This week we go full mule deer nerd mode on the Rokcast.

We brought together a room full of big buck hunters with Travis Hobbs, Corey Dixon, Braxton Hamilton, and Robby Denning to talk buck age versus score based on the deer they’ve had aged. These aren’t guesses. Not “he looked mature on the hoof” conversations. 

Everyone lab-aged their deer and the guys dive into that data from over 70 bucks, including 15 that grossed 200 inches or better. What we found might surprise you. Most of the biggest deer weren’t ancient. They were five- and six-year-old bucks. Some giants were only three. And some grandpa bucks at seven- and eight-years-old barely cracked the 160s.

We dive into what tooth aging has taught us about judging bucks on the hoof, the myth of regression, how hard winters really affect antler growth, and why security matters more than limited tags. If you care about big mule deer, management, or just want to know how old your buck really was and some tips to find out, this one’s for you.

To learn more about tooth aging, visit matsonslab.com

To join the Rokslide Forum conversation on lab-aging, click here

https://rokslide.com/forums/threads/how-old-was-he-really-big-buck-hunters-talk-age-vs-score.442710/#post-4597670

Rokcast is powered by onX Hunt. For 20% off, use Promo Code “Rokcast” at onX Hunt here https://www.onxmaps.com/hunt/app

And please welcome new Rokcast sponsor, Matson's Lab. Matson's is the go-to for lab-aging your wild game and used by everyone on this episode. See all they do at https://matsonslab.com/

You can find Robby’s books, Hunting Big Mule Deer and The Stories on Amazon here

or signed copies from the Rokslide store here