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"That's a good, mature buck!" #2960479
11/18/19 05:09 PM
11/18/19 05:09 PM
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 51,936
Over Yonder
C
Clem Offline OP
Mildly Quirky
Clem  Offline OP
Mildly Quirky
C
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 51,936
Over Yonder

When you guys kill a buck do you age it by taking out the jawbone and giving the molars a good once-over, even if that's not the most 100% best way to age deer?

Or do you look at a little gray in the face and maybe a torn ear or broken tine tip and pronounce it "mature" without aging otherwise?

I see this sometimes, and especially with does. "That's an old, mature doe. See how her ear flops over?"

What's your mechanism for aging a buck or doe to keep accurate records for your property or club?


"Hunting Politics are stupid!" - Farm Hunter

"Bible says you shouldn't put sugar in your cornbread." Dustin, 2013

"Best I can figure 97.365% of the general public is a paint chip eating, mouth breathing, certified dumbass." BCLC, 2020
Re: "That's a good, mature buck!" [Re: Clem] #2960481
11/18/19 05:11 PM
11/18/19 05:11 PM
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 41,953
UR 6
top cat Offline
Freak of Nature
top cat  Offline
Freak of Nature
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 41,953
UR 6
Jawbone


LUCK:::; When presistence, dedication, perspiration and preparation meet up with opportunity!!!
- - - - - - - -A government big enough to give you everything you want, is big enough to take everything you have. Thomas Jeferson - - - - - - - -
Re: "That's a good, mature buck!" [Re: Clem] #2960483
11/18/19 05:13 PM
11/18/19 05:13 PM
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 7,936
Right behind you
Mbrock Offline
Fancy
Mbrock  Offline
Fancy
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 7,936
Right behind you
Combination of history/body characteristics and jawbone. Most of the ones we kill we have several years of pics of.

Re: "That's a good, mature buck!" [Re: Clem] #2960486
11/18/19 05:21 PM
11/18/19 05:21 PM
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 21,751
USA
R
Remington270 Offline
Freak of Nature
Remington270  Offline
Freak of Nature
R
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 21,751
USA
Body size for bucks. I don't kill does, and don't pay attention to their age.

Re: "That's a good, mature buck!" [Re: Clem] #2960488
11/18/19 05:24 PM
11/18/19 05:24 PM
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 14,049
Chilton County
M
MarksOutdoors Offline
Booner
MarksOutdoors  Offline
Booner
M
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 14,049
Chilton County
I'm no expert at all, but neck size, belly sway, muzzle color.


"The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him."
-G. K. Chesterton
Re: "That's a good, mature buck!" [Re: Clem] #2960491
11/18/19 05:31 PM
11/18/19 05:31 PM
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 7,705
Montgomery, AL
Hunting-231 Offline
14 point
Hunting-231  Offline
14 point
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 7,705
Montgomery, AL
We haven't pulled jawbones in years, but we used to send them off to the biologist (back when we had doe tags). We provide live weight and record the sex (with number of points if buck) and IF the doe is lactating.

Bucks, more often than not - based on size (not a good indicator (the bucks in Montgomery County generally weigh a little more) - 175-ish 3-1/2, 190-ish 4-1/5, 200+- 5-1/2+). I've never used gray as an indicator. When I hunted Montgomery County - we had pictures of most of the deer we would kill, so we had some photographic reference before pulling the trigger. During the rut - all bets are off on the weight. I killed a very large 8-point several years ago that was pretty light (182) for his frame, the taxidermist jawbone aged him at 5-1/2+ - I have the jawbone somewhere around the house that if I can find it, I'll post the picture.

Does - I normally open their mouths and run my finger across their teeth and check the sharpness, wear, and enamel. This is also not a good indicator based on soil type, but in Montgomery and Bullock county - the soil is not sandy, so I don't expect excessive wear from what they eat.

I personally have never used ears as an indicator


"The struggle you're in today, is developing the strength you need for tomorrow."
Re: "That's a good, mature buck!" [Re: Clem] #2960499
11/18/19 05:42 PM
11/18/19 05:42 PM
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 2,640
Sweet Home Alabama
H
hosscat Offline
10 point
hosscat  Offline
10 point
H
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 2,640
Sweet Home Alabama
I age bucks based on body size and shapes, like many others have said I normally have pictures that help with accurately aging bucks. I don't age does, never have really. A lot of times I decide to shoot a doe based on if she starts blowing for no reason at all.

Re: "That's a good, mature buck!" [Re: Clem] #2960504
11/18/19 05:47 PM
11/18/19 05:47 PM
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 8,032
Huntsville
jono23 Offline
14 point
jono23  Offline
14 point
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 8,032
Huntsville
Usually check their wallet for an ID.

I've never killed a buck I wanted to know the age, but my old club did jaw bones for does too so I just went off that.

Re: "That's a good, mature buck!" [Re: Clem] #2960510
11/18/19 06:01 PM
11/18/19 06:01 PM
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 9,111
B'ham
Goatkiller Offline
14 point
Goatkiller  Offline
14 point
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 9,111
B'ham

I just don't think pulling the jawbone is necessary we all know what a mature deer looks like.

I might be a 14 inch spike on one side or a nice symetrical 10pt. Is it 4 yo or 5 yo? Who cares. You should be astonished it made it past 3 without taking a bullet.

It ain't a 4 inch 4 point.

Reality says - Not a lot of guesswork involved.


No government employees were harmed in the making of this mess.
Re: "That's a good, mature buck!" [Re: Remington270] #2960587
11/18/19 07:14 PM
11/18/19 07:14 PM
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 16,805
Banana Republic
jb20 Offline
Old Mossy Horns
jb20  Offline
Old Mossy Horns
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 16,805
Banana Republic
Originally Posted by Remington270
Body size for bucks. I don't kill does, and don't pay attention to their age.

Pretty much my thinking I can 1 2 and 3+ just cant distinguish differnce over 3 so once they hit 3 they mature to me 😃


They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.
Ben Franklin
Re: "That's a good, mature buck!" [Re: Clem] #2960609
11/18/19 07:37 PM
11/18/19 07:37 PM
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 11,635
Longwood, FL
J
jlbuc10 Offline
Booner
jlbuc10  Offline
Booner
J
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 11,635
Longwood, FL
I’ve never pulled a jawbone on a mature buck I’ve killed. Scared I’d mess the cape up for the mount. I’ve never killed a mature “cull” that wasn’t going on my wall.

Re: "That's a good, mature buck!" [Re: Goatkiller] #2960621
11/18/19 07:50 PM
11/18/19 07:50 PM
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 6,095
Anniston, AL
ikillbux Offline
ishootatbux
ikillbux  Offline
ishootatbux
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 6,095
Anniston, AL
Originally Posted by Goatkiller

I just don't think pulling the jawbone is necessary we all know what a mature deer looks like.

I might be a 14 inch spike on one side or a nice symetrical 10pt. Is it 4 yo or 5 yo? Who cares. You should be astonished it made it past 3 without taking a bullet.

It ain't a 4 inch 4 point.

Reality says - Not a lot of guesswork involved.


Same. It's really not scientific to me, I guess I just know it when I see it. And the way I hunt I don't normally have the leisure of viewing that deer for any length of time, I hunt a military base mostly and it's all big woods and cutovers. Lots of times the deer might've been jumped. It's usually just "Oh crap, there's a good un, BANG!" Sometimes you get down and walk over to him and there's a little ground shrinkage, maybe he's a 3.5 year old 15" wide 8pt. Next time he's 130" and the biologist says 6+. Those two deer would be fairly distinguishly different on a food plot together, relaxed with plenty of binocular time. But most of us can't / won't tell them apart slipping through a chest high cutover at 100 yards, going in the direction of that other guy's headlamp you saw this morning. Hurry up, BANG!!! But for me there's just no scenario where I'm gonna shoot a piss willy, those deer are always obvious.


We were on the edge of Eternia, when the power of Greyskull began to take hold.
Re: "That's a good, mature buck!" [Re: Clem] #2960622
11/18/19 07:51 PM
11/18/19 07:51 PM
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 19,608
Pelham
Ben2 Offline
Old Mossy Horns
Ben2  Offline
Old Mossy Horns
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 19,608
Pelham
We have pics of all our bucks every year and keep up with what bucks make it through each year. We are yet to kill one we dont know.

Re: "That's a good, mature buck!" [Re: jlbuc10] #2960659
11/18/19 08:25 PM
11/18/19 08:25 PM
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 52,010
Gee's Bend/At The Hog Pen
James Offline
Freak of Nature
James  Offline
Freak of Nature
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 52,010
Gee's Bend/At The Hog Pen
Originally Posted by jlbuc10
I’ve never pulled a jawbone on a mature buck I’ve killed. Scared I’d mess the cape up for the mount. I’ve never killed a mature “cull” that wasn’t going on my wall.


That's why you get a Taxidermist to pull it after he's caped it 😀


How many people am i willing to sacrifice for freedom?
Everyone. All of them...

Do not regret growing older, it's a privilege denied to many!

Re: "That's a good, mature buck!" [Re: Clem] #2960664
11/18/19 08:29 PM
11/18/19 08:29 PM
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 38,489
N. Bama
257wbymag Offline
Boo Boo Head
257wbymag  Offline
Boo Boo Head
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 38,489
N. Bama
It’s very simple to pop a jaw bone out on a deer getting caped. Slide the bar down the outside of the both knocking tissue away. Reach back in with loppers and cut bone. Slide bar in back of mouth over the cut bone and it slide right out. Rocky Willamson thought me that way in Dallas county back in the early 90’s. We did it for clients all the time cause we figured once they left we’d never see the jawbone again


Quietly killing turkeys where youre not!!!
My tank full of give a fraks been runnin on empty
I'm the paterfamilias
Re: "That's a good, mature buck!" [Re: Clem] #2960707
11/18/19 08:59 PM
11/18/19 08:59 PM
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 6,613
Moulton,AL
Snuffy Offline
14 point
Snuffy  Offline
14 point
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 6,613
Moulton,AL
I know a mature buck as soon as I see it. No need to pull jaw bones.


If you always do what you've always done you always get what you've always got
Re: "That's a good, mature buck!" [Re: jono23] #2960819
11/18/19 10:14 PM
11/18/19 10:14 PM
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 10,404
Scottsboro, Al
J
jbatey1 Offline
Lucky Bastage
jbatey1  Offline
Lucky Bastage
J
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 10,404
Scottsboro, Al
Originally Posted by jono23
Usually check their wallet for an ID.

I've never killed a buck I wanted to know the age, but my old club did jaw bones for does too so I just went off that.



I don’t have to check their ID after or during the fact. We have a bouncer at the gate that only lets 5.5+ deer into the club. We just know what works for us.


The fool tells me his reasons; the wise man persuades me with my own.
Re: "That's a good, mature buck!" [Re: Clem] #2960833
11/18/19 10:25 PM
11/18/19 10:25 PM
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 6,863
Tuscaloosa
Booger Offline
Picker
Booger  Offline
Picker
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 6,863
Tuscaloosa
Usually by the number of brown paper bags I get from the processor.
3/4 bag=1 yr old
1 - 1 1/4 bag(s)= 2yr old
2 bags=3 yr old
2 + bags= mature(and I was a guest on somebody else’s place)


Pick'n and a grin'n
Re: "That's a good, mature buck!" [Re: Clem] #2960872
11/18/19 11:04 PM
11/18/19 11:04 PM
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,702
Oregon, Land of Umpqua
A
Alagator Offline
8 point
Alagator  Offline
8 point
A
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,702
Oregon, Land of Umpqua
Oregon has a voluntary program where you send them an incisor and they age it and send you back a postcard with the age. I like to keep the cards with the euro mounts I do. They slice that tooth and count the rings. It is a more accurate method than tooth wear, and doesn't risk tearing the hide. The lab procedure is time consuming and expensive, but we pay a lot more for licenses (and tags).

Re: "That's a good, mature buck!" [Re: 257wbymag] #2960897
11/18/19 11:39 PM
11/18/19 11:39 PM
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 13,839
AL
H
hunterbuck Offline
Booner
hunterbuck  Offline
Booner
H
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 13,839
AL
Originally Posted by 257wbymag
It’s very simple to pop a jaw bone out on a deer getting caped. Slide the bar down the outside of the both knocking tissue away. Reach back in with loppers and cut bone. Slide bar in back of mouth over the cut bone and it slide right out. Rocky Willamson thought me that way in Dallas county back in the early 90’s. We did it for clients all the time cause we figured once they left we’d never see the jawbone again


Yup. That's why those removal tools have the one side of the "L" that narrows down toward the end....so it'll fit right down between the cheek and gums.


"You think I care? Roll Damn Tide"

Have you tried Google?
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