Age Deer on the Hoof
09-14-2003, 05:02 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Jackson Mo USA
Posts: 323
Age Deer on the Hoof
HOW TO ESTIMATE THE AGE OF WHITETAIL DEER ON THE HOOF
By: Allen " horntagger" Morris
These are my photo' s and are my estimates of age using the photo' s. Lots of other sources (video' s/poster/etc) that are cheap to get if you have any interest. Check out www.qdma.com for some great information.
I attended a QUALITY DEER MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION short course in Columbia, Mo. This entire program brought common sense approach to management and this is where I have noted a lot of the below information. Plus if you ever get a chance to attend a QDMA seminar do so you won' t regret it. If you would like to read more about QUALITY DEER MANAGEMENT approach to your land check out.
You can tell most hunters have not one clue to understanding age of deer. Otherwise you might here “I killed a four year old buck. Instead all you here is I killed a 6 or an 8 point buck. When I first started hunting no one ever show me. It is just in my nature to know as much as I can about a subject and to get points of view from every direction.
The number of points is a poor measurement of a bucks or deer quality. However age is the most important.
Ask yourself this question and be honest. Have you ever taken the time to educate yourself on ageing deer on the hoof. If the answer is NO. Then why not? What do you look for? If you just look at antlers then your not even close. It’s to hard to judge a buck. If you never tried how can you say that.
Separating buck fawns from doe fawns.
BUCK FAWN
Look for presence of developing antlers.
Head appears flatter and less rounded.
DOE FAWN
Head appears rounder
Separating fawn does from adult does.
FAWN DOE
Have short square bodies (look like a briefcase from a distance).
Have short necks and less muscle development
Rarely have swaying backs or sagging bellies.
Short Nose and forehead
Ears appear larger than the head
Head is smaller and about the size of a 8 oz Coke bottle.
ADULT DOES
Have larger, rectangular-shaped bodies look like a suitcase from a distance.
Have long necks
Often having swaying backs or sagging bellies.
Longer nose
Head is larger and about the size of 16 oz Coke bottle.
Separating Whitetail Bucks by age class
1.5 year old Bucks
Age 1.5 year old bucks = Has 11% percent of potential antler mass
Resemble does with antlers
Do not have swollen necks and muscular characteristics
Often enter feeding areas first and tend to travel with group of does early in the season
Will be found traveling alone later in the season.
2.5 year old Bucks
Age 2.5 year old bucks = Has 44% of potential antler mass
Relatively thin waist and shoulders.
Limited neck swelling during the rut.
3.5 year old Bucks
Age 3.5 year old bucks = Has 71% of potential antler mass.
Thickly muscled neck during the rut although there is still a distinct junction between the neck and shoulders.
Chest appears deeper than the hindquarters giving appearance of a well conditions racehorse.
4.5 year old Bucks
Age 4.5 year old bucks - Has 80% of potential antler mass
Fully muscled neck blends into the shoulders and waistline is as deep as the chest.
Face seems to be shorter because it has filled out or has that shovel face look.
5.5 to 6.5 year old Bucks
5.5 to 6.5 year old bucks - Has 100% of potential antler mass
(Mature Whitetail)
Neck blends completely into shoulder and front of body appears to be one large mass.
Most exhibit prominent potbelly
Face seems to be shorter because it has filled out or has that shovel face look.
(No picture)
7.5 year old Bucks
7.5 year old and Older bucksHas 100% of potential antler mass
(Prime & past Mature age)
Loss of muscularity in neck and shoulders.
Have a swayed back and a prominent potbelly along with loose skin on the head and neck.
(No Picture)
If you have any interest in this here is the link for future reference http://www.mosportsmen.com/land.htm#age Along with that I have also added TAKE MORE DOES AND TAKE THEM EARLY & WHY YOU SHOULD PASS ON 1 ½ TO 2 ½ YEAR OLD BUCKS
By: Allen " horntagger" Morris
These are my photo' s and are my estimates of age using the photo' s. Lots of other sources (video' s/poster/etc) that are cheap to get if you have any interest. Check out www.qdma.com for some great information.
I attended a QUALITY DEER MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION short course in Columbia, Mo. This entire program brought common sense approach to management and this is where I have noted a lot of the below information. Plus if you ever get a chance to attend a QDMA seminar do so you won' t regret it. If you would like to read more about QUALITY DEER MANAGEMENT approach to your land check out.
You can tell most hunters have not one clue to understanding age of deer. Otherwise you might here “I killed a four year old buck. Instead all you here is I killed a 6 or an 8 point buck. When I first started hunting no one ever show me. It is just in my nature to know as much as I can about a subject and to get points of view from every direction.
The number of points is a poor measurement of a bucks or deer quality. However age is the most important.
Ask yourself this question and be honest. Have you ever taken the time to educate yourself on ageing deer on the hoof. If the answer is NO. Then why not? What do you look for? If you just look at antlers then your not even close. It’s to hard to judge a buck. If you never tried how can you say that.
Separating buck fawns from doe fawns.
BUCK FAWN
Look for presence of developing antlers.
Head appears flatter and less rounded.
DOE FAWN
Head appears rounder
Separating fawn does from adult does.
FAWN DOE
Have short square bodies (look like a briefcase from a distance).
Have short necks and less muscle development
Rarely have swaying backs or sagging bellies.
Short Nose and forehead
Ears appear larger than the head
Head is smaller and about the size of a 8 oz Coke bottle.
ADULT DOES
Have larger, rectangular-shaped bodies look like a suitcase from a distance.
Have long necks
Often having swaying backs or sagging bellies.
Longer nose
Head is larger and about the size of 16 oz Coke bottle.
Separating Whitetail Bucks by age class
1.5 year old Bucks
Age 1.5 year old bucks = Has 11% percent of potential antler mass
Resemble does with antlers
Do not have swollen necks and muscular characteristics
Often enter feeding areas first and tend to travel with group of does early in the season
Will be found traveling alone later in the season.
2.5 year old Bucks
Age 2.5 year old bucks = Has 44% of potential antler mass
Relatively thin waist and shoulders.
Limited neck swelling during the rut.
3.5 year old Bucks
Age 3.5 year old bucks = Has 71% of potential antler mass.
Thickly muscled neck during the rut although there is still a distinct junction between the neck and shoulders.
Chest appears deeper than the hindquarters giving appearance of a well conditions racehorse.
4.5 year old Bucks
Age 4.5 year old bucks - Has 80% of potential antler mass
Fully muscled neck blends into the shoulders and waistline is as deep as the chest.
Face seems to be shorter because it has filled out or has that shovel face look.
5.5 to 6.5 year old Bucks
5.5 to 6.5 year old bucks - Has 100% of potential antler mass
(Mature Whitetail)
Neck blends completely into shoulder and front of body appears to be one large mass.
Most exhibit prominent potbelly
Face seems to be shorter because it has filled out or has that shovel face look.
(No picture)
7.5 year old Bucks
7.5 year old and Older bucksHas 100% of potential antler mass
(Prime & past Mature age)
Loss of muscularity in neck and shoulders.
Have a swayed back and a prominent potbelly along with loose skin on the head and neck.
(No Picture)
If you have any interest in this here is the link for future reference http://www.mosportsmen.com/land.htm#age Along with that I have also added TAKE MORE DOES AND TAKE THEM EARLY & WHY YOU SHOULD PASS ON 1 ½ TO 2 ½ YEAR OLD BUCKS
09-14-2003, 05:18 PM
#3
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: rowlett texas
Posts: 181
RE: Age Deer on the Hoof
thats some really good info. We ve been trying for the last several years to only shoot the mature bucks on our farm. Quality has definately increased.
what do you think the age of this buck would be? Im guessing 3.5. pictures kind of fuzzy, I had to take a picture of the original deercam pic wiht my regular digital.
what do you think the age of this buck would be? Im guessing 3.5. pictures kind of fuzzy, I had to take a picture of the original deercam pic wiht my regular digital.
09-14-2003, 05:25 PM
#4
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Jackson Mo USA
Posts: 323
RE: Age Deer on the Hoof
Hard to tell when still in Velvet. But by the face I would say 3.5 plus the body has that race horse look to the front chest, but from the angle it looks to start getting a belly so he might be on the upswing of a 4.5.
09-14-2003, 05:45 PM
#5
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Plum Boro, PA
Posts: 1,423
RE: Age Deer on the Hoof
Good stuff. We haven' t had to worry much about that here in Pennsylvania for the most part since 90% or some other God awful percentage of the bucks killed here in the past are only a year and a half. Good pictures and very informative. Thanks.
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