Easiest way to field judge deer........

[rad_112176]

Hey guys, I am wondering what some of you do to field judge bucks on age and size when they come in on short notice. I took a nice buck last week but after everything i was a bit disappointed in myself for not letting him walk. If it wasn't for taking him with my 44 magnum then i may have even kicked myself. It all happened kinda quick but what is the first thing you look at to be sure that you are shooting a 3 1/2+ year old deer and i kinda have my goal set for a 130+. I have just recently started getting to where I am trying to hunt for "mature" whitetails and not just a buck with the most points. I was able to shoot a nice buck earlier in the year that didn't score all that well but was at least 6+ years old and was on the down hill slide. I was able to watch him for a little while so i knew he was a mature deer. I hunt in many different states so have learned what a mature buck means at each place i hunt but in IL it is a whole different story. I let bucks walk that i would love to see in MI. Thanks for all the help.

[HOYTnMUZZYboy]

First thing i look at is how there rack and ears match up. Then I just kinda go from there. A buck doesn't half to be wide to be mature but its a good place to start. Hope this helps. I'm sure everyone has there lil tricks. Il be watching this thread to see if I can learn a few new tricks myself .

[redkneck]

First thing i look at is how there rack and ears match up. Then I just kinda go from there. A buck doesn't half to be wide to be mature but its a good place to start. Hope this helps. I'm sure everyone has there lil tricks. Il be watching this thread to see if I can learn a few new tricks myself .

I agree 100%. I will grunt or bleat, or whatever is needed to get that deer to look at me to estimate the width. I had to grunt twice last saturday to get one to look, then it saw the inside spread was outside the ears and decided to shoot. Still like the above post, you got to look at several factors, but width is a good indicator for starters. I like the ones you dont need to look no further on, you know its a shooter from the first glance.

[huntermq32]

I look at it's face if it looks like it is short and fat also if his back is saging. Then I look at his mid body, is his stomick hanging down or is it strait or does it go up a little. Next time you visit a veterinarin look mat the obesity chart for dogs per age this will show you what to look for.

[wtnhunt]

For field judging age, I never look at the antlers. Look at the body on the deer. For sourthern deer this is a good guide http://www.tndeer.com/field-judging.html. I look at the deer's shoulder, neck, and the area just in front of the hams. Generally speaking a mature buck will be as thick or thicker in the area of the gut as he is in the chest.

[redkneck]

I agree William, the horns have nothing to do with aging it. If I'm pulling the trigger though I'll take a 130" rack on a deer regardless of his age lol.

[rad_112176]

Thanks for the hints guys. That was a good web site on looking at body type and size wtnhunt. I can see the differences. I am sure the real truth is just get my finger off the trigger/release and don't be scared for a shooter to get by me while i am trying to figure out age and size. Still interested if anyone else has any other ideas.

[Michiganbowhunter_SQ2]

For field judging age, I never look at the antlers. Look at the body on the deer. I look at the deer's shoulder, neck, and the area just in front of the hams. Generally speaking a mature buck will be as thick or thicker in the area of the gut as he is in the chest.

I agree William, the horns have nothing to do with aging it. If I'm pulling the trigger though I'll take a 130" rack on a deer regardless of his age lol.

Same here. The body is what I look at first. William hit it right on, look at all of those characteristics of the body, then, if antler size is a big deal, look there. To me though antlers are a sign of good genetics and/or nutrition rather than age.

[NBomb500]

Good tips and good website!

[layin on the smackdown]

I did the same thing this year, and i feel pretty confident in my ability to field judge a deers age...but the problem was how it happend. When things happen super fast in the woods, like they tend to do especially in November, it can be a very tricky game...For example, the dude in my sig, he came by at last light, when i first saw him i though he was a scrub buck 1 1/2 year old becuase all i could make out were his brow tines, and i couldnt get a good look at his body...when he walked by me at 12 yds, i knew right off the bat by his body size he was a mature deer, glanced at his antlers and thought he was a just a giant heavy ten ptr...i was way off as you can tell by the pic...

this year i had a buck come flying in after i snort wheezed at another buck, and when i saw him coming, his body size, attitude, posture and rack all gave me the green light to shoot because i thought he was at least a 4 1/2 year old...he ended up being a 3 1/2 year old 10 ptr that i easily would have passed if i had more time to size him up.

Generally speaking, i go by body size...but there are instances where a younger buck can act and portray that of a dominant mature buck by their body language and posture, and if you don't have time to really size him up, it can either be a mistake, or a blessing. It happens to the best of us...ground shrinkage and ground growth are evidence of that.

[hoosierhunter]

I personally try to look at their forehead and see if they have that big tuff of hair between the horns or whether its smooth. If it's narly looking he's usually at least 3.5 years old...

[Missionman]

Several good points. It is sometimes hard to judge if they are coming in a hurry but if you can take the time, let em grow. If your undecided, let it go, you know where he is and he will probably be back. I agree with redkneck, over 130" he's down one way or the other!!

[dbHunterNY]

I'm not a biologist, but here's some things I've picked up. First if you've got any doubts or pick up any characteristics that you've learned tell you he's not a shooter then don't shoot! ...despite some stuff you see that might make you think he's older. Don't get hung up on a buck that's wide with tines that seem short. Even more so if it's got fewer tines (ex: 8 pointer opposed to a 10 pointer). A 10 with tines that are each a mear 1" longer adds up to 8", where a buck with an 8" greater spread would seem to look way bigger. Also a rack that might appear the same size, but look to see how high off the head the beams are; this will hurt tine length too. At 3.5 yrs old a buck gets a little heavier in his shoulders, but he won't have a saggy gut, neck blending with straight lined profile into his shoulders/chest, and a face that looks caved in like he got hit with a wood 2x4. Looks just like a 2 year old that's a little bigger with slightly stronger shoulders I think. That's what I think, but I don't know how much constructive criticism these words should be getting.

Edited December 4, 2009 by dbHunterNY

[wtnhunt]

I agree William, the horns have nothing to do with aging it. If I'm pulling the trigger though I'll take a 130" rack on a deer regardless of his age lol.

LOL. Chances are you see a 130 class buck around here it is at least a 3.5 year old. Animals of that caliber here are far and few between, but we did have an 8 here this fall I think would have likely been close to the 130 mark. I aged that buck last year as a 3.5 year old in the field. Seeing a buck make it to 4.5 years old here is almost like winning the lottery, so much pressure around and so many "brown its down" shooters we just don't have too many slip through the cracks.

I am not going to pass a monster 2.5 year old, I like big antlers as much as anyone, but I try not to look too long at the antlers when making that decision whether or not I am going to shoot a deer. If he has a big body and I know he is a mature deer I am taking the shot

[MNcrittergittr]

Around here, I look at body size and shape. We have really big bodied deer so just because it's big doesn't mean its mature or old. But I look at its brisket and the how the botton neck line fades into it. I'll look at it hind quarters and compare its gut to it's chest. I also look at its face or snout to look for that convex or roman nose. I then compare that with antler size to get a good rough estimate.

Around here some young bucks will look like does with antlers, then they get bigger and look like race horses. And a big mature buck can seriously have the look of a bull. Sometimes the way a deer carries itself or behaves is an indicator of age.

Over the years, I've just gotten experienced with what it's like here. If I went somewhere else, I'd use the same basic principals but have to keep in mind charatceristics of a particular region. A big bodied deer down south isn't neccesarily a big bodied deer up here, but it doesn't mean it isn't mature.

Edited December 4, 2009 by MNcrittergittr

[dblgun]

deer

My first clue is if he looks way bigger than the other deer around him. And another thing I consider an indicator of maturity is mass. Heavier racks seem more indicative of an older deer. Just my 2cents.

Joel