How to Age Deer in the Field, plus 20-Buck Aging Test

Estimating buck age in the field is an important skill for any hunter who wants to increase the number of adult bucks in the woods they hunt and help balance the buck:doe ratio for improved herd health. This NDA video, produced in partnership with The Bearded Buck, uses extensive footage of dozens of live, wild whitetail bucks to teach the aging technique, followed by a test using 20 additional bucks.
“The team at The Bearded Buck gave us full access to their incredible collection of whitetail footage from years of their hunts, with bucks of all ages, and then agreed to produce the final product,” said NDA’s Chief Conservation Officer and host of the video, Kip Adams. “The result is NDA’s most comprehensive and realistic look at how to age deer in the field.”
Aging deer in the field is not an exact science. It’s a personal skill that is improved through practice, experience and follow-through. Fortunately, just like humans, whitetails possess distinct body characteristics by age class, and with a little practice hunters can become proficient at estimating the ages of bucks in the field. This video serves to introduce the topic and highlight the differences for each age class from yearlings to mature animals. The 20-buck quiz then allows viewers to practice what they learned.
We are grateful to our partners at The Bearded Buck for their support with this project. Jerry Tibbott, founder of The Bearded Buck, is a longtime NDA member and supporter, and his team went out of their way to provide their incredible footage, to film Kip’s instruction, and to produce the final video. Nothing else of this quality is available out there on aging bucks.
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[@joeblow26]

What I find unbelievable is beer nuts are now $3.99 per pound while deer nuts are still under a buck!

[@raidenheilman9095]

Classic

[@karsenalexander8165]

😂

[@Savage_Hokage]

😂

[@rfb7117]

Kip, the BEST video I have ever seen on aging deer on the hoof. Thanks for all the great deer on video and sharing with us. Bob

[@rfb7117]

These look a lot like our deer in SW WI. We are hunting 4.5 and 5.5 deer, which are very representative of what you showed on the video. Important, but very difficult NOT to look at the antlers!!!

[@DeerAssociation]

Appreciate the kind words, and thanks for watching!

[@bradcrouse9100]

Totally agree! Best aging video I’ve watched.

[@KinetikES]

Excellent video!! Thanks for posting it, very helpful.

[@mikejacobs6360]

The best aging a deer video I have ever seen! VERY good!!!!

[@thehuntersight7548]

Great job! Keep putting out these informational videos!

[@DeerAssociation]

Thanks! Will do!

[@Darrell.D]

The best video I've seen on aging whitetails. Great job and good luck this season.

[@DeerAssociation]

Thanks for watching, and good luck to you too!

[@jonkluesner9695]

Wow, great video! Thank you for the great content. I'll definitely add this info to my arsenal

[@wvbowhunter1]

Awesome video. I had a decent knowledge of how to age deer but always struggled with 3-1/2 to 4-1/2 and you helped clear that up! Thanks

[@DeerAssociation]

Separating 3½ and 4½ is about the toughest dividing line buck aging. We all struggle with that one! Glad our video helped. Thanks for watching!

[@markradzwion5547]

Very well made and thought provoking!! Enjoyed watching

[@DeerAssociation]

Thanks, Mark!

[@larrymoore5886]

Great video. I really liked the age judging exercise.

[@winnerscreed6767]

Great video, really helped me learn a lot. I always wondered how to tell a deer's age, even harvesting the older ones makes more sense now. Thank you for posting

[@DeerAssociation]

Glad it was helpful, and thanks for watching!

[@Kuhtlass]

If you are hunting public, you only have to watch the 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 part.

[@cultleader3572]

Why ?

[@Tonympiotrowski]

best video I ever seen, great work

[@DeerAssociation]

Wow, thanks!

[@clangzy]

I’m new too hunting and found this super helpful. Just shot my first Whitetail buck a couple days ago and after and after watching this I’ve come to the conclusion he was around 3.5-4.5

[@DeerAssociation]

Congratulations on your first buck! Glad you found the video helpful.

[@benkrueger9904]

Great video. Recently got invited to hunt with friends on a place that had plenty of bucks, but the owner wanted us to harvest only 4.5+ year old bucks. With help from owner I did harvest a beautiful 4.5 year old and gained valuable experience on aging bucks. Sure wish I I had watched this video prior to the hunt!

[@DeerAssociation]

Congratulations on your successful hunt!

[@stevebrown3408]

Thanks, enjoyed and learned alot , had me going to this year game pictures . lol

[@DeerAssociation]

Glad you enjoyed it! Good luck this season.

[@guitareputz]

Excellent, I'll be looking this over again for sure. I was maybe 41.2% correct on the test

[@LadyGeckoFoot]

Definitely a nice video, but I'd be interested in a video showing bucks before rut.

[@IndyBigBodiedBucks]

I always like seeing bucks pre-rut and early fall before the neck starts to swell. I’ve seen 3 year olds with huge necks during the rut, and one even fooled me and got me to pull the trigger. I’ve also seen 4 year old bucks lose their belly because they’ve been dogging does all rut. Looks like they lost 20-30 pounds through trail cam pics and encounters. The rut is the easiest time to mistake 3 and 4 year olds even for experienced hunters ESPECIALLY if those 3 year olds have big racks. Trail cam pics, early fall encounters, and hind quarters are my usual methods of aging. Also like to look at his head. Old bucks normally have big block heads

[@lloydn1510]

Ok I will

[@Ryan-ef4xn]

Great tips,..do Dear go backwards as far as Body & OR Antler Size???? Can you give examples or is this a myth???

[@CodyYoutube]

I wish the people that hunt our property would learn this I saw a 3 1/2 year old spike today but the other guy killed a 1 1/2 year old 6 point that had less antler than the spike

[@jacekcastro354]

Hi Kip first thank you for the grate lesson of how to agin a deer, I have a question for you or maybe someone else could answer me, at what age of the deer the meat is tastier?? Thanks in advance cheers from Florida

[@Qwertylol]

Is the general aging the same for bucks and does? Or is it different in does than bucks (namely because of the udders on a doe)

[@FarmallFanatic]

West Central Pennsylvania: 2B Entirely different from the rest of Pennsylvania

[@user-od4jz8tm9k]

Is this method of finding age inly for White tails or csn it be for oyher such as red deer, Rusa deer, sambar, axis

[@heavymetalhero08]

How do you account for bucks that are hunted with hounds that tend to be leaner than average?

[@williambrowning4842]

In Texas, no matter the other characteristic, a buck must have antlers that are at least 13 inches inside spread, or wider than alert ears.

[@nomadzach2973]

Only some counties

[@tonyfrederickson6692]

age experts be coming out of the wood work now

[@harleyburns9515]

Is this the same for mule deer?

[@cooterbrown1703]

Slightly over 50% right. I got work to do.

[@DeerAssociation]

That's not too bad, and the "practicing" to improve your skill is a lot of fun. Have a great season!

[@dawnmitchell9709]

4.5

[@dawnmitchell9709]

2.5

[@Studio215official]

Question. If antlers shed every year and their size has nothing to do with the deer's age, why are all the legal restrictions based on antler size?

[@DustinKeating-yk3vq]

I was reading something about spikes saying once a spike always a spike is that true

[@DeerAssociation]

No, it's false. Spikes grow larger antlers each year of their life just like any other buck. Given age, they can become a buck you would take to the taxidermist. If a high percentage of yearling bucks are spikes where you hunt, that's a nutrition problem. Improve the habitat and/or reduce deer density through doe harvest to increase the amount of nutrition for all deer in the population.

[@renwhite1809]

Iv seen older bucks with lean waists Iv seen younger bucks with fat bellies. It’s really hard to judge exact age but you know when a mature buck is in front of you although I count 4.5 and older mature

[@DeerAssociation]

True, which is why we say this is an art and not an exact science. You also need to consider multiple characteristics. If a buck shows several signs of being mature but one sign (like a lean waist) of being younger, you still have more evidence pointing to an older age. Thank you for watching!

[@travislefebre5991]

He never said how old the last one was. 3.5 my guess

[@gaetanhoule3854]

Salut steph l'épiphanie

[@lovetogun3611]

Swelled neck?😂 He come on in der chassn dat do and his neck wuz all swelled and I said oh yeah he gonna get it

[@stevecooper8121]

Glad I found this video, what a educational experience. I had a big body deer come by on opening day, it was about 40 minutes before sunrise and I never really seen the antlers good but had a great view of the body from 12 feet away, and now after watching this video I can be pretty sure he was at least a 4 and half year old but his neck and front was so huge and he walked like a cow, he was probably a 5 and half year old are older. Thanks for helping me figure out he is definitely a shooter, now I have to get another chance at him. Most people would have shot him anyway but I'm only wanting a full mature buck.

[@randolphtolbert3825]

Must be a private land buck. On public he’d be shot dead.

[@stevecooper8121]

@@randolphtolbert3825 seen him Friday night on the trail cam, that's about the third time, he only shows up way after sun set usually 9 pm or later, yesterday was my last chance so if he doesn't get ate by a pack of coyotes or ran over he's likely survived another season. I only heard one shot all weekend so I think the hunters around me have given up. He's pretty smart so I'm going to surprise him with a early season muzzleloader next year if I'm still around, when you get old you never know who's going to live longer, the old smart deer or you.

[@randolphtolbert3825]

@@stevecooper8121 I saw my biggest deer while squirrel hunting in Late October. I was sitting on a stool next to a tree. Three does came thru before he did. You may want to try hunting him before the firearms season when he’s less cautious.

[@stevecooper8121]

​@@randolphtolbert3825 Well I'm still alive and that old deer has survived another year, seen him on the trail cam last week.He is a giant this year, four more weeks to wait.

[@lilmama4426]

We are having a bit of trouble aging a couple of bucks at our new property. Some are obvious but a couple are a lil puzzling, one in particular has the saggiest, fattest belly we've seen his front end is larger than back end, his tarsal gland stains go past the normal area but his neck is thinner than expected.🤔 Does this mean he is old as dirt??? Also another has a few stickers at the base of his antlers, really low & weird. Are stickers usually associated w/old deer? I'm wondering if these deer are just really old? Forgot to add tuwr antler size doesn't fit the body, they both have 8 points, are outside the ears but taking all the body characteristics into account we'd think they'd have larger antlers. I cannot find but a couple pics of elderly bucks, do you have any you can share so we can compare? (I know being in Alabama there would be differences between our deer & yours but we have a mixture from repopulation years ago so it prob won't make that much difference). Thanks for the video!:)

[@DeerAssociation]

Post-mature bucks can sometimes be difficult to age because of the mixed up characteristics like you're seeing. Some of them decline in antler size and body condition, so they can look skinny or bony in some areas while having large stomachs. Generally, a deeply sagging stomach and sway back, along with extremely large tarsal staining, are strong indicators of maturity even if combined with a skinny neck. In extreme age, antlers can display a "wavy" or "melted" look. But none of these are hard rules. Get as many photos as you can in different seasons or across years, and use the info to make your call. Good luck!

[@lilmama4426]

@@DeerAssociation Thank you so much for the additional info, I really appreciate your help.:)

[@everettware3466]

I believe a 2.5 y still has a long face. Any older has a bigger face make it look shorter. In other words the nose appears short.

[@lukehoeft7420]

Videos like this are not super helpful in aging Texas deer. Our deer are so small.

[@nonetheless01]

Tooth wear has been disproven as a accurate way to age deer .

[@DeerAssociation]

You are incorrect. Estimating age from tooth replacement and wear is the most accurate technique for aging deer out to 3½ years of age. In fact, it's 100% accurate for identifying three categories: fawns, yearlings and all adults "2½-plus" because you are studying tooth replacement, not wear. You can make estimates for 3½ and beyond based on wear if you bracket your ages and understand the method. We would not teach this method if it did not have reliable use for deer hunters in the field. Please learn the method and its limitations.

[@nonetheless01]

@@DeerAssociation you are the one that is incorrect , like I said , PROVEN INACCURATE.

[@kalebmcdaniel9147]

Many studies used deer with already known ages from being tracked sent them in to be tested and was less than 50% correct!

[@loganhill6601]

@@nonetheless01 if you guys had any reading comprehension you would have read the part where it is only 100% accurate up to 3.5 years old after that it is an estimation

[@chadhouser973]

Personal opinion…the buck at 9:15 is 3.5yrs, not fully mature. Sorry. Still has the young looking face/head. His neck doesn’t really connect to low chest. His Tarsals have no staining. He’s just chunky . Not sure why video assumes fully mature