The buck in this week’s “Age This Buck” article is a nice 8-pointer from the croplands of Northern Illinois.
Give it your best shot at guessing the age of this deer, then take a look at what our experts think!
This buck exhibits a fairly enlarged neck almost equivalent in size to the body cavity. There are also some obvious wrinkles in the skin at the junction point where it meets the chest cavity at the top, developed from years of expansion. From a broadside view, an ever so slight drop in the skin located below the jaw becomes evident. I would have to call him a four-year-old.
This buck is a little tricky. His belly appears to be more filled out, however, I look at the build of his front end and notice room from growth where his neck meets his brisket. I believe he is a fat and happy 3.5-year-old buck.
This is a prime example of a big, Northern Illinois 3-year-old. As you can see in the October photos, he's just not quite at what a 4-year-old buck would look like in this part of the country. Still has some room to fill out in his neck and his front shoulders are still about the same height as his back hips. Despite sporting a pretty good rack, I can't wait to see the jump that this buck will take from 3 to 4 years old.
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Expert Opinions
Bob Zaiglin
Kurt Thorsen
