One of the whitetail bucks I have mounted is the result of a culling program on a particular ranch in south Texas. The deer was 4.5 years old and sported a nice 8-point rack. The program on that particular ranch, however, called for the removal of any 4.5 year-old bucks that had 8 points or less. Frequently when people ask about this particular buck and I relate the above three lines of text to them in person, the most often asked question is, “How did you know he was 4.5 years old?”
There is no substitute for experience; in hunting or any other endeavor. I have been fortunate enough to observe countless whitetails both as a hunter and as a manager of whitetail herds for others. Over the years I have simply learned to age deer on the hoof as well as by tooth wear and replacement of the jawbones we pull from harvested animals. I consider the ability to age whitetail bucks on the hoof critical to any deer management plan. Approximately 60% of the bucks killed annually in Oklahoma are yearling bucks; this simply has to stop if we are to develop and maintain a quality whitetail herd in Oklahoma. I have stated before why the yearling buck harvest must decline, but for new readers the reasons include:
1) Yearling bucks are the easiest deer in the woods to kill. One reason for this relates to being in new territory. When a buck turns one-year-old, he is usually driven out of his familiar home territory by his mother as she prepares to fawn. As the young buck seeks out a new niche, he is extremely vulnerable to death by many causes such as automobiles and hunters. Combine the new territory with a supply of hormones running wild during their second autumn and you can see why yearling bucks are so easy to kill. Experienced hunters have no business killing yearling bucks and should be ashamed to do so!
2) Over-harvest of yearling bucks reduces the number of bucks moving into the next age class in the population pyramid. The results of this dilemma are at once obvious and at the same time produce results that are not so obvious. The obvious and most apparent result of over-harvest of yearling bucks results in fewer trophy animals seen and taken by hunters each year. One of the major criteria for a trophy development is to allow a buck to mature. If hunters would simply allow bucks to attain 2.5 or 3.5 years-of- age, the change in quality would be dramatic. Not only are the older animals more challenging to hunt, but the difference in antler quality is simply amazing. The not-so-apparent effect of over-harvest of yearling bucks is on the social structure of the heard. Mature bucks are supposed to do the breeding. In a herd that has heavy pressure on the buck herd in general and yearling bucks in particular, there are few, if any, mature bucks to breed. That chore is then passed on to the yearling bucks of unknown characteristics. This is neither good for the hunter nor the herd.
Therefore, hunters need to learn to age deer. It is just another skill that good hunters and managers acquire. Although you can actually identify each age class of deer up to 6.5 years-of-age or so, hunters should at least concentrate on identifying three age classes of deer: yearlings, mature bucks, and those in-between.
In the simplest terms a yearling buck looks just like a doe with antlers. They have a very thin neck, legs that appear too long for their body, and have an overall feminine appearance. Antlers are inside the eartips, and in many instances, yearling bucks will be spikes, (nearly all spikes are yearlings, by the way, so don’t shoot spikes!) Mature bucks (5.5 years of age and up) have blocky, muscular bodies and thick necks that appear short. Their legs appear short for their body, and the belly line sags. In the case of 6.5 year olds, the back line also begins to sag. The animals may move as though they have arthritis and antlers are usually quite heavy.
The in-between age class of bucks are in the prime of life and are built like race horses. The belly line is still tucked up or even with the chest; there is no sag. Antler quality of these in-between bucks will usually knock your eyes out. If we could simply allow yearling bucks to mature into the in-between age class, Oklahoma hunters would be thrilled with the results.
Personally, I hunt only mature deer. You may want to hunt either the mature or in-between class of bucks. That is a decision each person must make for himself. The fact remains that all hunters, except for nimrods, must stop shooting yearling bucks in Oklahoma. This begins with the ability to age deer while they are alive. An excellent video for helping you learn to age deer, both alive and by tooth wear and replacement, is Dr. James Kroll’s video on aging and judging antler score of whitetail bucks. You can order the tape from the School of Forestry, Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas. Call them at 409-468-3301.