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Ok, what’s the response if this photo was from your game camera?

This white-tailed buck hails from the great state of Wisconsin, otherwise known as “America’s Dairyland.” Wisconsin is well known for its cheese, but also for the big whitetail bucks it can grow. So, how old do you think this buck is?

• Ettrick, Wisconsin; Trempealeau County
• Photos taken in September 2020 (correct day, wrong year).
• High population of deer in area.
• The rut is in November.

A Closer Look at this Wisconsin Buck

This buck sports an eye-catching set of antlers at first look. Though no “Booner,” he’s got enough up top to make thing interesting for most deer hunters. In fact, he’d get a long second look from me.

Aging bucks on the hoof is not an exact science. Deer, like humans, can vary in body shape to some extent, but some things tend to trend. This buck does not look very old to me. No swayed back, no pot belly, and his legs look fairly long on him. Older-aged bucks tend to look more short-legged.

Throw in the fact that this Wisconsin buck is flat across the back, and I feel confident in calling this guy middle-aged. On the hoof, he looks to be a 3-year old deer based strictly on body shape, but I think he muscles up a bit in the next month. With a bit more weight on his front end, I’d put this buck at 4 1/2-years of age.

Here’s what we know about this buck:

1. From Austin County, Texas
2. Photo taken November 24
3. Managed land, antler restrictions (13” inside spread)
4. Rut typically around Halloween

Age of this Post Oak Country Buck

This buck has a sturdy set of antlers and sports 8 points. Not the ideal photo, as usual, but we take what we can get. This buck was photographed about a month after the rut kicked off in the area.

The deer shows good weight distributed throughout the body and his well-muscled neck comes meet his brisket low in the front. Difficult to tell what if any gut he has on him, but his back looks flat across the top.

This Austin County buck is neither young nor overly old. His physical characteristics make him at least 4 1/2 years old, but I bet this whitetail is 5 1/2 years old. A big 8 point buck at 5+ years of age is a shooter in my book.