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Age This Buck #20

The buck in this week’s Age This Buck article, is a unique deer from NE Illinois. The Stealth Cam pictures and videos were from the fall of 2021, so you can see how the deer’s body changes from October to December.

Leave your comment below and let us know what your guess is!

Age This Buck #20
Age This Buck #20

Need some help sharpening your buck-aging skills? Check out our comprehensive guide on How To Age White-tailed Bucks.

See What Our Experts Think

Bob ZaiglinErik BarberTodd GrafJustin Zarr

Expert Opinions

Bob Zaiglin

Bob Zaiglin

4.5
years
This buck carries a substantial amount of weight, which makes it appear as an overmature deer. However, its large and substantially muscled neck region and well-defined nose, along with pointed ears, indicate that it is a four-year-old animal. The buck also appears rectangular in shape with a flat back and a tight belly with little to no excess skin at the brisket, which occurs in older deer due to the annual expansion of the skin on the neck.
Erik Barber

Erik Barber

3.5
years
I’m thinking this deer is 3 ½. He has a pretty trim belly in the photos, but a broad chest and swollen neck. His rack, while not high scoring, has decent mass carried throughout.
Todd Graf

Todd Graf

4.5
years
At a glance, you would guess 3.5 years of age based on the antlers. But as you take your time and study the size of the buck's front end versus its rear, you quickly realize that it's older. So, that being said I would guess this deer to be 4.5 years of age.
Justin Zarr

Justin Zarr

6.5
years
I have an unfair advantage here since these are my photos and I've been keeping tabs on this deer since he was 2. Unfortunately he's one of those bucks whose antlers never seemed to catch up with his body size. In 2021 he was a six year old which you can tell by his super deep chest and very long body. Without many years of photos it would be difficult to tell exactly how old he is, outside of being 5+
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