Only real way is to look at the teeth and age him - look at the molars and if they re worn out he is a relly old boy. Also you need to know your deer and follow them year on year. But difficult to ask a buck to come and show you his teeth before you shoot him. In the field age of a deer is much more an impression and lot of it has to do with their behaviour posture etc.
Young bucks - still small, but energetic and sprightly - head alert, move easily etc. Face still quite round and babyish.
As they mature they get bigger in the body, but they look strong and fit, big pert haunches, solid muscular neck etc and antlers tend to be nice and thick and solid looking.
When they start going back they don't loose size but they loose condition. There movements are stiffer, head is carried lower and all that all powerful muscle tends to decline and turn to flab around the belly etc - ie just like us. In terms of antlers, they don't really loose the length, but what they loose is the weight.
Have a look at the mount done for me by Monarch on this site - http://www.thestalkingdirectory.co.uk/showthread.php?15308-Bronze-medal-Roe-buck-just-completed. He was probably past his prime for the ground over which I shoot. He was massive in the body, but his antlers are bit skinny - if I had shot him a year earlier his antlers could well have been a bit more solid.[/QUOTE
That is a cracking mount !
Only real way is to look at the teeth and age him - look at the molars and if they re worn out he is a relly old boy. Also you need to know your deer and follow them year on year. But difficult to ask a buck to come and show you his teeth before you shoot him. In the field age of a deer is much more an impression and lot of it has to do with their behaviour posture etc.
Young bucks - still small, but energetic and sprightly - head alert, move easily etc. Face still quite round and babyish.
As they mature they get bigger in the body, but they look strong and fit, big pert haunches, solid muscular neck etc and antlers tend to be nice and thick and solid looking.
When they start going back they don't loose size but they loose condition. There movements are stiffer, head is carried lower and all that all powerful muscle tends to decline and turn to flab around the belly etc - ie just like us. In terms of antlers, they don't really loose the length, but what they loose is the weight.
Have a look at the mount done for me by Monarch on this site - http://www.thestalkingdirectory.co.uk/showthread.php?15308-Bronze-medal-Roe-buck-just-completed. He was probably past his prime for the ground over which I shoot. He was massive in the body, but his antlers are bit skinny - if I had shot him a year earlier his antlers could well have been a bit more solid.
Head carry and general shape and behaviour give clues to likely age of a buck, as posted previously ,sloping coronets and weakening antlers give another clue if your close enough to see them clearly. But be aware a poorer head on a bodily strong buck can be the result of a bad season weather wise or injury ,not neccisarily going back. A kind winter and spring with less competition for food can mean a buck having a strong head one year a weak head the next and back to a strong or improving head the following season.
It's definitely worth getting to know the resident deer and their territories. You'll the be in a good position to judge and recognize travelling bucks that are moving through.
Thanks for all the replies. It strikes me that as an occasional stalker, still learning and mostly going out on accompanied stalks, that it is going to be some time before I will be able to make these judgements for myself. Still I am enjoying all of this, and get out as often as I can spare either the time or more recently the money.
Out of interest, how did the term "going back" come about?
I'm just rushing by - but in general - if you can get hold of DeNahlic's book he gives some nice pictures and drawings on the various deer ages. - postures, shapes and antler conformation etc..
All will come to you in time.
You will find on the SD that many stalkers get as much enjoyment out of shooting deer with a camera and not just with a rifle.
basil.