The National Deer Association is pleased to announce the premiere of a new educational video project, “Country Aged Deer,” produced in collaboration with The Bearded Buck. The 31-minute video uses footage of dozens of live, wild whitetail deer to teach the aging technique, followed by a test with 20 additional deer.
“The Bearded Buck team gave us full access to their incredible collection of whitetail footage from years of hunting, featuring males of all ages, and then offered to produce the final product,” said NDA Conservation Director and video presenter. Kip Adams. “The result is the NDA’s most comprehensive and realistic look at aging deer in the field.”
Estimating male age in the field is an important skill for any hunter who wants to increase the number of adult males in the forest they hunt and help balance the male:doe ratio to improve herd health. NDA teaches aging skills in numerous media, including Quality Whitetails magazine, educational posters, live seminars, and Dave Richards’ book Observing & Evaluating Whitetails. But the new video “Aging Deer in the Field” is unique because of the large number of live images of wild deer.
“Aging deer in the field is not an exact science,” Adams said. “It is a personal skill that is improved with practice, experience and follow-up. Fortunately, like humans, Whitetails possess distinctive body features by age class, and with a little practice, hunters can become adept at estimating the ages of males in the field. This video serves to introduce the topic and highlight the differences for each age class, from yearlings to mature animals. The $20 quiz allows viewers to practice what they learned.”
To watch the new video, visit the NDA YouTube channel at YouTube.com/deerassociation.
“We are grateful to our partners at The Bearded Buck for their support with this project,” said Lindsay Thomas Jr., director of communications for the NDA. “Jerry Tibbott, founder of The Bearded Buck, is a long-time member and supporter of the NDA, and his team went out of their way to provide his incredible footage, to film Kip’s instructions, and to produce the final video. There is nothing else of this quality available in aging dollars.”
About the bearded deer
The Bearded Buck is an outdoor entertainment company located in Western Pennsylvania. The Bearded Buck’s founder, Jerry Tibbott, is a long-time member and supporter of the NDA, having achieved NDA Deer Steward Level 3, the highest level. Jerry developed the idea as a practical joke between him and one of his hunting buddies, but The Bearded Buck has morphed into an outdoor lifestyle brand dedicated to stewardship of deer, turkey and land. thebeardedbuck.com
About the National Deer Association
Formally launched on November 10, 2020, the National Deer Association is a nonprofit deer conservation group that leads efforts to ensure the future of wild deer, wildlife habitat, and hunting. Formed by combining the strengths of two long-standing and successful organizations, the National Deer Association has a combined 38-year action that has changed deer management to improve hunting and protect the most vital and admired game species. of North America for future generations. Visit DeerAssociation.com or follow @deerassociation on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok.