Home  Rules  Minutes  Important Dates  Game Manager Reports  Recipes  Contact Us  Pictures Map  Driving Directions, Weather Report & Moon Phase  Links & Downloads Turkey Hunters   Officers Login Here

Identifying Does and Fawns

 An adequate doe harvest is essential to maintaining population densities within available food supplies and balancing sex ratios. Unfortunately, well-intentioned hunters often mistake buck fawns for does. Harvesting "nubbin" or 6-month-old buck fawns will reduce future antlered-buck numbers, so it should be kept to a minimum. Fortunately, there are several ways to differentiate between does and fawns.

Early season bow hunters regularly see spotted fawns. The fawn's spotted coat is normally shed and replaced with a brownish or grayish coat by mid-autumn, although areas with late fawning may still have spotted fawns even during gun season. The fawn's forehead and nose are shorter in comparison to the adult doe's head. The relative shortness of a fawn's face is the most critical identifying feature.

Fawn behavior differs from the adult doe; fawns are more playful, naive, inquisitive, and in the buck fawn's case, more aggressive. A buck fawn may be the first antlerless deer you see because he is less wary and more inquisitive. The "nubbin" buck has developing antler bases or pedicles (immature antlers) that are difficult to see early in the season but are easier to detect later, particularly from the side.

Use these tips to harvest an older doe and avoid harvesting a buck fawn:

• Do not harvest an antlerless deer that appears alone. Adult does rarely travel alone. Does and fawns normally travel together in social groups, although it is often the buck fawn that enters an opening first. Wait until several deer are together and then look for obvious size differences. Harvest one of the larger antlerless deer.
• Later in the hunting season, it is not uncommon for "orphaned" twin fawns to feed in food plots. Probability dictates one will be a buck and one a doe. In this situation, it is easy to mistake the buck fawn for an adult doe, since it is normally larger than the doe fawn. The doe's head normally is more rounded on top between the ears, because the buck's head is flattened by the presence of the pedicles. Close inspection with binoculars looking for the pedicles or antler bases helps avoid harvesting the nubbin buck.
• Watch the behavior of deer. Fawns are playful, curious, and not as wary as adult does.
• Examine the head of deer; check for pedicles on buck fawns, particularly from the side view. Pay attention to obvious fawns throughout the season; look for indications of pedicle development. Do not wait until you are ready to harvest a doe to look for differences between fawns and adult does. Do not harvest antlerless deer with short noses or foreheads.
• Look for "wear and tear" signs that typify mature does (for example, ears that appear too short for the head, a swayed back, and a sagging belly). The snout of an adult doe is relatively longer than a fawn's. An adult doe's body is rectangular shaped, while a fawn's body is square shaped.
• If you are not sure of the ages, wait to harvest an animal when you can make a more positive identification.

Antler Size Characteristics

Antler size is difficult to judge in the field, particularly under hunting conditions. Harvest decisions often are made hurriedly. You might mistakenly harvest a young, immature buck unless you can determine age and antler size with some measure of accuracy. In the Southeast, 1½-year-old bucks rarely exceed 12 to 13 inches inside spread. Not harvesting bucks with less than 13 inches inside spread effectively protects the entire yearling age class. Requiring a minimum number of antler points, as practiced in some states, also protects a significant number of yearling bucks. Restricting harvest of bucks not meeting a minimum inside spread criterion and number of points is a common management tool.

Use the following tips to judge antler size:

• Ear width -- In the normal or relaxed position, the tip-to-tip distance between ears on a buck is about 15 inches. An alarmed deer orients his ears in a forward direction to focus on noises; this alarm behavior reduces tip-to-tip ear width down to about 12 inches. Use ear width to estimate inside spread of antlers if the buck looks in your direction.
• Ear length -- The length of a buck's ear from base to tip is about 6 to 7 inches. Use ear length to estimate antler tine length directly. Beam length is difficult to estimate accurately and requires a frontal and side view. If inside spread exceeds the relaxed ear tip-to-tip width, then look at the side view. If the antler seen from the side projects forward beyond the midpoint between the eyes and the tip of the nose, you have a buck with beam length exceeding 20 inches.
• Number of antler points -- It is almost impossible to see all antler points clearly from any one perspective. Use frontal and side views to get a full count of antler points. It is difficult to see brow tines except from the frontal position. From the side, count the number of points projecting upward from the main beam. If you see two on each side, it will likely be an 8-point buck. If you see three points projecting up on each side, it will likely be a 10-point buck.

Physical Characteristics

 Whitetails are like people in the sense that the overall body appearance changes with age. The general appearance becomes "more mature" as the buck ages from year to year. By judging the general overall appearance and then focusing on specific body characteristics, it is possible to place bucks into one of several age classes.

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 greatly help protect yearling bucks. Antler characteristics alone, however, may not provide the needed level of resolution for all selective harvest applications. Even general appearances change during rut; an older buck may lose up to 25 percent of its body weight due to increased activity and decreased food consumption.

The 1½-Year-Old Buck (Yearling)

 It is often said a yearling buck resembles a "doe with antlers," which makes it relatively easy to discern. The 1½-year-old buck will not develop the swollen neck and muscular characteristics of older bucks. These bucks tend to have thin hindquarters and long, thin legs. Think of a teenaged boy, not yet reaching full height and not nearly "filled in."

Almost all yearlings have an antler spread less than 13 inches. These "teenagers" have not learned to be as secretive as their older associates are, so they often enter food plots earlier than older bucks and tend to be in the vicinity of doe family groups. The average size of a buck's antlers doubles between 1½ and 2½ years of age, so it is a good decision to let a yearling buck grow at least another year.

2½-Year-Old Buck

The 2½-year-old group is more difficult than yearlings to judge. The majority of this age group still have antler spreads inside the ears, but some individuals may produce a good set of antlers. During rut, this age class produces a limited amount of neck swelling due to muscle development, and the waist, or area just in front of the back legs, is relatively thin. Their hindquarters are much more filled in than the yearling's, but their legs appear to be "long and lanky." This age class has lots of growing to do before reaching full maturity, so it is best to let them grow at least another year. Their racks are only about 60 percent of the size they will be at 5½ to 6½ years.

3½-Year-Old Buck

The ability to distinguish 3½-year-old age group is important to a management program emphasizing harvest of mature-aged bucks with maximum antler development. During the rut, the buck's neck is thickly muscled, yet there is still a distinct junction between the neck and shoulders. Some biologists compare its look to that of a well-conditioned racehorse.

The chest region may begin to appear deeper than the hindquarter area; inside spread of antlers typically is at or outside the ears. These bucks can develop impressive antlers, especially on well-managed properties in productive habitats; they are easily mistaken for "mature" deer. In reality, they have reached only about 75 percent of maximum antler development.

4½-Year-Old Buck

A white-tailed buck physiologically matures by 4½ years of age. By this age they have almost all of their adult body mass and have lost the racehorse look. Its neck region is fully muscled, giving the appearance of blending into the shoulders, and the waistline is as deep as the chest. Buck activity patterns may have changed by this age due to an increased wariness; they may not venture into open areas until about dark. Physiological maturity is closely associated with the maturing of a buck's antlers. By this age, the average buck will have grown about 90 percent of his total antler size.

5½- to 6½-Year-Old Buck (Mature or Prime)

 Fully matured bucks have a distinctive look that is undeniable once experienced. This publication groups deer 5½ years old and 6½ years old into one age class, because few hunters or managers will want to try to differentiate animals. Antler size typically is maximum at 5½ to 6½ years of age and may deteriorate thereafter, depending on forage conditions.

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. Just as people in middle age, most mature bucks exhibit a sagging belly. Their eyes are squinty in appearance. Mature bucks often show battle scars such as torn ears, broken antler tines, and scratched necks.

7½-Year-Old and Older Bucks

 Over-matured bucks are often mistaken for younger animals because some body characteristics tend to revert. Muscularity is lost in the neck area because these animals may not participate as frequently in normal rutting activities. A swayed back and a prominent potbelly are other signs of this aged buck. Loose skin develops on the neck and head areas as muscle tone declines. Recent battle scars may not be visible, but old scars such as slit ears are evident. A buck's antler size tends to decline with advancing age.

By Stephen Demarais, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries; Dean Stewart, Extension Wildlife Specialist, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, and Robert N. Griffin, District Administrator, Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks.

Line Up

Mature Doe Silhouette

Young Deer Silhouette

The information on these pages are © 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 by VCHC and may not be reposted without written permission from the author, and may not be reprinted for profit. Site hosted by www.EmmonsDomains.com