Many a hunter dreams about Boone and Crockett scores, the perfect mount and what they might expect this coming year. However, for deer hunters to realize their dreams, they must accept their role as population managers and manage the herd appropriately. The most widely practiced approach to deer management promotes a balanced sex ratio with an adequate number of older-aged bucks. Commonly referred to as Quality Deer Management, this approach requires protection of young bucks from harvest. Hunters can be successful deer managers by learning how to age deer in the field, before they shoot, to promote an older buck age structure on their properties. Aging bucks before harvest requires looking at a combination of physical features. This approach is not exactly quantum physics, but it does require a commitment to learn identifying features and a desire to learn from experiences. Selective harvest to meet the specific needs of individual deer management programs requires that bucks be aged based on general physical characteristics. Specific antler characteristics such as minimum inside spread or minimum number of points can help protect certain young deer. Antler characteristics alone, however, may not provide the needed level of clarity for all selective harvest applications. For example, many mature bucks’ antlers never exceed 8 points and a 16-inch inside spread. Even general appearances change during rut; an older buck may lose up to 25% of his body weight because of increased activity and decreased food consumption. The ability to distinguish bucks between 3 and 4 years of age is important to a management program emphasizing harvest of mature-aged bucks with maximum antler development. The chest region may begin to appear deeper than the hindquarter area and the inside spread of antlers typically is at or outside the ears. Bucks can develop impressive antlers, especially on well-managed properties in productive habitats. They are easily mistaken for “mature” deer when they have reached only 75 to 80% of maximum antler development. At 4½ years old, bucks have almost all the adult body mass and have lost the racehorse look. The neck region is fully muscled, giving the appearance of blending into the shoulders, and the waistline is as deep as the chest. By this age, the average buck will have grown about 90% of his total antler size. Just as people in middle age, most mature bucks exhibit a sagging belly. During the rut, the buck’s neck blends completely into his shoulders and his front half appears to be one large mass. His legs appear shorter than legs of younger deer, but this is an optical illusion because his chest is taking up more of the viewing area. Although the harvest process is more of an art than a science, hunters should base harvest on the best science available and practice the art diligently. The age at which a buck reaches his maximum antler size will vary among individuals and be affected by their nutritional resources.
