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Got the age results on the 8 point

That's really cool and guess the age by a pic is just that a guess. So I'd trust the info you got back. I've been thinking all this time I've never seen a buck over 6 years old on public. Which is all I hunt and all I've ever hunted for the most part. But I've really been wrong all this time.
 
You can tell from his tooth wear that he is well over 5.5. All his molars are opened up with lots of dentyne. But it's hard to say how much older without the CA analysis. Congratulations Catman on a great old buck!
 
Os2Outdoors said:
That's crazy. No telling how many people walked that deer thinking he was young.

On a side note, that's why I laugh at all these age my deer posts from tooth wear and or trail cam pics.
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At 8.5 it's hard to imagine him ever being "mature" in a hunters eyes.
 
What company and how much did you pay if you don't mind my asking? Congrats on the deer.
 
Spurhunter said:
That's exactly what I'm saying. Judging on the hoof is nowhere near an exact science. We see people all the time say they let a 140 walk because he was only 3.5 or they only shoot 5.5 and up. They would've passed this deer and if the science is accurate, he's way beyond their age requirements.
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True. But this deer may have been outlier. Field assessment is still the best tool at our disposal until after the fact. I would have guessed 4.5 and i would have been wrong and wouldnt have shot. But it just means that there would have been a 9.5 walking around next yr. it doesnt mean that i would have been 4 yrs off on the next deer i assessed. I do think this deer may have been an exception to the norm. Either way, pretty awesome to take an 8.5 yr old buck off public land just illustrates the power of the rut.
 
Old buck for sure.

Toothwear (TR&W method) suggests 5.5+ AS A MINIMUM, and we all know toothwear underages them the longer they live, generally speaking (well some of us know that). Estimating age based on toothwear and body characteristics is nothing to laugh about if you have a clue and know what to look for, and realize it is not an exact science, just as cementum annuli is not. Again TR&W method is an estimate that generally tells you the deer's youngest age, but could be older, and many times is likely at least one year older as the teeth suggest 3.5+. As has been stated a thousand times over the last twenty years on this forum and other outdoor forums, cementum annuli is not 100% accurate in the south due to the longer growing season, thus allowing the possibility that a deer's tooth could grow two rings in a single year, and could do that over several years, thus further overestimating a deer's age the older they get IN THE SOUTH. It is scientifically documented, not my opinion, not voodoo. I always suggest sending one incisor to DeerAge (TX) and one to Matson's Lab (MT) and get two independent OPINIONS on age based on CA. Again, these are all just data points to drive you to the best guess on your deer's age, if you care to have your "best guess". The only way to know for sure is to put a tag in a deer's ear at birth, which some do.
 
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We have pics of bucks that we KNOW the history. We KNOW the age.
Toothware and body type is generally pretty accurate.
I don't see 8.5!
3.5 PLUS!
 
That's an amazing old buck Catman. I would have put his age by toothwear at a minimum of 5 1/2, which studies show means he's certainly older than that (Mick Hellickson's study on toothwear aging found that 100% of bucks with toothwear that fits the 5 1/2 age model are at least 1 year older, and about half are 2 years older).
 

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