How old based on tooth wear

[DC219]

Any ideas on the age of this deer?

 

[backyardtndeer]

They look pretty worn to me. I would guess 4.5 or possibly older, but I am not that great at guessing.

 

[TN Larry]

4.5

 

[Snake]

Don't do teeth

 

[megalomaniac]

I'd go 4.5 as well

 

[Andy S.]

4.5

 

[DC219]

Don't do teeth

Yeah, I know it's not as accurate as sending them off. I've sent three off this season. It's starting to get expensive

 

[redblood]

Trying to age by teeth is just about worthless IMO. I have really researched it and saw examples where deer in Tagged herds where tooth aged after death and have pristine teeth of 3.5 yr old and have been 8.5 and a 3.5 with malocclussion have teeth of a 7 yr old. No sense in random guesses. just send them off to know the truth (or as close as we can get to it anyway). Diet plays a huge role as does tooth alignment.

 

[Country1]

Where do you send them to and what is the cost?

 

[BSK]

I'm in with the 4 1/2 crowd. But just remember that toothwear only gives you a solid minimum age, and the older the deer is, the more likely toothwear under-ages them.

 

[DC219]

I'm a biologist and I have not seen teeth this well roundly worn this deer is probably over 5.5 would not surprise if it is 7.5.

Where do you send them to and what is the cost?

Deerage.com and costs about $33 for each deer. It takes several months to get the results. You can pay more and get the results sooner.

 

[BSK]

Trying to age by teeth is just about worth IMO. I have really researched it and saw examples where deer in Tag herds where tooth aged after death and have pristine teeth of 3.5 yr old and have been 8.5 and a 3.5 with maloclussion have teeth of a 7 yr old. No sense in random guesses. just send them off to know the truth (or as close as we can get to it anyway). Diet plays a huge role as does tooth alignment

I take exactly the opposite approach. Good research with ear-tagged deer as fawns in the South has found cementum annuli ages are all over the place. Not only no more accurate than toothwear, but error rates both over and under-aging by several years. Toothwear on the other hand rarely over-ages deer, but frequently under-ages deer, especially really old deer. I use toothwear to get a solid minimum age.

 

[redblood]

I use deerage.com. Cost depends on how quickly you want the results. So i always choose the cheapest package. Age is all that matters to me anymore, so i dont see myself ever shooting a buck that i wont age. Their is a great oiece on the don higgins podcast with an illinois biologist and he talks to great length about the inaccuracies of using tootwear as a definitive aging tool. Even said he will never look at deer molars again

 

[redblood]

Deerage.com and costs about $33 for each deer. It takes several months to get the results. You can pay more and get the results sooner.

Beat me to it!

 

[DC219]

I take exactly the opposite approach. Good research with ear-tagged deer as fawns in the South has found cementum annuli ages are all over the place. Not only no more accurate than toothwear, but error rates both over and under-aging by several years. Toothwear on the other hand rarely over-ages deer, but frequently under-ages deer, especially really old deer. I use toothwear to get a solid minimum age.

Heck, BSK may have just saved me some money.

 

[DC219]

I use deerage.com. Cost depends on how quickly you want the results. So i always choose the cheapest package. Age is all that matters to me anymore, so i dont see myself ever shooting a buck that i wont age. Their is a great oiece on the don higgins podcast with an illinois biologist and he talks to great length about the inaccuracies of using tootwear as a definitive aging tool. Even said he will never look at deer molars again

I'll check that out. Thanks

 

[BSK]

The only time I would be interested in a acquiring a cementum annuli age is if toothwear indicates a very old deer (teeth worn to the gumline). With toothwear aging, all you can say is 6 1/2+. But cementum annuli may tell you about how much older the deer is. One of my clients sent in such a tooth from a doe that was killed, and the cementum annuli age came back as 19 1/2 years old, which at the time was the oldest wild deer the group had ever aged.

 

[Country1]

Thanks.

 

[Snake]

I use deerage.com. Cost depends on how quickly you want the results. So i always choose the cheapest package. Age is all that matters to me anymore, so i dont see myself ever shooting a buck that i wont age. Their is a great oiece on the don higgins podcast with an illinois biologist and he talks to great length about the inaccuracies of using tootwear as a definitive aging tool. Even said he will never look at deer molars again

I seen a video similar but can't remember who it was but talk about inaccuracies ! Bodies can fool you sometimes as well so it's just a guess unless you have picture/video proof every year. Heck most people can't guess other people's age either . One who waits until a buck is mature before trying to tag him usually knows close enough to tell he's mature . And I'll add this no way to tell how old a buck is by the teeth method as it has one big flaw , you have to kill him ☺ So learn the body charteristics of aging IMO .

 

[BigBuckBeas]

Deerage.com and costs about $33 for each deer. It takes several months to get the results. You can pay more and get the results sooner.

I'm a deer tooth analyst and I say he's about 6 1/2 years old.