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Deer Hunting
Aging Whittails
Uploaded on March 07, 2009I you want to be an expert at aging deer, follow these rules.
It doesnt matter how many points it has, if the rack is not as wide as the ears, its a yearling.
If the rack is wider than the ears its older, but by how much? If the widest part of the rack is less thick than a broom handle its 2 1/2 years old.
If its thicker than a broom handle you need to look at the length of the tines, I the tines are about 3 inches long its usually about 3 1/2 years old. If the tines are really long and the rack is really thick its 4 1/2+ years.
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I don't agree with alot of those statements. There are a lot of 1 1/2 that are wider than there ears,but on the other hand some older deer might not be wider than there ears. Tine length on alot of young deer can be longer than 3 inches. You need to look at the body size and developement of the shoulders ,rump ,belly and neck to age a deer .
These aren't standard rules.
How bout, if it's borderline don't shoot it??
Nate
That's a good outline but there are exceptions, this past year my dad shot a buck that I would have sworn was 1 1/2 years old, I would have bet 500 dollars on it. We took it to the registration station where there was a DNR biologist aging deer, HE said it looks like a nice 1 1/2 year old until he checked the teeth, It was 2 1/2, everybody was flabbergasted. I use the wall hanger system, If I would be proud to hang it on my wall, I shoot, if not I let him walk. It's simple and easy to do, no measurements needed.
We usually age them on the meat pole at camp. That said, i do agree with antler restrictions and QDM practices. At home i let small bucks walk, but when i'm away hunting and it's nearing the end, I'll shoot bucks that aren't wallhangers instead of getting skunked. Let the spikes and forlies go though. As far as aging them on the hoof I look at bulk mostly
I hate to say "never" but I very, very seldom age a buck by his antlers. There are just too variables to do so...genetics, range conditions, etc. Aging deer, on the hoof, by their body characteristics is a much more reliable way. IMO, of course.
I disagree with a majority of those guidelines, especially the tine length one.
Age them by their teeth after you shoot them, or by body characteristics before.
Antlers are very much tied to genetics and nutrition.
Antlers are a POOR way to judge a deer, I always look at BODY character.(I.E) "Roman Nose", Droopy belly, slight sway to back.
These have worked out better than "horn judging".
I have also heard that the wear on the teeth is a way to get a rough veiw of the age of the deer
Acording to the "pro's"(Gary Clancy) these are what to look for.
1)Swollen Neck
2)Full chest
3)Blocky head
4)Sunken eyes
5)Slight bow in back
6)Sag in belly
7)Short-legged appearance
These come from a pro hunter/outdoor writer. I hope this clears this up.
i dont agree with this eather
my first deer was a 4 1\2 year old ten pt and his spread wasnt out past his ears
Yeah this is a bunch of crap. Even though there is no certainty until the teeth are inspected, Big O's guidelines are about as good as it gets when it comes to guessing age. Really, you just learn to tell with experience. It's not one thing or the other. You just know when you're looking at an older deer.
In general these "rules" could be close, but I don't buy it. There are a lot better things that you could look at other than the rack.
What Big O said x 2.
kswaterfowl-how do you get them to let you look inside their mouths?
REPLY TO DEERHUNTNOW.COM: Lol...letting them look inside their mouths involves trapping them using various capture methods, wrestling them down to the ground with your bare hands, administering a sedative, and checking the number of teeth, and the amount of wear. If you think I'm joking, I'm not because I do this for a living. Checking the teeth on dead deer is much easier, believe me! BigO has the right idea for guessing age on the hoof, but the tried and true method biologists use to determine age is checking the teeth.
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Acording to the "pro's"(Gary Clancy) these are what to look for.
1)Swollen Neck
2)Full chest
3)Blocky head
4)Sunken eyes
5)Slight bow in back
6)Sag in belly
7)Short-legged appearance
These come from a pro hunter/outdoor writer. I hope this clears this up.
That's a good outline but there are exceptions, this past year my dad shot a buck that I would have sworn was 1 1/2 years old, I would have bet 500 dollars on it. We took it to the registration station where there was a DNR biologist aging deer, HE said it looks like a nice 1 1/2 year old until he checked the teeth, It was 2 1/2, everybody was flabbergasted. I use the wall hanger system, If I would be proud to hang it on my wall, I shoot, if not I let him walk. It's simple and easy to do, no measurements needed.
I don't agree with alot of those statements. There are a lot of 1 1/2 that are wider than there ears,but on the other hand some older deer might not be wider than there ears. Tine length on alot of young deer can be longer than 3 inches. You need to look at the body size and developement of the shoulders ,rump ,belly and neck to age a deer .
These aren't standard rules.
Age them by their teeth after you shoot them, or by body characteristics before.
Antlers are very much tied to genetics and nutrition.
Antlers are a POOR way to judge a deer, I always look at BODY character.(I.E) "Roman Nose", Droopy belly, slight sway to back.
These have worked out better than "horn judging".
I have also heard that the wear on the teeth is a way to get a rough veiw of the age of the deer
REPLY TO DEERHUNTNOW.COM: Lol...letting them look inside their mouths involves trapping them using various capture methods, wrestling them down to the ground with your bare hands, administering a sedative, and checking the number of teeth, and the amount of wear. If you think I'm joking, I'm not because I do this for a living. Checking the teeth on dead deer is much easier, believe me! BigO has the right idea for guessing age on the hoof, but the tried and true method biologists use to determine age is checking the teeth.
How bout, if it's borderline don't shoot it??
Nate
We usually age them on the meat pole at camp. That said, i do agree with antler restrictions and QDM practices. At home i let small bucks walk, but when i'm away hunting and it's nearing the end, I'll shoot bucks that aren't wallhangers instead of getting skunked. Let the spikes and forlies go though. As far as aging them on the hoof I look at bulk mostly
I hate to say "never" but I very, very seldom age a buck by his antlers. There are just too variables to do so...genetics, range conditions, etc. Aging deer, on the hoof, by their body characteristics is a much more reliable way. IMO, of course.
I disagree with a majority of those guidelines, especially the tine length one.
i dont agree with this eather
my first deer was a 4 1\2 year old ten pt and his spread wasnt out past his ears
Yeah this is a bunch of crap. Even though there is no certainty until the teeth are inspected, Big O's guidelines are about as good as it gets when it comes to guessing age. Really, you just learn to tell with experience. It's not one thing or the other. You just know when you're looking at an older deer.
In general these "rules" could be close, but I don't buy it. There are a lot better things that you could look at other than the rack.
What Big O said x 2.
kswaterfowl-how do you get them to let you look inside their mouths?
Post a Reply