, he must have mated with a doe that carried genes for better antlers then he carried.

[IOWA DON]

Here is a photo of a deer I shot on the same section three years ago. I figured it was a mature buck since it was built heavy. Also, our Iowa deer seasons for bucks are in December when these photos were taken so guess these bucks had more muscle mass and bigger necks a few weeks earlier during the peak of the rut. I've (unintentionally) shot a couple bucks which had dropped their antlers during our January antler-less season. They had large framed bodies but little muscle mass. They were built more like high school basketball players than professional football players. Also, I've shot two very large does which I guess would have weighed over 150 pounds and both had very large, long heads. They were so unusual it was almost like they were a different species. One of these does had meat that was very mild in taste, unlike any other venison I've eaten. I will print off a copy of the "aging-whitetail-buck-hoof" document and re-read it before next deer season.

[Squib]

I still think the first one was young, not ugly and grizzled, not big-boned

the second was coarse-haired, grizzled all over, coloration "bled" the lines, longer snout, looser skin, just kind of ugly.  he probably was past his prime and had smaller antlers because of it--- my opinion--- a good kill since he's likely been top dog a few times and lived his good years, still a shooter.

the third has oddly skinny back legs but other than that he's "burly" enough to be in his prime or just past it, skin is looser and his grayness is almost total.  good antlers. 

I didn't realize you were shooting some of those late season, that makes a big difference!  also, none of them have big back legs and the heads look a little smaller than what I'm used to seeing so that throws me off a bit- I'm from Missouri and they're bigger in the butt here.  For a tie breaker on one that you cannot decide it's age- DOES IT STINK SO BAD YOU CAN BARELY SMELL AN HOUR AFTER YOU SKIN IT?  I got an old guy once that was almost completely gray, antlers were not great, huge skeletal frame and very heavy weight (over 220lbs after gutting, I know because I couldn't pull him up on his rope and I'm that much or more in gear)  but the skin was loose and his muscles looked deflated.  his snout was obscenely long, he was basically an emaciated pony- with antlers.  I didn't even try to make steaks out of him, I put him into a crock-pot and slow-cooked him like brisquet.  the individual fibers broke away from one another but they were all tough to chew, and had the flavor of tarsal gland scent.  barely edible.  I brewed up a lot of barbecue sauce to choke him down    if you get one that old, let me know, I'll send a recipe.

[IOWA DON]

Here is an ugly tooth photo of the one I just shot. The South Carolina DNR info on aging deer shows the rear molars getting worn down to the level of the rear premolar at 5-1/2 years. On this they are worn down more than the rear premolar.

[Squib]

I don't do the teeth on mine, so I have no experience, or opinion.... except that if you do a european mount you need to send it to a dentist for cleaning before you mount it on your wall, that plaque is heinous 

at this point I think you did well, and need to worry about YOUR teeth on HIS flesh.

[IOWA DON]

SQUIB - I get my teeth cleaned twice a year and had one deer done in a European mount, but my wife don't like bones so I didn't get to hang it in the house. My son has a bad sense of smell so doesn't mind a raunchy tasting buck and he gets the back straps from the bucks I shoot and the rest of the meat gets given to the "feed the hungry". This deer with its little pixie nose still looks like a very young one, but the teeth look really old. This next week i take out my son-in-law and grandson and hope they can get the biggest buck in the county. This grandson is 14 years old and has shot six antler-less deer so far but has not yet got a buck. We will see what happens. - DON

[Squib]

I wasn't saying YOU need the dentist, but that the deer needed it before mounting.  I was saying that you needed "to worry about your teeth on his flesh" because his teeth make him look old, which means musky meat. 

I talked to my wife about mounting the next one I get euro style, she says no.  I let her call the shots on a lot of things, but I'm gonna just "surprise" her if I ever get a booner, and have it installed into the wall when she's gone shopping. 

six antlerless, man I've only got two this year, he's doing well!  good luck on the next ones and that good meat they're carrying.

[IOWA DON]

SQUIB - That's six antlerless deer so far in his lifetime (six during the past two January rifle seasons), not so far this year. He couldn't go Saturday and yesterday got no shots at a buck, but there is still next weekend. I always give away meat from a buck as the strong taste is not to my liking. I also give away most of the does I shoot as we have the "feed the hungry" program here in Iowa. My wife had said she didn't want any animal mounts hanging in the house but I surprised her. I'd shot an antelope and dropped the head off at the taxidermist on the way home from Wyoming. After it was done she had gone shopping so I picked up the mount and hung it on the family room wall before she got home. I was surprised that she thought it looked nice and went well in the room. Now we've got a different antelope (larger horns) and a deer in the family room, a moose in the living room, and several deer antlers on plaques in the basement workout room. - DON

[SHOOTALL]

That looks like an old deer .  Glad the jaw bone worked.