hi marty are you saying you just shoot the younger deer. I saw a show on tv they said a deer in wild in avereage live 7 years. If you don`t shoot the old now they would die on their own anyway right. And how can you tell how old they are just looking at them at a distance or close range. Wouldn`t be kind of hard to do?

thanks

marcel

Marcel,

Thanks for your comment. Actually what I am saying is to target the older mature deer and let the younger deer walk. Doing this will insure a good quality deer herd and could help increase antler and deer body sizes.

As far as judging the size of a deer in the wild or more appropriately its age, I posted a few blog entries on this exact topic.

The best way to familiarize yourself with aging a deer in the wild is to study as many deer photographs as you can. I have a great selection of deer pictures at www.free-deer-hunting-tips.com where youwill see a mature deer standing alongside a yearling deer.

Pay close attention to the dimensions of the mature deer heads.

When I am in the field I use a simple measurement to determine if the deer I am going to harvest is mature or not. This measurement starts at the inside corner of a deer's eye and runs to the end of it's nose. A mature deer will measure betweeen 6 and 7 inches in length from the inside corner of the eye to the tip of the nose.

You may ask, "How can I tell that while sitting in my deer hunting tree stand?"

Here is how I practice my deer aging skills:

Take life sized pictures of deer to my shooting range.

Place the pictures at different yardages and look at each through your scope or binoculars.

Focus in on the measurement I mentioned above.

Make a mental note of how a mature deer head fills your lens. Specifically how the inside corner of the deer's eye to the tip of its nose fills your lens.

The next time you are out hunting and see a deer in your scope or binoculars, bring up that mental image.

This has helped me target in on the mature deer here on my hunting land and help increase deer herd health and size.

Good Luck and Great Hunting!

Marty Prokop

Hi Marty,

Are you saying you just shoot the younger deer?

I saw a show on tv they said a deer in the wild lives on avereage 7 years.

If you don`t shoot the old deer now, they would die on their own anyway right?

And how can you tell how old they are just looking at them at a distance or at close range?

Wouldn`t that be kind of hard to do?

Thanks,

Marcel

Marty,

This is a really great blog post. I would like to see a deer magazine talk about this more. Maybe they should ask you to write for them. Mostly they talk take the biggest deer. That's great but I want more of how to have a good hunt now and qdm for bigger deer for years to come.

Jim

Marcel,

Thanks for the comment.

What I am actually saying is to pass on shooting the younger deer so they can grow and have off-spring. Consider passing on the nice bucks approaching their peaks so they can procreate for a few years and increase the quality of the deer herd on your deer hunting land.

If I have my eye on a buck for harvest, it is because I have watched this deer for several years. I will harvest the chosen buck after it has had two years or more of great antler growth.

Why?

Because I want that deer to procreate offspring during its peak so my deer herd has great antlers for years to come.

Since deer breed basically once a year, by leaving this deer in the herd for a few years to procreate, I have increased the quality of the deer herd offspring for years to come.

Believe me, it’s not always easy.

I have passed great shots on monster bucks on my deer hunting land. It was hard.

But now I see more large bucks with racks that look like their monster buck grandfather’s rack. I see does that have the strong body structure of the monster buck.

This really gives me a great deal of pleasure and comfort knowing the deer herd is doing well and the strong gene pool is being passed on.

Marty Prokop Answers, “But Which Deer Do I Pass On?”

What I recommend is to let the young deer have offspring. Let those bucks in their prime have a few years to procreate and pass on their genes. Consider harvesting the big buck in about the third or so year of great antler growth. It helps to know your deer herd.

Usually bucks get their first set of antlers at about 1½ years old. Nice racks start appearing at the age of 5½. If I waited until the second “nice rack year” the buck will have procreated at its peak for two years. This means the buck will be in the 6½ to 7½ year old range when harvested.

Before their peaks bucks will generally have smaller racks and smaller bodies. Young does will have smaller features as well.

You can see the difference between a mature doe and a young doe in my trail cam pictures at http://www.free-deer-hunting-tips.com and in the blog post where I answered Alyssa’s question on how to age a deer in the field. You can find the blog post here on the blog under the category of “age a deer” by looking to the right for the list of categories.

To see the pictures go to http://www.free-deer-hunting-tips.com/deer_cam.htm and click on the link that says Deer Cam Photos From October 9 to October10, 2006 .

The second photo in the series will show you a mature doe standing next to a yearling deer. Pay close attention to the mature doe's face and head compared to the yearling.

Look at the top of the doe’s nose. You will notice it is slightly rounded. Also look at the overall length of her whole head. The doe in that picture is estimated to be six years old.

A mature deer, whether it is a buck or doe, will have an approximate measurement of six to seven inches from the inside corner of the eye to the tip of its nose. Use this guideline to age a deer while in the field.

One of the best ways to age a deer in the field is to study as many deer as you can throughout the year. Study the photos here on the website, live deer or deer hunting videos.

With a little time and practice you can guesstimate the age of deer while you are out deer hunting.

Good Luck and Great Hunting!

Marty Prokop
www.free-deer-hunting-tips.com