Another "generalized" method of aging deer on the hoof

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Edcyclopedia
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Another "generalized" method of aging deer on the hoof

Unread postby Edcyclopedia » Tue Feb 26, 2013 6:05 am

I got this off another site, seems like another piece of info that could help - if undecided...

March '13 Deer & Deer Hunting issue...

This method is based on a perpendicular line from the bottom jaw line of a buck (looking at it from the side),
to the location where the main beams end.

Basically, this method states the following:
Regardless of the number of points:
- a yearling buck has antlers with the tips behind the eye
- 2 1/2 year old bucks usually have antler tips that are slightly ahead of the eye
- 3 1/2 year old bucks usually have antler tips that are halfway from the eye to the nose
- 4 1/2 year old bucks usually have antler tips that are right over the tip of the nose

I thought this was interesting and wanted to share.
Has anybody else ever heard of this aging method?


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Re: Another "generalized" method of aging deer on the hoof

Unread postby Stanley » Tue Feb 26, 2013 6:10 am

Never heard of that one. I'm not a magzine guy though.
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Re: Another "generalized" method of aging deer on the hoof

Unread postby mibowhunter » Tue Feb 26, 2013 6:12 am

I've heard of it... but dont' really see it as being very accurate. Anything using the rack as an age-estimator is kind of taboo in my opinion.
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Re: Another "generalized" method of aging deer on the hoof

Unread postby Brandon » Tue Feb 26, 2013 6:54 am

ok.. so they are going by main beam length? That would not be close to accurate if Im understanding this right... which I prob not. :lol:
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Re: Another "generalized" method of aging deer on the hoof

Unread postby JoeRE » Tue Feb 26, 2013 2:47 pm

I have heard of that but personally think it is way less accurate than just judging by what the buck's body looks like. There is a huge variation in antler shape...some bucks come way forward and others wrap around more. Bodies vary too but not as much.
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Re: Another "generalized" method of aging deer on the hoof

Unread postby DEERSLAYER » Tue Feb 26, 2013 7:51 pm

Very general and not accurate IMO.
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Re: Another "generalized" method of aging deer on the hoof

Unread postby headgear » Wed Feb 27, 2013 3:00 am

I don't think any system will be accurate all the time, however this kind of simple idea seems kind of accurate for your average deer in my woods. Almost all of the bigwoods two year olds have those smaller stunted 8ish point racks, 3 year olds are generally larger but the main beams are kind of short as well. Older deer here certainly have longer main beans in most cases. I wouldn't even venture to guess what % of deer this might cover but it might work ok.
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Re: Another "generalized" method of aging deer on the hoof

Unread postby huntinsonovagun » Wed Feb 27, 2013 6:26 am

I agree, not the best method of aging, BUT most deer hunters are your run-of-the-mill gun hunters that don't spend a ton of time studying their quarry. This method would be quicker/easier to teach a newbie that would be accurate a percentage of the time. If nothing else, you could tell someone not to shoot anything with antlers behind the eye and you'd save a majority of any 1.5 yr olds that walked out...

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Re: Another "generalized" method of aging deer on the hoof

Unread postby Spysar » Wed Feb 27, 2013 9:39 am

It's actually not a bad way. It's just another clue to the puzzle. I've always told my friends, if you see a deer standing from the side, and the antlers are out to even with the nose, it's a shooter. I'm thinking it's pretty accurate. Not every deer will be like this, but most will .
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Re: Another "generalized" method of aging deer on the hoof

Unread postby gjs4 » Wed Feb 27, 2013 12:06 pm

Edcyclopedia wrote:I got this off another site, seems like another piece of info that could help - if undecided...

March '13 Deer & Deer Hunting issue...

This method is based on a perpendicular line from the bottom jaw line of a buck (looking at it from the side),
to the location where the main beams end.

Basically, this method states the following:
Regardless of the number of points:
- a yearling buck has antlers with the tips behind the eye
- 2 1/2 year old bucks usually have antler tips that are slightly ahead of the eye
- 3 1/2 year old bucks usually have antler tips that are halfway from the eye to the nose
- 4 1/2 year old bucks usually have antler tips that are right over the tip of the nose

I thought this was interesting and wanted to share.
Has anybody else ever heard of this aging method?


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Kip spoke here two weeks ago and said aging bucks by their racks is a bad practice and is not accurate at all... showed examples were people thought a buck was older or younger than what everyone though. Interesting part was he had photos of NE deer he did this with too...so it wasnt like TX or high fence
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Re: Another "generalized" method of aging deer on the hoof

Unread postby Spysar » Wed Feb 27, 2013 12:07 pm

When you say NE....Nebraska? or Northeast?
A buck will see you three times, and hear you twice, but he's only gonna smell you once.


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