Properly Aging a Whitetail Buck Properly aging a whitetail buck is something that takes time, practice and good optics. While determining a buck’s age before pulling the trigger is starting to become more commonplace in the deer woods nationwide, there are still far too many that should walk for another few years to achieve maximum antler growth being shot. This isn’t necessarily the fault of the hunter, but rather a lack of education about how to judge a buck’s age. Bucks are often on the move, especially during the rut, and can sometimes be hard to identify as a shooter or a passer. Insert dense hardwoods into this equation and the judging can be downright difficult. Aside from young hunters,...