Thanks guys.

Yeah I agree a mature buck looks awfully young after losing over 50lbs of fat. He didn't have a drop of fat on him at all. Frankly he looked about 4 1/2 y/o, deep chest but he shrunk "up" from his legs as compared to the pre rut boys who hang to the ground.

This ol' bastard was 158 on the hoof, I think 26 lbs of hide & horns and 108 cleaned and dressed, as compared to the usual weights of 200-220lbs on the hoof and in the 180s dressed.

Oh yeah, he was 6 1/2 y/o.

The rifle is a pre war mod 70 Ser # 109, (made second month of production March 1936), Krieger 24in barrel, Conetrol rings on custom bases, metalwork by Jim Dubell on a nice piece of bastogne, leather covered recoil pad, skeleton grip, rust blued, nitre blued screws, yada yada yada. Here are some more pics:

[Linked Image]
[Linked Image]