Roe buck age

If you're not able to do better than that then that's quite OK teyhan but don't get uptight when others with a better knowledge of things can. No one said that you needed to do better on a cull plan point of view but the OP has asked so why not educate him/her and us all with your opinion? It cost's nothing except a minute of your time which you have already spent criticising the post. You do it every time the subject comes up for some reason?
Oh yes. and I don't believe that you have seen a yearling (10 months old?) like that either!
Well you can believe me or not, it makes no difference to me. But a client did shoot a 6pt above the ears yearling clean in late April. How could you tell it was a yearling. Tooth eruption.
With regards to the buck, he’s young. 2 err on the side of 3. Coat change earlier than an old buck. Thin-ish neck. Body not completely filled out. Truth is I don’t know.
He’s a young buck.
 
Well you can believe me or not, it makes no difference to me. But a client did shoot a 6pt above the ears yearling clean in late April. How could you tell it was a yearling. Tooth eruption.
With regards to the buck, he’s young. 2 err on the side of 3. Coat change earlier than an old buck. Thin-ish neck. Body not completely filled out. Truth is I don’t know.
He’s a young buck.
1. I don't believe you.
2. What has 6 points got to do with anything? I can take you to an area in Hampshire where you can't shoot anything less than 6 points as all the kids grow 6 point first heads. Yes, I think we all know that 3 cusp 3rd pre-molar means 13 months or less but thanks for that!
3. To age accurately you need to look at the head and body together. The coronets are still flat on top of the head with no slope so not a 3rd head. The jaw is clearly long enough to have adult teeth so not a yearly. It's neck is also too thick to be a yearling and it's clearly too muscular in general to be a 10 month old that has just got through it's first winter and having been eating poor food for half of it's life. Hence it's nearly 2 years old and is why I say that you can't have seen a yearlings looking this.
4. Good luck with the move. There's going to be lots of lucky stalkers able to now start managing all of your land! :tiphat:
 
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1. I don't believe you.
2. What has 6 points got to do with anything? I can take you to an area in Hampshire where you can't shoot anything less than 6 points as all the kids grow 6 point first heads. Yes, I think we all know that 3 cusp 3rd pre-molar means 13 months or less but thanks for that!
3. To age accurately you need to look at the head and body together. The coronets are still flat on top of the head with no slope so not a 3rd head. The jaw is clearly long enough to have adult teeth so not a yearly. It's neck is also too thick to be a yearling and it's clearly too muscular in general to be a 10 month old that has just got through it's first winter and having been eating poor food for half of it's life. Hence it's nearly 2 years old and is why I say that you can't have seen a yearlings looking this.
4. Good luck with the move. There's going to be lots of lucky stalkers able to now start managing all of your land! :tiphat:
Ok
 
Oh, stop being such a PITA. You know perfectly well what I was getting at.

But, since you seem intent on trying to discredit me . . . . .

The buck in my photo I would estimate at around 4-5 yo. Why? Well, apart from the grey extending over his head (known as 'muffelfleck' in German, incidentally? Yearlings and younger bucks don't have this), his neck is particularly thick (indicative of an older buck), the pedicles are large, close to the skull, and almost touching, the antler beams are heavily-pearled and fairly thick, the velvet is already almost gone from the antler, and his colouring is still muted and grey (younger bucks will colour up at the neck earlier. Generally) Added to that, his general demeanour, behaviour, and the fact it's taken me over a fortnight to get a chance of a shot at him . . . . .

And he showed me his birth certificate

I think your buck is older than your estimate looking at your photo it appears that the outer edges of the pedicles are
sloping downwards this hardly ever happens before a bucks sixth year.
 
Aye, 30 years shooting deer, 25 of them almost exclusively on Roe and 20 of those with clients in tow.
Clearly I must try harder.
Some people gain knowledge with experience and some don't I guess? Ageing is quite basic stuff though most guides would be expected to know it and be able to pass that knowledge on to their clients. :oops:
 
Some people gain knowledge with experience and some don't I guess? Ageing is quite basic stuff though most guides would be expected to know it and be able to pass that knowledge on to their clients. :oops:
It’ll be because most people who’ve been at it long enough, will know that aging a deer is just a wild stab in the dark unless it lives in an enclosure where you saw it born and then ear tagged it.
Experts have looked at tooth sections before and come up with different ages of + or - 2year of a known age deer. That means that at the worst you could be 2 years out on an animal that in general will only reach a maximum age of 8-9 (Roe)
Thus, age class, based on body characteristics is a much better way forward and you’ll have less chance of making yourself look like a tit.
 
..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................tit.
There's absolutely no doubt that saying that you have seen yearlings like that has put you in the ^ category! :lol:

“It is better to keep silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubts.” Dr. Arthur Burns,

Are you sure it wasn't you in tow of the client? You really shouldn't tell people that you used to be a guide. It gives the industry a bad name!
 
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There's absolutely no doubt that saying that you have seen yearlings like that has put you in the ^ category! :lol:

“It is better to keep silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubts.” Dr. Arthur Burns,

Are you sure it wasn't you in tow of the client? You really shouldn't tell people that you used to be a guide. It gives the industry a bad name!
Take your own advice
 
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Still looking for a trophy buck. Managed to photo two more. I'd say the buck on the first pic is younger than the one on the second pics? But they both seem quite young.
 

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Still looking for a trophy buck. Managed to photo two more. I'd say the buck on the first pic is younger than the one on the second pics? But they both seem quite young.
1st pic young
2nd pic middle aged

What size area do you have?
What is the population there?
 
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