Solving Mature Buck Mysteries

While bowhunters rarely agree on much, few disagree that something magical occurs when a whitetail buck reaches 4.5 years of age. Sure, their antlers are typically larger than the previous year, but I’m referring to other changes which make them significantly more difficult to harvest, especially with stick and string.

Some say that once bucks reach 4.5 years old they become more nocturnal, others say they become “smarter,” and still others contend they are nearly “unkillable”, except during the rut. In fact, if not for modern game cameras, few hunters would believe these bucks even exist in their hunting areas. These bucks would be relegated to ghost...