Let's just assume for discussion purposes the first buck is 4 years old and would make P&Y and the second buck is 11 years old and not even close to the book. It is your first ever mule deer hunt and it is all spot and stalk. Third day of a five day hunt and you had a chance at each of them 45 yards away broadside. What one do you take?

Might not be popular with some, but I'm shooting the nice 4x4!

I've killed several public lands mule deer. Spot and stalk. Inside my self-imposed limit of 30 yards.
If either of those bucks stood broadside inside 30 yards they would be history.
That said, the eleven year old would be special.


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Which ever one I saw first.

I've killed a pretty decent 4x4, but have always wanted a big ol' fork (missed one way back in high school and still think about it). I'd take the oldster and love it.

I don't archery hunt, on a rifle hunt, I would take the older deer.

One he is on his way out, and two his genetics should have already been taken out.

I would not turn down either of them.

I'd be pretty stoked with either one for a bow kill.

quote:

the second buck is 11 years old and not even close to the book

How was the 11yoa aged that is a very old wild deer.

I shoot either one both nice bucks.

Most likely by tooth wear. The muley's Lora and I shot last year here in Texas were aged at 7 1/2 or 8 1/2 for mine and 8 1/2 or older for Lora's.

They were both still in really great shape body wise.

There are some deer now being aged from game cam pictures on places where the cameras have been being used.

There was a really nice whitetail buck down here on one of the places I service the feeders on that we aged at 8 1/2 or older after he was shot. The folks on the places that adjoin that property had at least 6 years worth of game cam pics of him, but no one would shoot him because he was a six pointer, no brow tines. He was probably 20 inches plus wide in his prime and was a heavy bodied deer for this area, weighed in at 165/166 ungutted when my boss finally decided to shoot him.

No body wanting/willing to shoot him resulted in a good crop of similar 6 pointers over the years on that property and surrounding properties.

I would shoot the most delicious looking one

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I have no idea how old they actually are. They were just shot a couple days ago. I said just for discussion purposes, let's say he is 11.

quote:

Originally posted by p dog shooter:

quote:

the second buck is 11 years old and not even close to the book

How was the 11yoa aged that is a very old wild deer.

I shoot either one both nice bucks.

I don't bow hunt. i saw the 2 x 2 on fb yesterday and remarked he was a good one. I would probably shoot the 2 x if given a choice.

Rad

I'm pretty fortunate where I get to hunt mule deer and I would never think about shooting a young buck with potential. Mule deer are about the only animal that I "trophy hunt" and I generally go for maturity/meat. I arrowed a 190ish buck this year at 25 yards. If I had no luck on a big guy, I had decided to spend my last 3 days of hunting pursuing a outsized 3x2 that was past his prime and I had glassed him numerous times while scouting and hunting. It would've been a bigger "trophy" to me than shooting a young deer. Congrats to both hunters on their deer!

The Mature one.

Thanks for the discussion guys.

quote:

Originally posted by buckeyeshooter:
Which ever one I saw first.

Me too. In general I prefer to shoot mature animals, but I wouldn't pass on #1 if I saw him first.

With a bow I'd shoot whichever one I got a shot at first. With a rifle I am a sucker for old, mature bucks.

Aging deer past 7 1/2 yrs old is extremely difficult on the hoof. You can get a good guesstimataion by body characteristics, but you need to see the jaw bone to be sure.

quote:

Originally posted by buckeyeshooter:
Which ever one I saw first.

You took my line!

Ed

You said it was my first mule deer hunt, the first one. I am headed to Colorado in Nov., drew after 18 years of saving points. I'm hunting for a monster !

Whichever one gives me the best shot. Never saw a set of antlers you could eat.

Since this would be my first, and probably only mulie....which ever one I saw first. Would not matter to me.

Tough to say since the guy in the bottom pic is sitting about 10 yds. behind the deer.

I think the guy is fairly close to the deer- it's just that the focal length of the lens is set at about 28mm.

If I was hunting with a bow and based on my bow hunting experience I'd shoot the one I saw first, Im sure 99.9% of the posters would also regardless of posts!

With a rifle, I am more confident and would shoot the big forkie...Hes a little different and you don't see as many of them, they are usually older bucks and pretty neat trophies..The other buck is pretty much average in good buck country...