Past his Prime Bucks

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sageadvice

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I killed this over the hill buck not too long ago. He was boss buck but losing the war to several other nice bucks fighting over a hot doe. I took him as he was longer thicker bodied and had more mass than the other wider and just as high contenders. Even though he is only about 25" and a "last day buck", i still consider him one of my best because he was on the downhill side of his prime.

Let's see some of your "past his prime" Bucks

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Joey
 
Here's one I killed in 95. He had a monsterous body. It is hard to see in this pic but the 2 point side had a funky twist in it. Was the first major snowstorm of the year, hit his huge track while doing forestry work. Decided to take a short break from work and started tracking the buck. 30 mins later I jumped him out of his bed and killed him at less than 12 yards.
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Both those bucks are way cool guys, trophy bucks, anyone should be proud of. Exactly what i was hoping to see from this thread. Some grandpa bucks revert even farther back to mostly just mass or were never that large to begin with. I think they are interesting as all get out.

Let's see some more??

Joey
 
I know for certain this buck was past his prime. I had watched him for years and had picked up several sets of his sheds. In his best year he grossed 225. He dropped 20 inches in one year and never got it back. I estimate him at 9 years old when I was finally able to kill him.
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BCBOY, I remember seeing a series of photos that you posted of this buck. Mass is certainly the word for that moose racked son of a gun. Unique and Awesome!!! Thanks!

Joey
 
Here's my best over the hill buck. I don't know what he weighed (boned him out), but he was very big bodied. His teeth were worn badly. Been on here before. Wouldn't be too disappointing to run into one like this three point on a UT "Management" hunt.

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Elmer,

I remember that picture from the past, great buck and sure that anyone would have taken him like you too, thanks for the re-post.

Brian
 
Fudd, Stud buck you got there man, yes sir reee! It wouldn't take a management hunt for me to cap that toad buck. I likes em :) Thanks!

Joey
 
Elmer,

That is a smoke'n buck. Looks like he roamed the mountains of Wyoming.... I would not pass that deer on opening day either!

Robb

This buck we chased for years, both photo's are of the same buck two different years
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Yea Elmer I would have loved to see that guy in his prime!!

I dont have any pics of this buck from 06 or 07 but I did see him right after the 07 season. He lost a ton of length on his points (no crab points) and seemed to be just about as wide. I got him on the last day as I was chasin bigger bucks around all season but could not connect. When I saw this guy on the last day I could not pass him up.

Posted this pic before but here it is again. He is just over 33" wide.

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Thank you, Thank You, Thank You!!! 3 more toad grandpa bucks guys!! So pretty, just love to see em, all great examples...

Love to see more, keep em coming in guys!

Joey
 
I think Overkills buck went a little overkill on the bases!!! WOW, What a toad. Nice buck!!
 
overkill, how big are the bases on your buck, look to be at least 7"s. I love that buck.



Jake H. MM Member since 1999.
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LAST EDITED ON Mar-02-09 AT 08:43PM (MST)[p]Guys, not discounting your trophies, but how do you know they were past their prime, and starting to regress? I know one poster mentioned he watched his buck years prior, and it shrank, so he has proof. But, without cementum tooth analysis, nobody can even estimate a deers age past age 3.

At what age do bucks start to regress? It seems that any buck today, would be lucky to live long enough to start regressing. I am not saying it doesn't happen, but it is certainly rare. Some bucks just never develop what humans would consider a "trophy" rack.
 
Good point.... ovekill's buck was actually only a 2 year old. Too bad overkill didn't wait till next year to let him be a forken horn with 12" bases. JBASA.

4000
You're correct in your statement, but when you've seen thousands of bucks ya kinda get a feeling, by body size, body characteristics, rack confirmation and size, tooth wear, hoove size and wear, coloring of the hide, his actions etc... But you're also correct in that not many get the chance to regress and the best scientific test involves aging his teeth.

HK
 
Buck are kind of like old guys the jowls start sagging, the belly drops, teeth get short or gone, the face gets grey and more beat up, it not that hard to see a really old buck is old, If he is dead on the ground,


"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
 
But being old, doesn't mean he is past his prime. Could mean he currently has the best rack ever. It is all speculation on part of the hunter.
 
Typically, as a mule deer ages, less and less nutrition makes its way to the furthest parts of their antlers, especially their tines. A combination of a bulging Roman nose, big rectangular, blocky body with sagging backs, and a good size rack wih stunted tine growth usually add up to an well aged, regressing buck.
 
It is the teeth. What happens when the teeth get worn down and they get skinny and are barely able to make it to spring? That means the buck is past his prime.

It's not much different than comparing a healthy 30 year old man and a healthy 60 year old man. The 60 year old man is clearly past his prime, wouldn't you agree? When you get old your past your prime, you lose muscle mass, you aren't as active but probably smarter. I myself am past my prime and I am half way between 30 and 60.
 
4000fps, Thanks for your input! I see where you are disregarding other good posts in answer to your question, believe you to be off base in your last statement, appears you are here to argue, suggest maybe you could start your own thread for that discussion.

Great thread guys! Now most of the bucks shown so far are even bigger than what most would consider to be a good buck. Like to see more deer posted. Doesn't have to be a monster, just a buck you figure to be past his prime and on the downhill slide.

They're all good!!

Joey
 
>4000fps, Thanks for your input! I
>see where you are disregarding
>other good posts in answer
>to your question, believe you
>to be off base in
>your last statement, appears you
>are here to argue,

No, I am trying to bring some facts to the discussion. It has often been stated by biologists, that tooth wear indicates nothing. Different food sources, and different minerals etc, can accellerate tooth wear.

It is all speculation. I believe that when a buck regresses, he retains his base/pedicle diameter, but lose tine length etc. I would say Overkill's buck is probably in that category, but even then...we don't know what that rack looked like 3 years prior. Not every buck has the genetics to grow a high scoring rack.


My point is, just because a buck is old, and has an odd rack, does not mean his rack has regressed.
 
Here are a couple of pictures of an old cull buck I passed on the 2nd day of my hunt:

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Here are a couple of photos of the same buck after I found him on the last day and put him on the ground:

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Sorry for the tongue hanging out - my bad! I usually cut them off but sketched out on these photos...

The tooth on this buck was cross-sectioned and aged at 10 years old.

Congrats to all the other hunters who posted their awesome "past their prime bucks"

Horniac
 
...and i'm saying that "your point" is not the topic of this thread nor a wanted discussion. This is a thread to post pic's and admire them as we do.

BTW, If you have killed enough good bucks in your day, you will know what a older class buck looks like. Out of over a hundred nice bucks i've taken, killed, there were several that from inspection by ME, were judged to be on the downhill side. It's not rocket science although that was included in my major at the Univ. of Arizona.

Your point is irrelevant, wasted and along with the others im most cases, i completely disagree. Take the hint and your ARGUMENTS elsewhere. As i mentioned, start your own thread, i'll have lots of input.

Please, let's see some more bucks guys, even if they've been posted before... it's a long time until next season.

Joey
 
LAST EDITED ON Mar-03-09 AT 00:51AM (MST)[p]Horniac, Bless You! :)

I can understand maybe passing on that buck early in a hunt on good territory. Sure is nice though to be able to come back to a buck like that. Awesome mass. Your old guy and Overkills are both "off the chart" in the mass dept!! Thanks Guys!

Joey
 
This buck was going downhill...he didn't have any bottom teeth..but fat as a butterball turkey...crap I got another pic of a buck we killed in 1977 thats a 31 inch 3 x 2. It field dressed 237 lbs...I say we(I was a fellow pack mule that help drag the thing out of the woods)...can't get the thing to load off my scanner-too prehistoric I guess...
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not a kill, but an old buck, look how round he is, has a flap in front like a moose!dont dare venture a guess at his age, but he's seen a few seasons,and still has a good set of head gear sorry for the crappy spotter pic.


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Here is an over the hill buck we called ol'yeller. no tooth data, but he was a gummer. not me in the pic, so i erasedaface to put on the www.

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Here is one of my favorite bucks that was on the decline....

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This ol' buck came up out of the sage late one morning. I thought I had seen old deer until I met this buck. He had no teeth, had a huge body, and scared off other bucks with his attitude and demeanor. He walked like an old labrador that has hip problems on a cold day. This area always has a lot of three points, but never had I seen one with this mass and blading.



five_point_buck
C.B.C.S.
 
RedDog, love the frame on that buck!! Thanks for sharing!!!

5.$, Sweet!! Some awesome G-2's on that guy, eh! Nice character on that old buck and great looking hunting country!! Thank You!!

Looking at all these great Grandpa Bucks makes me want to GO!!! :)

Joey
 
love lookin at these old bucks, keep em comin.

Here is one of my grandpa and his brother in S.E Idaho, 50's? I am only 29, so of course i wasnt there, and i ran across this pic after gramps died, so i wasnt able to quizz him about it, but he looks like he pits the profile of a old buck to me:
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Here is a photo of my hunting partner George with his "over the hill" buck (I have his permission to post) . The body was huge for a 4x2.
 
Here's a whitetail pic I took back in 04. This is a low fence area in Texas that I hunt every year. Check out the body size on this dude...

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I think this guy would classify as an old timer. I named him Grandpa.

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Here is a buck we called DK. These first two photos were taken in 2005 when I considered him to be in his prime. The last three photos were from this last summer and he has went downhill and is looking old. Sorry for the quality of the last three but it was dark and I still wanted a photo of my old buddy. I hope he survived this last hunting season and ends up dieing of old age.

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Here is another guy I think was getting a little long in the tooth. He was named pale face. The first photo is from the year before the second one. He seems to have aged a little and lost a little antler growth.

2003
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2004
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Here is his buddy. They were together both times I photographed them. He seems to be on his way up.

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2004
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Here is one more guy who was showing his age. He never did have a nice rack though.
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This buck was aged by a biologist at 9 1/2 years old his teeth were way worn down he was in good condition but may of only had a couple of years left. Awesome mass, one of my favorite bucks had a unique and I think cool shape to his rack!!

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Here is a buck I arrowed back in 2000. It was taken in Northern Arizona. When I had it checked in, the warden extracted a tooth for age and eventually mailed me the age estimation......he was aged at 9.5 years old.

A local mule deer fanatic has the sheds to this buck from the year before......they were about 20" more than when I arrowed him. So I guess he was a down hill buck......with a lot of extras and mass.

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BOHNTR )))---------->
 
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this buck had 2 teeth left he was going down hill fast. It would be my gess that he would have not made the winter.


("For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9")
 
Past their Prime? Say what?!

Maybe it is just me, but I absolutely love those kind of bucks. The bucks posted by Overkill and Horniac are the kind of bucks I dream about. I would shoot a heavy, gnarly, clubby buck didn't score well over a cookie cutter 26-28" 170 B&C 4 point any day! I absolutely love those massive bases and webbed, bladed antlers. A buck like that would definitely be my first choice. Congrats to the hunters, and thanks for posting the pics. Awesome.

Dax
 
Any thoughts on the big buck harvested with Ryan Hatch last year. They claim the buck was on his way down the year before, but due to much better weather conditions put on close to a hundred inches of growth the next year.
 
Hey guys, i really want to THANK YOU for all the neat pic's of past their prime bucks. This is certainly been a great thread and looking like it might end, just wanted to say again how much i've enjoyed it!

Hard to believe one would pass on any of the bucks shown on this page. Big Old Grandpa bucks are special. They somehow made it thru their prime without getting their headgear tacked up on somebody's wall and in these days of all the great gear and tech availavble, that ain't easy.

Wildman, Someone above mentioned the difficulty in aging a buck. I believe that once on the ground, a really past his prime buck is not at all hard to identify but some on the hoof can and do give people problems. Maybe that buck wasn't actually that old to begin with. Maybe the nutrients from better weather patterns allowed the spurt in growth, or maybe he was just the exception to most every rule or situation.

In any event, happy hunting guys, hope you all draw the tags you're looking for, and nail a great "Past his Prime" knarly ol bruiser buck!!

Joey
 
This old boy was on his way down when I harvested him in southern Idaho in 2001.
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OMB


There's room for all of God's creatures, right next to the mashed taters and gravy.
 
I showed my grandpa this post a couple of day's ago & have been looking for data that was taken of his buck he shot. Short story is my grandpa has hunted the bookcliffs for over 40 some odd years & he shot a buck way buck when. We have him mounted & do have old pictures of the buck. He put in for the Zinikis big buck contest that year & he believes it was 1968. Well going through the check station @ the time the DWR wanted to cut the whole jaw out of the deer to check age & he said no I want it mounted. Well they compromised & they took teeth & half of the jaw bone for testing. Months went by and one day he got a letter which was addressed from the University of Utah stating it was at least 16 years old. I will try asp to get pictures of it for you.
 
we have three years of his sheds. he roughly scored 205 in his prime. I sent a tooth to ODF&W and they aged him at 10.5.


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Guy's! Thanks for the late additions, they certainly are more fine examples of oldies but goodies!!

Sagerocket, That's a great old non-typ you got there bud, well past his prime, a smoker!!

Looks like we may get even a couple more :) Hate to see this thread end. It's one of my favorite subjects!!

Joey
 
I really enjoyed this post and all the replies. With so much emphasis on what a buck will score, and so many wanting to score a "wallhanger" or B&C buck, to me how the hunt went and the personality, character, habitat, etc. of the animal harvested are just as important. After the season and during the peak of the rut in one of my favorite areas this past winter, I saw over a hundred what I consider really nice-looking mature muley bucks; most probably haven't reached their prime, but some with heavier racks but paler, grey faces still looked great going into winter. In this particular area,I would say future hunting looks great for now, from what I observed (this only over a span of a few weeks). Depending on the hunting situation, for me most past-their-prime bucks would be shooters in my book.
 
LAST EDITED ON Mar-17-09 AT 09:17AM (MST)[p]Here's a few of the older guys I have seen still running around the past few years.

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The photo below is one one I saw about 5 or 6 years ago, on the Wastach extended, but I had already taken my buck, so I just took his photo. Look at how fat he is and he kind of walked like I do (with the old age hobbles).

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And here's one I took a few years back on the extended season.

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