Age This Buck ( Teeth )

[Russ 11]

Anybody good at aging a buck by their teeth ?  If so what are your thoughts on this one . 
***More pics added***

 

Edited March 7 by Russ 11
Added pics

[Lunatic]

You need a focus picture from the top, one side is enough 

[nb6624]

Definitely from Sussex county!

[Russ 11]

1 minute ago, Lunatic said:

You need a focus picture from the top, one side is enough 

That’s all I got Mike .  I will have to see if I can get another pic .  Thanks

[jumpthestring]

Definitely has gingivitis 

[Lunatic]

19 minutes ago, Russ 11 said:

That’s all I got Mike .  I will have to see if I can get another pic .  Thanks

Ill look closer tomorrow, maybe we can make an educated guess 

[NotJust22s]

Young

[Tarhunt]

2.5

[Pathman]

It’s a 2.5 year old deer based on the fourth tooth and comparing the line of dentine (dark portion) to the adjacent enamel on the same tooth. 
 

One of the best explanations of the process is on the QDMA video series on tooth wear and replacement method of aging deer. You can find it on YouTube. 
 

In the future and pic looking straight down on top of the teeth will be easier to age any jaw. 

Edited March 6 by Pathman

[electric10162]

1 hour ago, nb6624 said:

Definitely from Sussex county!

Taylor ham stains

[bushden]

2 years, 7 months and three days if the pic was a little better I would be able to break it down to the hour of birth based on the color of the teeth.

[Tier1]

Super difficult to age deer accurately solely on tooth wear...From 6 moths to 2.5yrs old you can be very accurate, as its not so much the wear your looking at, but more so tooth replacement that you are using to age... Once you start getting into the actual tooth wear and width of the dentine and enamel it gets very subjective and less accurate.

Also, diet and prominent soil conditions can play a role as to how much the teeth wear...In very light sandy type soils, tooth wear can be accelerated, the same holds true for deer who's primary diet is hard mast versus a deer who is primarily feeding in agricultural areas throughout the fall and winter.

On your jaw bone, it is for sure at least 2.5yrs old and not older then 3.5yrs old

Though it is difficult to tell from your photo angle, as others have said you really need a top down picture to gauge the width of the dentine

However from the pic, it appears that the dentine is a bit wider on the #4 molar then it is on the #5 molar, and the lingual crests are pretty rounded on the #4 molar, so that would lean me towards calling it 3.5yrs old, but very hard to tell for sure on the photo angle.

aging between 2.5 to 3.5 is probably most difficult to do on wear alone, to be as accurate as you can be.  you really need to take in all factors. What did it weigh, what was the beam diameter at the bases (if its a buck), what was the rack size (mainly mass) what does the chest look like, what does the head / skull look like.  All those factors can help you be a little more accurate.

 

 

Edited March 6 by Tier1
photo edited

[Rusty]

I agree with the masses, most likely 2.5.  Unless it's from an agricultural area and has been soft foods most of its life, in which case there's a chance it could be 3.5.     

Do you have a picture of the deer?  

[Russ 11]

2 hours ago, Rusty said:

I agree with the masses, most likely 2.5.  Unless it's from an agricultural area and has been soft foods most of its life, in which case there's a chance it could be 3.5.     

Do you have a picture of the deer?  

It’s from a buck my son shot . 

[Tier1]

Looking at the body characteristics from your pics confirms what I thought from the jaw bone, that he's 3.5yrs old.  I'm looking at the distance between the pedicles, mass at the bases, overall mass on the rack. 

Then also looking at the width of his snout down into his nose, the width versus length of his head, from ears to nose. Then the size of his neck where it meets his chest at the brisket.

Your second picture shows a great comparison of head / snout size and chest size between him and a younger 2.5yr old deer.

Congrats to your boy !!! Thats a great buck !!!