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How do yall age live deer?

4K views 29 replies 21 participants last post by  garrettryan 
#1 ·
I keep seeing posts about aging pics of live deer. I know it's obvious for young/old, but how do yall tell the difference between a 3.5 and 4.5 or between a 5.5 and 6.5 for example?
 
#2 ·
I'll take a stab at what I look for in the pics and in the field...... IMO, at 4.5 they are just starting to get that full belly look, flat back without sway in it, and strong thick necks connected to the torso.... I can usually tell the switch from 4.5 to 5.5 with the pot belly, swayed back, and defined head bridge area.. after that it is pure guessing game to say a deer is 6.5, 7.5, etc... an art so to say.
 
#8 ·
Well I do lean towards groups my self. 1.5 to 2.5 let them walk (cept some of the does) 3.5 to 4.5 if spiked or forked cull only 5.5 and up are open season. It usually takes a deer 5.5 years to fully develop with little to no food supplement so if it developed by then hes not going to. Now High fenced well managed herds with lots of food suplement can mature by 3.5 but thats more like your your pin raised animals.
 
#10 ·
The best way for me to judge between 3.5 and 4.5 deer is the belly and forehead. The 4.5 or older deer will generally have more of a sway belly and more of a prononunced forehead. Most bucks really put on the weight between 3 and 4 years. After 4.5 takes alot of experience to judge age... and even then it may be a wild arse guess...
 
#11 ·
There are soem pretty good books and videos on aging deer that will help. A three and 1/3 typically has a straight back and belly -- he is athletic looking but not heavily muscled up. He will have a noticeably thicker neck than a 2-1/2 but will have a distinct neck/chest joint.

At 4-1/2 the hams start to get blockier and less rounded. The neck will start to blend into the chest. The whole deer gets more muscular and fills out.

Up from there you will start to get blockier heads, roman noses, sway backs, short-looking legs, and the gait of a bull rather than a youngster. If you see many of these you may be looking at a 6-1/2.

I'd call this 1-1/2:



2-1/2 (in front):



side:



3-1/2:



front:



4-1/2:

(in the back)



Another one:



Old deer:







[Most of the pictures can be enlarged by clicking them.]

It is not an exact science, and I bet at least 2/3 of the people who read this will disagree on some of all of these. That is fine, and please feel free to disagree as we can all learn more! But there is no mistaking signs of age on the old deer.

I did not age these sceintifically, although some people I hunted with agreed with the ages on a few of them. I usually see them as young, close, and old enough!
 
#14 ·
Aging deer

I think Charles Helm is spot on. From 3.5 to 4.5 the deer changes dramatically. The 3.5 will still have long legs and is only starting to muscle up. A 4.5 is in prime breeding form. Also a 3.5 if you look at his belly, it will go up to his withers instead of being a straight line. A 4.5 will be straight, older sags. Also, if you look at a 4.5 buck, he appears square, or as thick as he is long. Younger bucks have a lean, long look. Having said all that, aging deer on the hoof is an educated guess at best, and usually a wag.
Case in point: I was in Catarina this weeked on a cull buck hunt. A number of bucks were brought in that fit the book on how they should look exactly. However, several defied logic. One kid killed a buck everyone thought would age 3.5, he aged 8.5+ by his teeth. He had long legs, a narrow nose, and field dressed slightly over 80#. Another buck aged 7.5 that did not look a bit over 4.5. So, take your best guess with all the information you can gather. I will post some pictures of the management bucks tomorrow on a new thread.
BB
 
#15 ·
nice

good job c.h.

another good measure is the hind quarters-

young deer have more sharp 90 degree angle on the rear end and as the deer ages the rear end tends to curve out more do to fat accumilating and lose, muscle use and gravity of weigh pulling down.
 

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#16 ·
It depends on where you hunt on what your need to judge is. I am on a lease now that requires you to judge all bucks before you shoot. Trophy deer must be 5 or older. Cull deer must be 3 or older. The penealities for mistakes are very severe, thus aging becomes important. The result of this is I see big bucks almost every trip to the lease.

That wasn't really the question was it? If you want to...or have to learn to age deer there are some really good published materials out there. I bought several. One of my favorites is Ageing and Judging Whitetail Deer, but Kroll. I have both the book and the VCR tape. The tape is good because it shows you a live deer and then tells you age and score. Sometimes a single photo can be misleading.

The posts above have already told you some good stuff, but let me throw in my .02. You have to look at several parts of the body (never the antlers). For me, it is easiest to look at the waist, or area just in from of the back legs. If he is thinner at the waist than the chest is probably 2 or 3. If the waist and chest look to be about the same size, that is a stright line back, then 3 or 4. If he has big sagging belly and/or thicker waist than chest 4 or older.

Once I get it down to a couple of years, I go to the neck and head. The older a deer gets the thicker his neck gets. On a 5 yr old, the neck and body flow together with little muscle def between. The head looks short as do the legs.

What you have to remember, environmental conditions, time of year, and genetics of individual deer, make this an inexact science. The best you can do, even if you are very good at is be right most of the time. The biologist on our ranch says that even using the jaw/tooth wear method, he is only right 85% of the time.

Sorry about the long post, hope I answered your question.
 
#18 ·
Good thread good information. I try to age every buck I see. I think the most difficult aging is between 3.5 and 4.5. If you have the chance try and compare bucks against one or the other. I like to go on doe hunts early in the season and spend most of my time aging bucks on the hoof. When there are several bucks in front of you, then you can compare body parts. I like to video them to and review the video several times before determining the age. It's fun to do (aging) deer on the hoof. I just hope when and if he steps out in front of me I remember everything I learned about aging and don't pull the trigger so quick! Lord please give me patients this year. Thanks for the good reading.
 
#19 ·
Go buy Al Brothers book "Observing and Evaluating Whitetails" I learned more reading that book than from my 35 years of hunting. There are several pictures of the same buck at different ages. I usually take a spotting scope with me to a stand now. If I think a deer is really old, I crank up the power on the Spotter and check for callases on the knees and even the fron of the chest. Years of lying down and getting up will cause these "bare spots".
 
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