Thank you for your interest in this study. Please take time to read through the instructions and background information.

My name is Johnathan Slade, and I am a graduate student at the University of Central Missouri. For my thesis I am working with Dr. Lonnie Hansen, a Resource Scientist from the Missouri Department of Conservation. I will also be assisted by my graduate committee from the Biology department at the University of Central Missouri, Dr. Vicki Jackson, Mr. Chad King, and Dr. Kurt Dean.

Participation is voluntary. There is no penalty for declining to participate. Participants have the right to withdraw from the study at any time  No personal information will be collected. Participants' responses are confidential and will be released only as summaries in which no individual's answers can be identified. Data will be collected via a secure, password protected software program. Information provided will be completely voluntary, no payment or compensation will be offered.

If you have any questions about this project, or wish to withdraw from the project, we would be happy to talk with you. You can contact me at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , and Dr. Hansen at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . You can also write to Dr. Hansen at, 1110 S. College Ave, Columbia MO 65201. If you have any questions about your rights as a participant in this study, you may contact the University of Central Missouri Campus Institutional Review Board at 1-660-543-4621, or by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

My project is divided into two parts. First we want to determine the ability of individuals to age white-tailed deer from trail camera photos.  Participants also will be asked to provide the deer's sex and to report the total number of points one inch or longer from the side of the deer's rack with the most points. The second part of my project is to have participants submit data from their trail camera photos in the fall of 2008. The current time slated for collection is from midnight November 1^st to midnight November 8^th. Once the time period has elapsed participants will provide information on every identifiable deer in each photograph they have taken.

The following photos are of wild white-tailed deer in Missouri. These photos are to help give some guidance on ageing deer. Remember these are interpretations of physical characteristics from photos. A majority of deer will fall into age categories that can be defined by their physical characteristics. In order to get a precise age of a deer, their teeth would need to be examined. Keying in on different body parts (head, neck, & shoulders, chest & abdomen, and hind quarters) can help make it easier to age deer in photographs. 

Does:

•        Head

•   Nose- mature does have longer noses.

•   Ear size- ears on young deer will appear longer because of their shorter nose.

•        Neck & Shoulders

•   Muscle development- As deer mature they add muscle tone.

•   Legs- compared to the body size, legs that appear long compared to the body indicate a young deer.

•        Chest & Abdomen

•   Chest- size and shape, young deer have a shorter more compact mid-section (almost square), mature deer have longer mid-sections (rectangular in shape).

•   Belly line- young deer have straight or tapering bellies; as they age it will gradually sag and develop a curve to it.

•        Hind quarters

•   Ham-fuller and rounded in mature deer; more tapered in young deer.

Bucks: (the above characteristics also describe bucks)

After they reach peek maturity, a buck's antlers will slowly decline, often maintaining mass but having shorter tine length. Each buck develops uniquely as they age. Some 1 ½ year old bucks have branched antlers, some only develop spikes. There is a noticeable progression from a button buck to a mature trophy whitetail. 

•        Head

•   Antler mass- increases until deer reach maturity.

•   Beam length- increases until deer reach maturity.

•  Spread- increases until deer reach maturity.

•   Number of points- typically the number of points increases until bucks fully mature.

•   Ears- in mature deer look for wrinkles in front of and behind the ear.

•        Neck & Shoulder:

•   Wrinkles may develop on mature deer.

•   Swelling of the neck, and its size compared to the chest and shoulders will increase with age.

•  During the rut the size of musculature in a buck's neck and shoulders will increase.

• In mature deer the neck may be nearly as large as the chest.

•      Chest & Abdomen:

•   The chest in young bucks tapers slightly or appears straight.

•   Bellies and/or backs sag in mature deer.

•        Hind quarters

•   Ham-fuller and rounded in mature deer; more tapered in young deer.

Please review the following pictures and figures.