Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk Serious Deer Talk Forum 4 year old bucks

I've passed on several small bucks this year and prior years. This year, I DIDN'T pass on an 8 point which came out and was noticeably different than the others. He was dark, long, weighed around 175 lbs. My 11 year son was with me and it was a great experience. He didn't want to shoot but begged me too. That being said, I was hesitant in shooting him because I knew he was what i consider borderline for what I'm hunting. State did a random CWD test, pulled the jaw bone and aged him at 4 1/2. My point is, a 4 year old has a hard time making it in the woods of Alabama. Don't get me wrong, my son was over the top excited and I was also. It just made me think about judgement and patience while hunting. I felt somewhat conflicted, but so proud of a memory made.

A 4 YO buck in the rut often appears to be a 5-6 YO - especially if it's colder weather and he's bristled up. I've got two 4 YO's that has gotten a pass this year that probably wouldn't make it on most leases.

Its all about the neighbors and the club/lease you are in. We are part of a fairly large cooperative where we strive to only shoot 4.5yr and older. Believe its been active for about 7-8yrs now... Even that said, with the few 3yr olds that get smoked across the cooperative, a mature 4yr+ is not standing behind every tree.

On some properties having a 4+ YO is a dang near impossibility. We are incredibly efficient at killing deer now and have a ridiculously long season. You won’t have them unless you purposefully try to. Neighbors neighbors neighbors. They’ll make or break that endeavor on almost any size property that’s attainable today.

We use to only try and shoot 4yr olds at the house except kid’s first. Now we can barely get one to 3 and when we did let them go to 4 after bachelor break up, we may not have but 1-2 that or over the rest of the year. If you can shoot 4 plus you’re in the minority in most places now.

If they make it to 4yo around here, theyhave a pretty good chance of dying of old age. The level of wisdom grows leaps and bounds every year. A 4yo buck knows how to stay alive.

I am guilty of misjudging deer pretty often. I have killed some very nice looking three year olds. and Honestly, I do not know a way around it.

In the places I hunt(99% public land) it is VERY thick, I can see a rack coming through the palmettos and 9 times out of 10, the buck will only get in a hole where I can see his entire body for a second or two. I can either spend that time sizing him up or shooting at him.

I have made the mistake in both directions. they have got in a hole and I've taken the shot only to later regret it, AND conversely I have let them get by me and thought "oh dang that was a nice one I should've taken him. I really don't know what to do differently. because both mistakes feel equally bad

Good post. It is totally different than when I get to look at a buck, maybe a few times, in a wheat field and examine both body and behavior. But props to you…I’ve probably lost a lot of the skill it requires to take a 3 year old on public land.

We need to go back to the days when the bar for a “trophy” was a high scoring rack and not just anything over 3 years old……..

Im a fan of trying to kill the best around. Thatll be different here than it is over there. And a youngun might catch a bullet if its been a while. I grew up if its brown its down. Im much more refined now. My brother and i were indiscriminate killers. We just liked to make things stop breathing. Ive tried to raise my son to be different. I saw the error of my ways.

Congrats auman!!! Savor the experience with your son and don't beat yourself up. I've had much more regret passing those deer only to have them wind up on someone else's tailgate, than I have on the ones I or my kids have decided to kill.

Matt hits the nail on the head again. In today's Alabama deer hunting world, if you are only gonna hunt and kill bucks 5 and older, unfortunately you will have lots of years with nothing to hunt. Ask me how I know.
Location, location, location and even then, luck, luck, luck on keeping one alive long enough.

This is the truth if its ever been spoken.

I deal with this exact situation every single year.

So very frustrating.

Every deer i had over 4 dissapeared before gun season from cameras - day or night and the good 4 rarely shows

I’ve got a couple 4 yo that I’ve told everyone to not shoot. As of this weekend they are still alive. Neighbors are in agreement for the most part

We have all been guilty of that. Which is why I argue cameras are actually a net positive for growing big deer, even though it seems the majority believe it’s the opposite. Yes they can help pattern and kill a big buck, but more importantly they let a mature buck hunter know what is on the property and identify shooters, non-shooters, and the target buck(s) worth holding out for. Going in blind, you are much more likely to make a rushed decision to kill the first decent buck you see.

And my argument is the last case scenario is better than the targeted removal of the higher end young deer, which is what is happening on more properties than not. They’re great if everyone is on board. If one rogue actor decides to use them beside you it can get bad quick.

Camera saved one three year-old that was running a doe in front of me this year. Without a camera, he would not have made it. That said, I would have been proud of him if I would’ve shot. If you are a weekend hunter like me and are targeting four-year-old and older bucks, you need to be prepared to go multiple years in between shot opportunities. I have only shot two in the last eight years and I am fine with that.

There are a lot of clubs that don't even have a single 4 year old on them.

Indeed.

JWalker this is as true of a statement as I've ever read regarding buck hunting/harvesting, especially in Bama.
My experience has been once they hit 4 they just have learned to survive like no other mammal I've ever hunted.