How to Age a Buck (Antlers and More)

Generally, my dad was hoping to shoot a buck that was at least 3.5 years old, but it wasn't really because he was worried about the age of the deer as much as he was considering the size of the antlers.

Whatever your goals or reasons are for shooting deer of a certain age, it’s important to know how and why to age a buck. Let's get into it.

How Can You Tell How Old a Buck Is?

First, let’s talk about the ways you can judge a buck’s age, starting with its antlers.

Deer Antlers Explained

Although antler size isn’t always a sure-fire way to age a buck, it does offer a great starting point.

• Generally, younger bucks will have smaller, more slender antlers, with less mass and fewer points. In other words, that four-point you have on your trail camera with pencil-thin antlers is likely a very young deer.
• Conversely, older bucks will often have larger racks with more points and more mass.

Looking at the bases of the deer’s antlers, where they meet his head, is a good place to really check for mass. 

Body Shape and Size

In addition to antler shape and size, you can also look for specific characteristics that a buck’s body will exhibit to give you clues about his age.

Young Bucks and Yearlings

For instance, a young buck around one or two years of age will have long, lanky legs and a narrow chest. Think of this like a puppy versus a dog. Puppies are very obviously long and lanky with narrow features.

A yearling buck is the same way. Once you learn what you’re looking for, it will be immediately evident when you’re looking at a very young buck. 

Middle-Aged (3-4 years)

The next age group of bucks, I like to think of as teenagers or young adults. Three and four-year-old bucks are built like athletes in their prime.

These bucks are sleek and muscular, with a defined neck and balanced proportions. When you see these bucks, oftentimes you might think they’re fully mature because they look strong and intimidating. But in reality, from an antler and a biological perspective, these bucks are really a year or two away from being the king of the forest. 

Mature Bucks (5+ Years)

Finally, mature bucks that are truly in their prime will have a build that might be what you’d think of as a horse.

They’re still muscular and still have a defined neck. But over the years, they’ve developed a bit of a saggy stomach and a back with a definite sway. Their bodies appear a lot more stout than those of younger deer.

They may look similar to your friend's black lab that has maybe been getting extra treats and not retrieving as many ducks as he used to. Their legs appear shorter because their bodies are just larger overall. 

Facial Features and Head Shape

It’s important to note that beyond just the shape and appearance of a deer’s body, you should also observe the shape of a buck's head and face to determine maturity.

As a buck ages, his face will go from a sleek and thin appearance to being more square and blocky. The difference in face shape can be tough to spot unless you’re regularly observing bucks or watching them side by side. However, this is another great tool in the bag for aging bucks. 

Behavior

Paying attention to all the information available is critical when aging bucks as well. However, if you’re unsure based on the deer’s antlers, body shape, or facial appearance, then you can pay extra attention to the buck’s body language and behavior.

With young bucks, you can think back to the puppy analogy from earlier. They’re typically going to be much more curious and playful and less concerned about potential dangers. Often, they’ll move freely in daylight hours and in open areas.

Mature bucks, however, are seasoned veterans of the dangers of the woods. Because of this, they’re much more cautious. Mature bucks will carefully move through the woods, slowly and deliberately, and more frequently at night than during the day. 

Why Is It Important to Age a Buck?

Now that we know how to age a buck, let's talk about why aging a buck is important, both for your goals as a hunter and for the biological impacts it has on the deer herd. 

Shoot or Don't Shoot

First and foremost, aging a buck is a good tool for hunters so that we can make educated decisions about the animals we choose to harvest. I believe that all hunters should take whichever legal animal makes them happy, whether that’s a Boone and Crockett-class buck based on their buck scoring guide or a barely legal spike.

That being said, there is something special about harvesting a wise, old buck that has had a chance to mature and spread his genetics through the herd. 

Herd Health

Passing young bucks also helps balance the age structure and health of the deer herd as a whole.

Think of this like people. You wouldn’t want everyone in society to be a teenager or a child. Having balance in the herd helps ensure there are more healthy deer populations for future generations. 

Genetic Quality

Allowing bucks to mature helps with conservation efforts to protect and promote the well-being of whitetail deer.

Having more mature deer in the landscape allows biologists to track population trends within the herd and, in turn, allows them to suggest good practices for conservation efforts. For example, for deer hunting in Michigan, we have an abundance of young bucks and does, but mature bucks are much harder to find. Because of this, our DNR is suggesting that folks harvest more does and allow the younger bucks to mature before harvesting them. 

What is a Typical vs. Non-Typical Buck?

In the fall, when you get out to hunt, keep in mind that maturity isn’t the only factor in determining whether or not a buck is a trophy to you. Another thing to keep in mind is that there are both typical and non-typical bucks.

• A “typical” buck will grow antlers in the expected pattern, with one main beam and a certain number of points coming off of that beam. Their antlers are symmetrical on both sides of their rack, making them easier to score on the Boone and Crockett scale.
• "Non-typical” bucks are much rarer and more unique. Their racks will grow in unpredictable ways, such as extra points that wouldn’t normally be there or points that grow upside down, known as “drop-tines”.

Non-typical antlers on bucks can be caused either by injury or genetics. Harvesting a non-typical buck can be a fantastic trophy display and a great story to tell!

How Do Deer Grow Their Antlers?

When deer grow their antlers, they follow something that could be described as "magic" to someone observing the pattern.

Each spring, bucks will begin growing their antlers in velvet, a soft tissue with lots of blood vessels to supply proper oxygen and nutrients to the antlers for growth. Many factors, including protein, calcium, and phosphorus, fuel the growth of the buck’s antlers.

Many environmental factors, such as stress, also play a role in how well a buck is able to grow his antlers.

Then, each year, usually sometime in late winter or very early spring, bucks shed their antlers before beginning the growth cycle all over again. A buck’s antlers will usually reach the peak of their size sometime between five and seven years of age. 

What Are the Different Deer Hunting Strategies Based on Age?

As I said earlier, all hunters should be proud to shoot whatever legal animal they choose. Knowing how to age a buck helps you make decisions on which bucks you want to shoot (or can legally shoot) vs. bucks that earn another year to grow.

My first bow kill, from 2022, is mounted on my wall. He’s just a 1.5 or maybe 2.5-year-old seven-point. But as my first buck with a bow, he’s the most special deer I've killed since my first, and I’m very proud of having him in my home as a trophy. 

Let's look at a good deer hunting strategy by buck age.

Yearling Hunting Strategy

Strategically, things change depending on what age class of buck you’re looking to harvest.

If you’re at a stage in your hunting where any legal buck will make you feel accomplished and fulfilled, then you want to be targeting younger bucks, between one and two years old.

These bucks are often more active during daylight and less cautious of potential danger. I’ve had countless spikes and other young bucks walk right to the base of my tree, before sniffing my climbing sticks and realizing they didn’t want any part of whatever the heck I was.

For this age class, you’ll want to target food sources in the early season. Often, these younger deer are the last to break apart from their bachelor groups at the end of summer, so hunting where you’ve been seeing them in the summer months is a good strategy. 

Middle-Aged Buck Hunting Strategy

If you’re goal is to harvest a racked buck, between three and four years of age, you’ll be hunting a deer that has more carefully honed his survival skills and therefore will more often stick to thicker cover and nocturnal movements.

For this age class of deer, I like to keep trail cameras deployed to track where these bucks move during daylight hours. Rut activity will also make these deer easier to locate and kill, as their travel patterns will expand greatly as they chase does around. 

Mature Bucks Hunting Strategy

If harvesting a true mature buck is your goal, buckle up and get ready for the work that comes with it.

Mature bucks are like the ghosts of the forest. They’ll leave breadcrumbs that will let you know where they live and survive. But ultimately, they’ll know how to use cover, wind direction, and terrain to move safely when they need to.

These elder bucks rarely leave the thick cover of their bedding areas outside of the rut. To hunt them, it’s easiest to focus on the rut timeframe and key in on terrain features that will pinch or funnel deer movement.

HuntWise tracks the rut phases all season with the RutCast feature, making it even easier to hone in on that mature buck of your dreams. 

Use HuntWise to Target the Whitetail Buck Types You Want to Bring Home

We hope these insights into how to age a buck help you tag the buck you have your eye on!

Hunt your hunt and harvest whatever legal deer makes you happy. Hunting is a pursuit that should only fuel the personal goals of the person releasing an arrow or pulling the trigger of their firearm.

This season, as you dive into the timber in pursuit of whatever buck it is that gets your heart pounding, take HuntWise along to track the wind, rut phases, and to scout other areas bucks might hunker down to escape pressure. Every detail will give you an edge as you continue to pursue America’s favorite big game animal.

Best of luck this fall!

If you don't have HuntWise yet, download it now to plan your hunt for free during your first week in the app.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

We have answers to your questions about how to age a buck!

Q: What are the different types of buck deer?

A: Buck deer types vary by species. Common ones include white-tailed bucks, mule deer bucks, black-tailed bucks, and Coues deer bucks. Each has distinct antler shapes, body sizes, and habitats.

Q: How can you tell how old a buck is?

A: You can estimate a buck’s age by its body shape, antler characteristics, and facial features. Younger bucks look slimmer with thinner necks, while older bucks have fuller necks, deeper chests, and more mass.

Q: What is a typical vs. non-typical buck?

A: A typical buck has a symmetrical antler pattern with main beams and evenly matched tines. A non-typical buck has irregular, extra, or oddly shaped points, often from genetics, injury, or age.

Q: How do deer grow their antlers?

A: Bucks grow antlers annually in the spring and summer under a soft, blood-rich covering called velvet. By late summer, the velvet dries and sheds, revealing hardened antlers used for mating displays and dominance.

Q: What are the different deer hunting strategies based on a buck’s age?

A: Yearlings (1-1/2 years) are often less cautious. Use decoys or light rattling. Mature bucks (3-1/2–4-1/2 years) are more cautious. Hunt near bedding areas and use scent control. Old bucks (5+ years) are very wary. Focus on patterning movement, hunting downwind, and minimal disturbance.