The size and bulk of this prime 35 to 45 year old buck is clear when compared to the does and fawns hes courting. Gee 1997 found a similar pattern with a majority 50 percent correctly aging 1½ and 2½year deer table 1.
Antler Size And Determining A Deer S Age Mossy Oak
Whitetail deer body measurement chart. The size of the deer determines the size of the mount. Chestgirth measure the chest just behind the front legs 2. Weight is in pounds lbs. Dressed body weights age and antler measurement data should be collected every year and from every deer harvested. Whitetails yet one study found deer biologists correctly aged only 72 percent of knownage whitetail jawbones marchinton et al 2010. Antler size is one of the details we use to help determine age but only one in a long list of aspects like body size and shape muscle tone the appearance of certain features etc.
Go buy some life size deer paper targets and have her shoot at those to get familiar. Given those external body measurements here are some estimated vital area circle diameters that roughly correspond to the approximate heartlung target area. How to use this chart. Here are some traits to look for when aging bucks. The chart below will help you estimate your deers live weight field dressed weight and also edible meat weight. Chestgirth measure the chest just behind the front legs.
With life size deer mounts antlers the head and neck the head and shoulders or the entire body are usually preserved. Collecting partial data only occasionally during a season or every couple of years may result in land managers making uninformed decisions about deer management. Jawbones of fawns and immature deer 1½to 2½. Field dressed body cavity cleaned out no entrails 4. The white tailed deer odocoileus virginianus also known as the whitetail or virginia deer is a medium sized deer native to north america central america ecuador and south america as far south as peru and bolivia. Pronghorn antelope 85 9 small deer 85 9 medium size deer 10 11 large deer 11 12 north american wild sheep 12 13 mountain goat 13 145 caribou 145 155.
It depends on where you are as the size varies. A big midwestern whitetail averages 18 but can be only 14 in many eastern states. Mule deer can go all the way to 24 inches. His antlers hardly measure up to his body mass however. Edible meat boneless edible venison 5. You will develop a more effective management plan if you can distinguish a bucks age by assessing it in a photo or by sight.
The size of the buck and the antlers depend on the deers age nutrition and genetics. Live weight live deer on the hoof 3. Weight is in. Live weight live deer on the hoof. Field dressed body cavity cleaned out no entrails edible meat boneless edible venison. Conditions or any other factors affecting deer.
How to use this chart. In the united states mule or whitetail deer mounts are common. It has also been introduced to new zealand cuba jamaica hispaniola puerto rico the bahamas the lesser antilles and some countries in europe such as the czech republic. To identify these mature deer and avoid shooting a too young buck forget the antlers and study the body.
Gallery of Whitetail Deer Body Measurement Chart
