How do you judge age on a deer by sight?

[dustoffer]

My aging technique is to just divide into 3 classes---young (fawn to 2.5), middle-age (3.5-4.5) and mature (5.5 and up). I am not good enough to make accurate calls on specific years.

[GarGuy]

My aging technique is to just divide into 3 classes---young (fawn to 2.5), middle-age (3.5-4.5) and mature (5.5 and up). I am not good enough to make accurate calls on specific years.

Yep....and most biologist cant do much better than that looking at their teeth.

[Hobbs]

The most you or anyone else can do is get within a year or two on anything older than a 3.5 year old without knowing the history of the buck. All deer are different and some are fatter, some thinner, some more muscular, some have bigger necks, etc. There are way too many variables to nail it down to one year unless you have a history with a buck starting at 1.5 years old and can identify him in the years to come. Don't get caught up in the exact age. Just try to identify immature or mature. It's very hard to age a buck this time of year.

[Roscoe]

Yep....and most biologist cant do much better than that looking at their teeth.

I had a taxi tell me that a HF ranch he does work for has sent teeth off to labs for aging and gotten back results varying by 2 yrs from different labs on the same deer.

[ethic1]

I like visual references like this diagram. Also, put some game trail cameras out and study those as well. Eventually you'll start to understand the differences, it just takes time and experience.

This is the best option in getting close. In the end its just a guessing game without history as many have said.