Generalities of old vs young bucks?

Justin_the_EDG

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
May 28, 2017
Messages
111
Location
New Mexico
Been looking through the many "score my..." or "guess the score..." posts, trying to develop an eye for what is a mature buck vs a younger one. Unfortunately, no one posts pictures of anything under 170ish it seems. I'm not trying to be a pro field judge, nor am I trying to nail down the 180+ class with the intent of starting a career as the next Jason Carter or Robby Denning. More just trying to understand what is mature or not, and to better be able to describe any deer I might see this fall.

Would love to see pictures with an "-ish" score attached (I think a year estimate would be cool too, but understand it's a complete guess unless a lab is involved). Everything from kid forkies to the kind of big bucks that are usually displayed on Rokslide. I think it would really help new hunters get an idea of what's what. I also suspect that some aspiring hunters might realize that they don't really need to "hold out" for bigger bucks if they see how cool & representative some of the more average bucks can be. Heck, even just to learn what the average buck being taken looks like, as opposed to the supermodel racks we see in magazines.

If I'm missing a pertinent thread, feel free to punt me in the right direction.
 
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Justin_the_EDG

Justin_the_EDG

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
May 28, 2017
Messages
111
Location
New Mexico
Just found a remarkably similar thread over on the Hunt Talk forum. Has a few different images. Link below if anyone else is interested.

Mule Deer Scoring/Pictures

Wytx, thanks for the pictures! For some reason, though, I can only see the last image (of the 4.5yo). I'm really impressed with how big and heavy his body looks already. Is that unusual for his age? Or have I just only ever been seeing 2-3yo skinny-necked, flat-bellied bucks?
 

wytx

WKR
Joined
Feb 2, 2017
Messages
2,073
Location
Wyoming
That was during the rut big time. They really bulk up then. This area has no agriculture. My other pics won't load even though they show up in preview.
 
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