Just got 3 pics of a COW of a buck! Out at 8pm...silly ole fella thinks hes got it made walkn around whenever he wants. He looks

[Trynabahuntr]

Just got 3 pics of a COW of a buck! Out at 8pm...silly ole fella thinks hes got it made walkn around whenever he wants. He looks to be at minimum 10 pts. How old do you think this deer is? He lives in the fields next to the industrial property i own that never gets hunted so there are LOTS of does and ive seen atleast 3 bucks including this one. If i shoot him will it effect the deer herd population?

[DEER30]

It is hard to tell his age without seeing a photo of the deer, knowing where you are, available food sources, etc. You can not judge a deer's age reliably by his rack as rack size is highly variable year to year, nutritional resources, genetics etc. In general, racks tend to increase in size with age until the buck peaks at 6 1/2 - 71/2 yrs of age. You may want to check this out www.deer30outdoors.com/how-old-is-he/

If he is as big as you say he is, my guess is that he is a mature deer over 3 1/2 (complete blind guess).

Taking bucks do not effect deer herd populations. Does do. If you take a buck, you lose one deer and quite often another buck looking for a new territory may take his place. By harvesting does, your losing the offspring for years to come. A mature doe will typically give birth to twins and in good years triplets. So population growth or reduction really lies with the does.

Hope you find this helpful.

[Treestand]

Great guess by DEER30, I would guess 3 1/2 to 5 1/2Yrs of age, you will also lose his Genetics Transfers down the road.

[Trynabahuntr]

Would you shoot him if you had the chance? Or let him make more babies?

[jhjimbo]

After the rut the does have already been bred.

[DEER30]

I would shoot. The funny thing about genetics is that unless you are on a private ranch with high fences, you won't make a dent in the genetics of a free-range deer herd. Inferior bucks cruise just like trophies do and always sneak in a little nookie time each season. Taking one inferior buck out of the herd just opens the door for another.

Your best bet to maximize antler/trophy deer in your area is to allow them to reach the genetic potential they already possess. Let your young bucks alone and by selecting older mature deer, you will increase the number of bucks and create a better age class of bucks in your area. but this will need to be endorsed by your neighbors, otherwise as soon as he crosses the fence he will be fair game.

[Gary Devine]

Post the buck's photo on the Field and Stream Trophy Room.
We can then give you a closer age of your trail cam buck.