I think you are right on there...I'm just telling you that if you had seen that 10 point I shot "on the hoof", not dead on the ground w/ a cut out lower jaw for inspection, you would have said "Damn, that's an old deer." 
Compared to his Identical Offspring. Same body size, Same EXACT antler formation (9" g-2's, with a 2 inch kicker coming out sideways from his left G-2, and crab claw) The only difference b/w these 2 deer was the young one had about 2 inches more spread, and about 15 inches more total antlers) Mass was more on my deer, indicating age. The BIG difference was standing side by side, the younger one looked like a "thoroughbread Horse", while mine looked like a mule...if you can understand that. That being said, if we think that we are underestimating age on the hoof and putting all the criteria together about what "formula" makes a old deer look old, I would have to say that My 10 point was "Mature and on his way down" while the young one (Same deer that Keith has seen, too) is "Mature and on his way up". The last thing I have to say about that was that the "Young" deer of the two was definitely the "dominant" of the two as well. He was aggressive towards my "ol' bastard" and the old guy didn't want any part of him...The young one was passed on harvesting by both Keith and myself and I chose to harvest the older one of the two. Put in the same arena with a bunch of does and his younger sibling, that younger sibling was gonna get the chance to "pour the Chili" while the old guy snuck in from the brush, got bullied away by the "stud", ate enough to survive, and silently sneaked away. Meanwhile the younger stud, ate and chased does around to his hearts content, no worries about anything. Which deer needed to get shot in that scenario?
My final answer...my deer..7.5 yrs or older. His son, 4.5 and about to be a Texas Big Game Award winner next season if he lives through the summer and doesn't "disappear" like a lot of the other bucks we never see again from year to year. 

-----Original Message-----
From: Erik Wollam [mailto:erwollam@hotmail.com] 
Sent: Thursday, March 07, 2002 2:08 PM
To: knipe3@msn.com; cmccomb@austin-mccomb.com; Joe.Parks@enron.com; kmccomb@austin-mccomb.com; Brian Constantine
Subject: age of joe's deer

Went to BFE with Joe during lunch to pick up his european mount of his 9pt. 
He aged Joes deer at 8.5. We may be underaging alot of these deer on the 
hoof.
The guy does nice work and the prices were reasonable.




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