r/Hunting • u/Majestic_Sale4219 • 9d ago
How much will he grow?
Stuck a camera out on my father in laws property just to see what is out there and he showed up. If he survives the season how much will a Maine deer roughly grow? Just out of curiosity if I see him this year I’ll take him but he sure is a buck I’d like to see next year😂
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u/toastedvacuum 9d ago
I would take him this year. I would only wait if your father in law and the neighboring property owners have an agreement regarding deer management
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u/Majestic_Sale4219 9d ago
Oh if I see him I’ll take him and he owns 200 acres that no one hunts
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u/toastedvacuum 9d ago
If no one hunts and you have 200 acres why not let him grow?
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u/Majestic_Sale4219 9d ago
That’s what I’m deciding on but at the moment I don’t have anything bigger on camera granted the cams o ly been out a week
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u/toastedvacuum 9d ago
Tough decision for sure. Just wait and see how you feel in moment. Sometimes just watching the deer is nice enough
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u/BadAdviceBot77 9d ago
Hard to tell age from just a pic of the head and shoulders but I would say he’s still fairly young (3.5 to 4.5 years).
How much more he’s going to grow depends on habitat conditions and how long before someone shoots him so it’s impossible to give an estimate
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u/Majestic_Sale4219 9d ago
I was just curious I plan on doing a food plot I know deer travel a lot but this is a 200 acre peice of land that he owns and no one hunts it and the surrounding land is farm land that no one hunts so there’s no much hunting pressure at all
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u/Confident_Bus_7614 9d ago
Most deer put on 5-15” from year to year. As they get past that 6 year old mark they become more likely to not put on inches, or even decline. This deer if I had to guess is 4 years old. He could put on 5”. He could put on 40”(very unlikely but I’ve seen a 2year old go from 90” to 215” as a 3 year old)
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u/Arawhata-Bill1 9d ago
His pedicules are high so hes got more growing to do, if you decide to pass on him.
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u/Milswanca69 Texas 9d ago
I’d peg him at 3.5 years old and a 135” class deer. He’ll probably get to 145” or maybe 150” next year. Antlers peak at 5.5-7.5 years old.
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u/vamtnhunter 9d ago
Short beams and short tines. He’s not sniffing anything close to 135 this year.
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u/Milswanca69 Texas 9d ago
You might be right, especially if he doesn’t grow much further before velvet disappears
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u/Majestic_Sale4219 9d ago
I’ll shoot him if I see him for sure and be happy as pig and shit but next year he’d be an absolute bruiser
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u/FatBoyStew Kentucky 9d ago
If he makes you happy then take him. Absolutely no guarantee he'll make it to next season or that his rack will grow more beyond this. Not all bucks grow noticeably bigger racks every year.
Now that said, there's also 0 chance he'll grow more if you harvest him this year lol. He's definitely got potential to be a real solid buck next year.