Question: How long can that deer live? Answer…

If you’re a deer hunter you’ve probably heard that question before. In fact, chances are you’ve asked that question yourself at one time or another. Or, at least one like it:

“Will he make it?”

“How old do you think he’ll get?”

“Will he be around next year?”

For the sake of this writing, we’ll stick to answering just one – how long can that deer live?

For the first few years of my life as a hunter I didn’t particularly concern myself with how old a deer may or may not be or how old one could get for that matter – I was more concerned with getting a few under my belt if you know what I mean. If my first truck could talk, each of its 4 cylinders would be bursting at the seams with hunting stories to tell, mostly about me and young bucks – spikes, 3 points, a 6 point here and there. Thankfully, that red Ranger stayed by the gate. Had it followed me to the stand that catalytic converter would have more to rattle out, stories of all the misses I had way back when. In the late 90s, early 2000s when a deer with any sort of antlers walked out, there was a real good chance it might be going down or buck fever was about to get the best of me. Today, like that old Ford that’s probably made its way to the scrap yard and been repurposed into something new, my mindset on deer hunting is completely different.  Somewhere along the way, I began to take things a little slower, to observe more than kill – my thirst for blood taking a backseat to my thirst for knowledge.

Back to the question at hand – How long can that deer live?  Biologically speaking, whitetails can live upwards of 20 years or more.  Realistically, though, here in the Eastern Season as classified by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, whitetail bucks are lucky to make it past 2.5 years old.  At this point in my life I choose to practice Quality Deer Management because of its roots in conservation. No, I’m not some great white hunter who’s above shooting a 1.5 year-old buck.  Rather, my enjoyment comes more from knowing that I am doing everything I can to improve the quality of life for the animals that I set out to hunt.  And, in return, those animals provide for me and my family in the form of high quality protein and memories afield.  Hunting is a personal journey for each and every one of us – One of my personal goals being to shoot a buck that I know is at least 5.5 years old.  To do that, I have to let them walk by without squeezing the trigger.  This is where a lot of folks who might actually want to shoot older deer themselves, get caught up. After all, letting a nice 3.5 year-old 10-point walk by, means taking the chance that your neighbor might give him a ride in the back of their truck.  To overcome this “fear” you have to remember two very important things, one of which we’ve already touched on.  

1) Hunting is personal to each and every one of us – just because someone might take home a nice buck that you just happened to let go, it doesn’t mean that they shot it just to keep you from shooting it.

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2) No Deer is your deer until God puts your name on it!       

I know what you’re thinking.  And, you’re right – a lot of hunters do shoot younger bucks just to keep you or someone else from shooting them.  Sadly, the only way to fix ignorance is if it wants to be fixed.  As such, you have to focus on yourself and what you can do to have a positive impact across the lands you hunt and even those you don’t.  Just as important is being open-minded, accepting, patient, and kind in the way you pass on your own beliefs.

Since 2013 I’ve been fortunate to hunt some great land in Moore County, NC, a privilege that I am beyond thankful for – one that has brought me face to face with some unique whitetails.  The first, “Crazy Horn”, is a cryptorchid buck that doesn’t shed his velvet, a particular ailment that has made him a clearly identifiable marker within the herd.

Although my first pictures of “Crazy Horn” are from Fall 2015, I remember coming face to face with him on numerous occasions during the 2013 season.  This November, by my estimations, he’ll be a minimum of 7.5 years-old.  Luckily for us, just across the two-lane road, not 500 yards from where Crazy Horn spends the majority of his time, his female counterpart serves as another marker that has afforded us the unique opportunity to study just how long a whitetail can live in a heavily hunted area.  Having first observed her in October 2014, “The Piebald” as we’ve so “cleverly” come to call her, will be a minimum of 6.5 years-old this Fall.

So what does all of this mean?  It means, that if you ever have a personal goal similar to mine, where you aspire to shoot a 5.5 year-old buck or older – it can be realized!  Even in the heavily hunted locations like most of the places I’m privileged to hunt, deer can reach 5.5+ years.  YOU just have to let them.  Crazy Horn and Piebald aren’t the only anomalies or exceptions to the rule in my neck of the woods.  Last year, our neighboring huntress Karley Davidson struck whitetail pay-dirt when she harvested a buck we called the “Wide 9”.  Based on trail camera photos and personal sightings through the years, he was a minimum of 5.5 years-old.  Thankfully, most of our neighboring hunters have decided to practice their own variations of QDM as well.  As such, the age structure of bucks harvested, locally speaking, is certainly higher than the 2.5 year-old average supported by the 2014 data put forth by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.

So, finally, How long can that deer live?  Answer – As long as YOU let it.  

To see where the story of “Crazy Horn” & the “Piebald” Go?  Follow Along on our YouTube Channel!