Coastie,

You are absolutely right and completely wrong.

Yes, during most hunting seasons, deer are at .5 year intervals. Hence, a deer is 6 mos, 1.5 years, 2.5 years old, etcetera.

However any deer (or animal for that matter) that is older than 1 and less than 2, is by definition, a "yearling". Many people, however, confuse the word yearling with fawn, which is less than 1 year old.

So although you are correct, you are definitely also wrong

I find the best method is to draw a box around the entire animal. Fawns and most yearling does will appear as squares, whereas older does will appear rectangular (longer body compared to "shorter" legs). Bucks are somewhat more difficult, as sometimes yearlings grow fast and with the right nutrition in some regions, can also grow impressive racks. However, a second glance will indicate that yearling bucks will also have "stickly" legs, a clear giveaway.

S&R