How long do deer live?

[Outdoors Junkie]

How Long Do Deer Live?
Story by Katie Hill

The oldest wild whitetail ever documented lived to be 24 years old. That's impressive—but also the exception, not the norm. In North America, wild deer usually have short, hard lives as they navigate natural predators, heavy traffic, loss of habitat, drought, disease, and hunters. On average, most wild deer live only a few years.

But we also know that deer are capable of living much longer lives, thanks to studies and observations of deer raised in captivity. Deer in captivity have a much easier time growing old, but some deer in the wild end up dying from complications of old age, too—thanks to their fine-tuned self-preservation skills, plain old luck, or a combination of both.

How Long Do Deer Live: The Basics A deer herd's age structure tells biologists a lot about overall herd health and reproductive success.

The short answer to the question of how long do deer live is pretty simple, the National Deer Association’s director of conservation Matt Ross tells Outdoor Life: They can get into their early 20s, both in captivity and in the wild.


Here's a link to the rest of this Outdoor Life article: https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/pets/how-long-do-deer-live/ar-AA1jlakD?ocid=entnewsntp&pc=U531&cvid=4bbcb9bc79184deea11e097d5c698a7c&ei=24

[Outdoors Junkie]

We have a doe with a scar on the side of it's belly that we have caught on camera the past 6-7 years. Anyone else have deer that they can identify year after year?

[FishThumper]

It would be interesting to know the average life of a wild whitetail deer. My guess is no more than 3-4 years. Just so many things that can take them out.

[roony]

They live to old age with Glenn hunting.

[Steve-o]

They live to old age with Glenn hunting.

Saw this post coming a mile away.   

[glenn57]