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Progression from year to year

Daver

Daver

PMA Member
The story of 8.9...

I will post a series of pictures of a buck from this year and last year that is as much of a homebody as any deer we have ever had on our farm. We passed him at bow range at least 4 separate times last year when he was fairly tempting to us. :grin: He also got at least 2 more passes during the gun season. On more than one occasion my younger son and I exchanged texts while on stand where we teased each other about having just shot him...after we had mutually pledged to let him grow. If he is anywhere near as much of a daywalker this year I think he will be very sorry!

I picked up his sheds in his bed after about 8 minutes of looking this past January so we know exactly what he would have scored in 2012, plus or minus an inch or so for the actual spread credit. He earned the name "8.9" because he is a basic 8 point frame with a small nub for a ninth point on his left side. He'll keep the name this year even though his ninth point is now more than a stub.

Although I think we know his age, I am curious to get other thoughts and perspectives on that.

2012 pics - note, not all dates are correct on the pics.

This is him and a buddy, he is on the left side in this pic. This was probably right around Labor Day last year.
161-8.9_2012_3.jpg


Here he is at velvet shedding time last year, 2012.
161-8.9_2012_1.jpg


Side view, this pic was at the same time as the one above.
161-8.9_2012_2.jpg


This is him at the end of the season last year, about a week before he shedded out.
161-im000682_zps23b087fa_672384.jpg


Same spot a day earlier, here though his body looks quite large to me.
161-im000347_zpsdb1de9d2.jpg



2013 pics - all pic dates are true.

Side view...looks OK to me.
161-8.9_aug_2013_2.jpg


Front view...looks quite a bit better than just OK to me. He looks like he could be in for it when he trots by me this fall!
161-8.9_aug_2013_3.jpg


Another frontal view...
161-8.9_aug_2013_1.jpg


So how old do you think he is now? Also, I would be curious to hear what folks think he will score this year v. last year.
 
Last year score would have been low to mid 130's. This year I would put a gross of 150 on him with a net in the low 140's. In my opinion he's looking pretty old, not quite over the hill old, but he's definitely aged a bunch since last year. Looking at last year's pictures alone, I would have said 3.5, maybe 4.5. But the pics this year make him look well older than 4.5. So with that said, I'm gonna say he's 5.5 or older this year.
 
I am gonna say he is 5 also and maybe his biggest rack he is ever going to have. Put an arrow in him.
 
I'm saying he is mature, but that also doesn't mean that this will be his biggest set of antlers. I've seen multiple deer grow their biggest antlers at 6.5-7.5. Too many veriables to tell when he would be at his biggest. If your looking to shoot a mature deer, he's mature
 
Unless he shrinks alot in hard-horn, he's old enough for an arrow from me. Really like his frame shape and overall look.
 
Some good guesses overall...last year, assuming a 18" spread credit he was right at 145". (He may have been just a little wider than 18" too, so I think that is conservative.) His beam length is a little deceiving, a little longer than some bucks that resemble him.

I think he is high 150's this year, possibly low 160's, but that is without really studying the pictures too hard. Although not 100% sure, we are fairly certain that he is a 5-1/2 now. We have some pics from 2 years ago that we feel as though he was 3-1/2 and he probably would have went around 120" then. So about a 15" or so jump per year.

He isn't necessarily our #1 target this fall, but I doubt we let him stroll by us several times this year like we did last year. We'll see, we'll see. :grin:
 
It's tough to say in the first year pictures but man for some reason that baby face after he sheds his velvet screams 2.5. I'd say odds are he's pry 4.5 this year but if he's 3.5 holy smokes he could be a smoker next year. I for one wouldn't be able to hold out however, I'd also say he's pushing 160 gross. That left side is awesome, I think those 2,3,4's are deceiving with the way they curl in.
 
Age??? Not sure. Score?? I'd agree a solid 150+, but if any of you consider passing the deer this year you need serious help :D Hoping the next pic we see of him is either you or one of the boys in a harvest photo...good luck with him :way:

NWBuck
 
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