How do you age a doe (female white-tailed deer)?

By GrowingDeer,

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I love your videos, and can’t wait to always see the next one. I consider myself your student. You give good advice on how to discern a mature buck, but where I hunt (Michigan farmland – a veritable paradise for a deer hunter) doe control is necessary, and I also prefer doe meat. I’d prefer to shoot a mature doe to an immature one, when a doe hunt is on. How can one discern a mature doe on the fly and at a distance? I’m sure you’re too busy to reply, but I don’t doubt many of your viewers would be happy to see an episode, or part of an episode, on that topic. May God bless and keep you and your loved ones.

Thank you for watching GrowingDeer and for asking God to bless our Team!

Tracy, the kids, and I all enjoy venison! Tracy’s a great cook and we consume 10+ does each year! So you and I have the same goals.

Just like with humans, does tend to show their age by changing body shape as they mature in patterns similar to bucks. As does mature their posture goes from very straight to having a swayed back and sags in the belly region. Does don’t have plastic surgery so changes due to age are probably more pronounced and constant than female humans express. In addition most does will produce fawns each year so they show similar signs of aging compared to humans as some ladies bare a lot of children while others very few or none. In addition most does give birth as yearlings or as two year old does. The age humans produce the first child is highly variable.

I tend to age does on the hoof as immature, prime, and elderly based on the shape of their body.