Keep these in mind as fall approaches. #Realtree If you take enough time to examine a buck, the face almost always looks young on a buck that is 3-1/2 years old or younger. The younger the buck, the younger they look. Occasionally, a young buck sports outstanding antler mass. Likewise, a mature buck occasionally has spindly antlers. As such, antler mass should not be the sole metric used to determine a buck’s maturity. During the rut, things can get trickier, as a puffed-up 2-1/2-year-old or 3-1/2-year-old responding to rattling or grunting can easily be mistaken for an older buck, which makes it important to use this metric along with the other criteria in this post. Bucks up to 4-1/2 years old will have a belly that juts up toward the crotch, and the back line is virtually in a straight, horizontal line. An older buck that is 5-1/2 years old or older the back line will have a slight dip halfway between the shoulders and hips as a result of regressing posture and a heavier b...