Aging/Scoring Deer

[2B4Him]

Although I am not much into trying to score deer, I didn't care much about aging them a few years ago either.
Anyway - I'm still learning and trying to get better at aging deer. And it would be enormously helpful to me (and probably to others as well) if veteran aging 'experts' on the GS would give a few reasons why they age particular deer at a certain age on here.
Rather than just giving your opinion that a particular deer is 3.5 or 4.5, I'd love to see a reason or two why you age a deer at the age you do (long nose, short legs, sagging belly, etc.). I've seen some of the charts that are out there and those are helpful, but not as good as seeing pictures of live deer on the hoof with pointers and opinions from others.
Just my .02 on helping out some of us trying to improve our 'aging' abilities. ('Aging' of the deer, that it - my aging abilities are going down hill by the day!)

[Mike Murphey]

See if this helps......
Aging Whitetail Deer

Why is age important? Keep in mind when considering this question that whitetail deer are a lot like humans in certain aspects. Age allows the human body to grow and reach maturity. Once a persons body reaches maturity they have the capability to grow bigger muscles and to push their bodies to the extreme, like a professional athlete. In the same way whitetail bucks as a whole tend to produce their very best antlers after their bodies reach maturity. Most bucks skeletal system growth is completed after 4 1/2 years of age. Remember that humans mature at different ages. The same is true with whitetail deer. While most growth is complete at 4 1/2 years old, for others it may be 3 or even 5 years of age before body maturity is reached. A whitetails body development will always take precedence over antler growth. This is the reason bucks 4 1/2 years of age and older produce bigger antlers.
Remember that aging a whitetail buck on the hoof is at best an educated guess. An important thing to keep in mind is that while every deer matures differently, every deer herd is unique itself. It doesn't matter how long a person has been studying whitetails, there are going to be mistakes made. There are many factors and different variables a person should be aware of when trying to calculate a deer's age on the hoof.
One factor is that of nutrition. Different nutritional levels are going to affect a whitetails body size and antler growth. When assessing nutrition think about rainfall, available food plots, and what type of supplemental feeding, if any, are accessible for the deer herd you are trying to age. Is the ranch high fenced or low fenced? How long has this particular property been under management? Any situations you can think of that would affect a deer's nutrition is a factor worth considering.
There are still other variables to consider when aging on the hoof. Time of year, time of day, lighting, distance, angle of the deer's body are all contributing factors that can make whitetails appear younger or older than their true age. Whitetails are going to look different in the pre-rut, rut, and post-rut. When observing bucks and trying to age them it is best to not get in a hurry. If you have the opportunity it is a good practice to compare deer against each other even though they are all individuals. Often these above variables can give you different impressions minute-by-minute. When a buck comes into view with other bucks that are present, be slow to judge age. Many times bucks will come in with hair bristled out and they will appear much older. If possible, allow the deer to relax and flatten his hair. Then try to age the buck. Try to judge a buck from as many angles as possible. Keep in mind that the worst angle while aging is going directly away or angling away. A good pair of binoculars and spotting scope are key in helping minimize mistakes.
A Guide to Identifying Different Age Classes:
1 1/2 Year-Old Bucks: appear thin necked; baby faced; body is slim like a doe's; anlter development varies from spikes to 10 or more points; antlers will be small and thin; short main beams compared to older bucks; tarsal area or hocks will be lightly colored and small; and some may even travel with their mothers although it is at this age they relocate.
2 1/2 Year-Old Bucks: bodies appear long and unproportional; legs look like they are growing too fast for their bodies; even though their body is thicker than that of 1 1/2 year old bucks their legs and neck appear stretched in proportion; backs and stomachs are tight; elongated bodies; head will look long from the side; travel alot during the rut; typically are not active breeders; tarsal area or hocks may appear dark in rut but will be small and round; could be compared to that of a junior high teenager or athlete.
3 1/2 Year-Old Bucks: back is straight; tight stomach; neck begins to fill out and they start to get a deeper chest; chest may even appear larger than the rump; neck will still sit several inches above the brisket; hocks are darkly stained because starting to become an active breeder but staining doesn't run down the leg usually; really travel during the rut; I would comapre them to a high school athlete or student whose muscles are starting to become defined who is becoming well conditioned with muscle toning taking place and body filling out.
4 1/2 Year-Old Bucks: these are your college and professional athletes; they have attained skeletal maturity; rear end appears rounded and full; necks will become muscular and thicker; thicker stouter bodies bit still trim; back and stomach won't sag; first time that the legs don't appear too long for body; hocks during the rut will be dark and large starting to run down the leg; antler growth should have greatly increased over previous years due to food intake being directed to antlers and not developing their body; very active breeders; neck is joining the brisket but usually looks like a notch has been cut out where they meet; start to dominate in the hierarchy due to prime physical condition.
5 1/2 Year-Old Bucks: usually their backs and stomach start to sag; should be carrying their largest set of antlers to this point; neck will swell considerably during the rut; neck and brisket are joined as one muscle; hocks or tarsals will be darkly stained to the hoof; necks will be extremely muscular not flabby; legs will look short due to fatter thicker bodies before the rut; gland on their forehead will be thicker and darker.
6 1/2 Year-Old Bucks: neck will often be as thick as their bodies; face will look small compared to neck; sagging stomachs; bodies are going to be rippled like they are getting loose skin especially in the chest and neck; back will sag due to larger belly; tarsals and hocks will be darkly stained to the hoof; look pot bellied; testicles will start to hang down lower than younger bucks; there is no doubt about maturity; starting to look like an old man who is loosing the shape of their body.