How To Age A Deer On The Hoof

January 9, 2021

While the science of aging deer on the hoof hasn’t been mastered, the art of predicting maturity can be. When attempting to age deer in the bush, the nutritional status of the animals must also be considered.

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Read on for my 3 steps to more accurately aging bucks on the hoof!

How to age a deer on the hoof. The age humans produce the first child is highly variable. “i have an idea in my head of how old the buck is as soon as i see him. Using trail cameras and having your deer kills aged by a reputable laboratory like deerage.com will help you learn the characteristics of different age classes in your hunting area.

I tend to age does on the hoof as immature, prime, and elderly based on the shape of their body. Aging deer on the hoof is one of the most used methods by both hunters and biologists. Whether you are aging whitetail deer or aging mule deer or just about any deer, learning these skills will help you become a better hunter.

So, while aging a buck on the hoof is never 100% accurate, it’s still a beneficial practice. Regardless of antler size, any deer that is taken this late in life is a trophy, though. Say a deer is shot at 5 1/2 years of age, well then if the buck is readily identifiable you can go back to your photo vault and see that same deer in prior years, say at 3 and 4 years of age and see how his physical and antler characteristics have changed.

Today however, hunters across the whitetail’s range are estimating the age … read more Every year during opening weekend of firearms season, biologists with the indiana department of natural resources show up at check stations around the state to compile information regarding the age and sex structure of that weekend's deer harvest. Aging deer on the hoof.

First, aging deer on the hoof is not an exact science. There is no reason whatsoever why deer stalkers cannot learn this. “you can make an educated guess about a buck's age in 5 to 10 seconds.”

Each time you take the quiz you will be randomly given 10 different bucks from our question bank to age! In addition most does give birth as yearlings or as two year old does. Bucks in this age class sport 95 to 100 percent of their antler potential.

Aging a buck to estimate the age of a buck on the hoof, you need a clear look at a few characteristics that are most visible when the deer is broadside. Assuming you want to shoot older bigger deer, you want to know how old the buck is before it is dead and you examine the teeth. Multiple photos, or lots of time to study the deer in person, are obviously preferred.

Many hunters and landowners are implementing quality deer management (qdm) approaches into their management activities or have an interest in increasing their opportunity for harvesting larger bucks. At some point or another, a whitetail hunter will face a dilemma in the woods or fields. The largest racks are generally grown between 5 and 7 years of age.

Guide to aging deer on the hoof. How to age a deer. In fact, it is a vital skill required to be able to affect sound and selective deer management.

Although this method is not perfect, it has been Being able to determine a deer's age when you're hunting is a major factor in controlling deer populations and promoting a diverse spectrum of ages among the deer. It’s a learned skill that blends experience with the physical characteristics of deer.

Texas parks and wildlife biologists have been using this deer aging technique to manage deer on ranches, wildlife management areas and by county since 1965. Looking at the tall portion of the crests, you simply compare the width of the dentine to the width of the enamel. With practice, aging a deer on the hoof can be done almost instantaneously.

The ability to age live deer, or deer “on the hoof,” is a beneficial skill for all deer hunters and managers. A deer steps out into one of your shooting lanes. You’ll also receive a free copy of our dvd, aging and scoring bucks on the hoof, with any qdma membership.

It can get a bit tricky trying to assign every buck an age that is specific to a single year, such as 3.5 year old. How to age whitetail deer on the hoof. Aging deer on the hoof remains an educated guess.

An important thing to keep in mind is that deer characteristics will vary depending on where the deer population is located. Additionally, in our free weekly e. Even seasoned hunters make mistakes.

Simply because deer this old have learned what it takes to avoid hunters. The ability to age deer on the hoof is an important skill for a variety of reasons. First, if you hunt on or are part of a hunt club with a quality deer management philosophy, the plan will rarely work if you only use antler points as a judge of age.

To implement this practice, hunters must have the ability to accurately age bucks on the hoof based on their body characteristics, an ability that most hunters considered impossible a decade ago. The quiz database currently contains over 60 unique bucks and will grow in the future! Then i spend the rest of the time refining that estimate,” hellickson says.

Experience remains paramount to one’s ability to estimate the age of live deer.

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