Got one

Congrats. How old do you think he is? Are you getting it mounted or European?
I was set on a European but the wife is insisting on a shoulder mount for the cabin, she says he is "good looking". How do I argue with that?

I'm guessing that he is 3.5 but I really don't know. All of the yearling bucks from the area that we have weighed have been 105-110. This one was 149. Seems to have more mass, neck size, and body weight than the 2.5's in our area. Anyone with thoughts on age please share.
 
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That one side is really cool. Have you seen bucks in prior years with similar bonus points/palmation?
We seem to have a fair amount with split/forked tips on their G2's but I've never seen anything like this in person or on camera that I remember.
 
Congrats!
 
Hard to tell as deer are different from area to area, but on our farm he would be borderline 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 from field judging. I'd suggest having the taxidermist pull the jawbone and save it for you. You can have it aged by a department biologist that sees a lot of jawbones in your area. I like the idea of sealing a jaw bone with polyurethane and mounting it. I find shooting a mature buck with a bow and accomplishment regardless of antler size. The jaw bone is as much of a trophy for me as the mount!

Thanks,

Jack
 
Congrats! Awesome deer, thanks for sharing the story!!!
 
Update.... Taxidermist felt he was 3.5-4.5 based on jawbone wear, and he was leaning towards 4.5. I sent the incisors in and got the results a couple weeks ago, 4.5. While age is obviously important in growing big racks, sandy non-fertile ground like mine just does not put out many bucks that score well.
 
let's see the mount!
 
Update.... Taxidermist felt he was 3.5-4.5 based on jawbone wear, and he was leaning towards 4.5. I sent the incisors in and got the results a couple weeks ago, 4.5. While age is obviously important in growing big racks, sandy non-fertile ground like mine just does not put out many bucks that score well.

Tough getting a buck to 3.5 in our area, getting to 4.5 is huge. Congrats on out smarting a pretty smart buck :emoji_wink:
 
Tough getting a buck to 3.5 in our area, getting to 4.5 is huge. Congrats on out smarting a pretty smart buck :emoji_wink:

Not to mention in the October Lull. I thought I read somewhere that all bucks crawled into caves during the October Lull and were unkillable.
 
Not to mention in the October Lull. I thought I read somewhere that all bucks crawled into caves during the October Lull and were unkillable.
October cold front! Think I first heard about it from a guy whose last name is associated with a motorcycle rally :emoji_wink:. Two years in a row it has worked for me. Hopefully this year makes three, I'll be watching the weather very closely around Oct. 15th-20th.
 
October cold front! Think I first heard about it from a guy whose last name is associated with a motorcycle rally :emoji_wink:. Two years in a row it has worked for me. Hopefully this year makes three, I'll be watching the weather very closely around Oct. 15th-20th.
I had my best encounter 10-22 last year. Cold front it is...
 
Outstanding! Congrats!
 
That's a great looking mount! Real nice work.
 
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