Category: Submitted Photos

I’ve always wanted to tag a buck in the snow, but is this guy old enough to shoot? I’d say he is …

Aging this New Yorker Buck

This northern buck is a beast by all standards when it comes to the body size! Regardless of where this photo was taken, any buck that carries this much bulk throughout his body is not a young deer.

Notice that the buck’s heavy neck meets up very low on his brisket, another tip that this New York native does not take crap from nobody. The real give-away is the buck’s head.

The head of a mature whitetail buck should look short. It’s not actually short but it will appear short. This is because an older buck carries a lot of mass around the back of his jowls, the area where the head meets up with the neck.

With all of these physical features in mind it’s easy to estimate this buck on the far end of the age scale. Since he’s a northern buck he’s going to appear heavier than most, but even with that in mind this buck is at least 5 1/2 years of age.

How about this dude? This one should not take long, right?

Aging this Buck from a Camera Photo

I see a very young buck. This is actually a 1 1/2 year old buck with his very first set of antlers. Bucks that are 1 1/2 years of age appear smaller than adult does. Using antler size to age young bucks is actually quite effective most of the time.

Rarely will there be middle-aged or old bucks running around with such tiny antlers. This guy would be off limits in my book. Give him at least another 3 years before putting a tag on him.

Check out this buck from Louisiana. How old is this guy?

Aging this Big Buck

I see a mature whitetail buck that is well-developed. The deer has a big body. The front-end of this buck is deep and the muscled neck comes into the brisket low. The legs of this buck look relatively short compared to the length of his body, a sure sign that he is not a young deer.

Depending on when this picture was taken during the season, this buck is likely 5 1/2 years old, possibly even a couple of years older. Without question, he would be on my hit list!