To count the years of a stag, do you count one side of the rack, or both together?

Question

So if he has 5 points on each side, is he

5 or 10 years old?

Answer 1

Actually, the size/points of the rack is more determined by the health of the animal and its parents.

Antlers are shed every year, unlike horns which are permanent, and a 2 year old buck/stag (and some does) may have numerous points on each side though small, as the animal ages and matures the antlers may get bigger and heavier.

I would guess a better way to tell the age of an animal is to examine its teeth.  The wear on molars from munching plant matter would give more information.

Answer 2

only one side unless it has goofey genetics, then it is hard to tell because it could have 5 on one side and 4 on the other.

Answer 3

The number of points won't tell you how old the stag is, best estimates are from checking the teeth.