The Dear Hunter Act 2 Live

[Blanchefle Strycker]

Bucksin the 2-1/2-year-old age class typically have slightly thicker bodies than yearlings, but their legs still appear long (Figure 3). They have thinner necks when compared to older age classes of bucks, although their necks may slightly increase in size during the rut. On average, 2-1/2-year-old bucks have reached about 60 percent of their maximum antler size.

Most bucks experience their best body condition during the pre-rut, as they have just spent all spring and summer in bachelor groups foraging on ample amounts of high-quality foods (Figure 7a). Regardless of maturity, many bucks will not exhibit a swollen neck at this time because it is too early before the rut.

During the post-rut, bucks are normally in the worst condition of the year, as their bodies are fatigued from the demands of the rut (Figure 7b). They often appear much thinner than in the pre-rut because they have been expending great amounts of energy participating in breeding and defending females or territory, while not replenishing their energy reserves. Research has shown that mature bucks can lose up to a quarter of their body weight during this time. Bucks can actually die during this period, especially when the winter is severe and little food is available.

The ability to distinguish between adult does and fawns is important for several management reasons. For example, identifying whether a deer is a doe or a fawn can be crucial to ensure accurate data from observations or camera surveys and when there is an important reason to harvest one sex over the other, such as to balance the sex ratio or to increase or decrease the population.

Distinguishing between adult does and fawns is easier when they are observed together, as adult does are obviously larger than fawns. However, if a deer is alone and no comparison can be made, the length of the snout is a good indicator, as adult does tend to have long, slender snouts, and fawns tend to have short, stocky snouts (Figure 9). An adult doe also tends to have a more rectangular body shape and, depending on its age, may have a sagging belly and back. A fawn typically has a square body and tight belly.

Aging live deer is not an exact science and provides only an estimate of age. Although aging characteristics apply to a large percentage of the population, they are not universal. Also, the accuracy of aging live deer decreases as deer grow into older age classes. However, in most cases, bucks can be identified as immature or mature with moderate certainty.

In general, aging deer on the hoof is a beneficial skill for landowners and hunters that want to achieve QDM or produce mature bucks. An understanding of the progression of body and behavior characteristics of bucks can be extremely helpful when attempting to age live deer. Estimating the age of live bucks on a property can provide useful information for managing the deer population and allowing bucks to mature.

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