There has been some discussion of age estimation of bucks from trail cam photos in the Trail Cam Photos thread so I thought I'd start a thread with the basics of how to do it and some example photos to practice on.
Estimating a buck's age on the hoof is based on body characteristics that change as they age and their bodies develop. From a 1.5 year old buck that is virtually indistinguishable from a doe if you mentally remove the antlers to 5.5 year old that has a massive body that is starting to sag in the middle, a buck's age can be estimated fairly accurately to within an about a year of their actual age with some practice and clues to look for.
A few basics to keep in mind:
1. The deer needs to be broadside or close to it and on fairly level ground for best accuracy.
2. The buck also needs to be in the fall or winter with a swollen neck for clearest separation between ages.
3. After 5.5 or 6.5 years the body changes stop being as predictable and buck's of this age can only be estimated based on familiarity.
4. Estimating age has next to nothing to do with antler size or shape.
Estimating a buck's age on the hoof is based on body characteristics that change as they age and their bodies develop. From a 1.5 year old buck that is virtually indistinguishable from a doe if you mentally remove the antlers to 5.5 year old that has a massive body that is starting to sag in the middle, a buck's age can be estimated fairly accurately to within an about a year of their actual age with some practice and clues to look for.
A few basics to keep in mind:
1. The deer needs to be broadside or close to it and on fairly level ground for best accuracy.
2. The buck also needs to be in the fall or winter with a swollen neck for clearest separation between ages.
3. After 5.5 or 6.5 years the body changes stop being as predictable and buck's of this age can only be estimated based on familiarity.
4. Estimating age has next to nothing to do with antler size or shape.