Early evening buck

Set out last evening just to have a look round to see what we could, quite a nice evening and looking for the couple of Roe does frequenting an area. The one has a single kid and was on a grass margin but due to the height of the wheat and barley unable to see what was with the other, so hoping to find out.
We have been leaving the Roe alone as they cause us no problems, not having new plantations or crops they really eat.
Travelling along a track my young friend did a very quick halt saying "There's a Roe in the wheat about 100 yards away". I hadn't seen it and it had disappeared, but after a few seconds it's head came up and enabled us to see it was a buck. It hadn't noticed us and it was now you see me now you don't for a while. We both agreed it was an old boy with quite strange antlers (later seen as the eruption of small points 5 in all) on various parts of the normal structure.
We watched him for half an hour in which he didn't seem to move very far. A strange one as over that period he only moved about five yards towards the track still going down to feed and popping his head up occasionally. We decided something was up and agreed if he came out onto the track I would take him. He appeared in the open slowly and I popped one in his chest which dropped him on the spot. We got to him to find he had a freshly smashed knee joint with fresh blood on it and was indeed an old boy in not the best condition. A quick gralloch by the small river, a handy place to wash, and within ten minutes he was in the chiller. A good beast to remove and allow a non injured buck to come when the ladies called.

 

[willie_gunn]

Well done.

Did you grab a picture of the injured knee by any chance?

 

[Stalker62]

We got to him to find he had a freshly smashed knee joint with fresh blood on it and was indeed an old boy in not the best condition.

Nice one to take, especially if he was badly injured.

 

[Ratel]

Well done.

Did you grab a picture of the injured knee by any chance?

No, my young mate didn't get one of the head either, I thought he had. Gave the whole thing away to a stick dresser. The leg looked like either a RTA or caught in something sharp and then twisted.

 

[Stevie/P]

Two old boys indeed!!
I’m sure he had a productive life nicely done sir.

 

[Ratel]

No, my young mate didn't get one of the head either, I thought he had. Gave the whole thing away to a stick dresser. The leg looked like either a RTA or caught in something sharp and then twisted.

Apologies Willie he took a head picture.

 

[willie_gunn]

Apologies Willie he took a head picture.

Thanks - as you say, very interesting brow points

 

[baguio]

Apologies Willie he took a head picture.

Interesting head but not old! Not grey. Very long pedicles. Flat coronets. Looks about 3 years old to me. Even the body looks like that of a young deer. Clearly it's a good cull if it was injured but what makes you think that it's old, Ratel?
Anyone else think that it looks old?

 

[potshotpat]

With that moustache he's definitely pre 1970s

 

[hendrix's rifle]

Surprised you can find your rifle after you put it on the floor...
Good effort

 

[Ratel]

Tr

With that moustache he's definitely pre 1970's

Try early 40's you'll be about right. Many have tried, but despite that I'm still here, some of them ain't, circa late 60:s.

 

[Keith Edmunds]

Apologies Willie he took a head picture.

Lovely interesting head that.

 

[Keith Edmunds]

Interesting head but not old! Not grey. Very long pedicles. Flat coronets. Looks about 3 years old to me. Even the body looks like that of a young deer. Clearly it's a good cull if it was injured but what makes you think that it's old, Ratel?
Anyone else think that it looks old?

I think it might have been Richard Prior who said that only the man who boils the head can accurately age a deer

 

[baguio]

I think it might have been Richard Prior who said that only the man who boils the head can accurately age a deer

I doubt it? You don't need to boil the head to take a tooth out.
Regardless, that is a youngster. The pedicle loses 1mm of length approx with every casting as you well know. Therefore an old buck would have short pedicles. Everything about that buck screams young and yet the poster claims to have once been a professional so you would think would have some degree of knowledge? No wonder this industry is so f****** up.
If one person can tell me a single thing about that deer that suggests age, I will listen. I'm not to stubborn as to be prepared to learn! I posted 15hrs ago and no one has yet though.
Lots of people come on here to learn stuff. How can they learn when such horlicks is posted on such a regular basis by the same old people who live on here 20 hrs a day and try to bully everyone else into submission?

 

[Keith Edmunds]

I doubt it? You don't need to boil the head to take a tooth out.
Regardless, that is a youngster. The pedicle loses 1mm of length approx with every casting as you well know. Therefore an old buck would have short pedicles. Everything about that buck screams young and yet the poster claims to have once been a professional so you would think would have some degree of knowledge? No wonder this industry is so f****** up.
If one person can tell me a single thing about that deer that suggests age, I will listen. I'm not to stubborn as to be prepared to learn! I posted 15hrs ago and no one has yet though.
Lots of people come on here to learn stuff. How can they learn when such horlicks is posted on such a regular basis by the same old people who live on here 20 hrs a day and try to bully everyone else into submission?

What do you doubt?

 

[Nickb]

Interesting head but not old! Not grey. Very long pedicles. Flat coronets. Looks about 3 years old to me. Even the body looks like that of a young deer. Clearly it's a good cull if it was injured but what makes you think that it's old, Ratel?
Anyone else think that it looks old?

You are spot on , that's not an old buck. As you say about 3 years old which I agree with.
Just looking at the body alone it is obviously a young animal.

 

[baguio]

What do you doubt?

That you need to boil out a head to accurately age it. Tooth sectioning is the only truly accurate way and that only requires a tooth.

 

[Keith Edmunds]

That you need to boil out a head to accurately age it. Tooth sectioning is the only truly accurate way and that only requires a tooth.

I have read about sectioning the first molar and that it can be used as per ageing a tree but I have never seen a series of images of it done. I agree with your view on the pedicle length but I also stand by the fact that accurately aging roebucks is difficult other than - young - medium -old.

Please enlighten us more - other than what we've all read in books - about 'accurate' aging? And by that I mean 1 yr old, 2 yr old right up to, let's say 8 yr old?

Me...I'll just stick with young/middle/old until I am absolutely sure - which I am not currently.

 

[Keith Edmunds]

You are spot on , that's not an old buck. As you say about 3 years old which I agree with.
Just looking at the body alone it is obviously a young animal.

I would also guess about 3 or 4 yrs. I also think that's around middle age as I doubt many bucks live beyond 6-8 yrs - which I would personally class as old.

 

[Stevie/P]

Best guess on this one then age that is