Age these jaw bones-

[rubs-n-scrapes]

5.5

[Atfulldraw]

I doubt heredity plays a big factor. Soil type would be a bigger factor. I've had deer on my ranch where I knew how old they were. The majority tooth aged at least two years younger.

this is correct regarding soil type.

sandy soil area deer show more wear. that sand gets on everything, including the browse.

I would say this particular deer will never see 5.5, or 6.5, or 6.0, or even 5.0

[Rwc]

Just by looking at the 5th and 6th tooth in picture two, I would say without a doubt this was a mature deer that supported extremely long tines with long beams and very good mass.......... I would also say the deer lived close to the Carta Valley area........... AND WAS A FREAKING TOAD. LOL

But on a serious note, I'm lucky enough to get allot of return bucks each year and have had photos to prove the age of some bucks I have killed. Not one time has the teeth matched what the years of photos proved; the teeth always showed the deer to be younger than the photos.

Anyway, again Howard...... Congrats on a toad.

Rwc

[texashunter97]

3-4

[Howard]

Thanks RWC. Needed that. All these 3.5 comments make me almost feel guilty . Almost

[bigrack]

I say 5.5

X2

[airehead]

5.5
Anyway it will not get any older

Ron

[wildaggie]

The Noble Foundation study did show that tooth wear and replacement isn't accurate, but it also showed that's it's alot better if you give or take a year. Say, 4.5 may be 3.5 or 5.5. Also, the TAMUK study showed that tooth wear tends to underage deer, at least in S. Tx. Cementum anuli technique isn't accurate either. It's only 80-something percent accurate. But, again, it's better if you allow a range of + or - a year.

Tooth wear is the best thing going to tell approximate age on a deer. You can't afford to send teeth off from every deer you shoot for cementum anuli, and there's no point in it. As long as you know you are killing mature deer (interpreted as 4.5+ for some, 5.5+ for others), and your body weights and antler measurements are appropriate for the age of the deer, then your habitat management and deer herd management is working. That's the only real reason to know the age of a deer. Once it's dead, it isn't getting any older, so unless you use the age for analyzing your management program, there's no reason to know the age.

And, this one looks to be 4.5, give or take a year.