Teeth Aging Texas Hill Country Deer

[GarGuy]

That's cool. Now how old is the buck I posted,

[Top Of Texas]

That's cool. Now how old is the buck I posted,

I wouldn't argue with you about being 3 yrs old

[kyle1974]

That's cool. Now how old is the buck I posted,

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[GarGuy]

Yeah he is not a 3 year old . Thats why history is the only way to be sure of age. Not all mature deer look like the example posted. Without history, this post mature deer would be on the dont shoot list . Yes hes ancient and yes im sure.

[kyle1974]

Teeth Aging Texas Hill Country Deer

Yeah he is not a 3 year old . Thats why history is the only way to be sure of age. Not all mature deer look like the example posted. Without history, this post mature deer would be on the dont shoot list . Yes hes ancient and yes im sure.

Just out of curiosity how Do you know that’s the same buck? Does he have some indicator?

On my place, some deer are really easy to track year to year, I have a handful of other deer that change substantially antler wise that aren’t so easy.

[Fajkus7]

That's why I mentioned a "starting point." Building history must have a beginning, and it's not ear tagged fawns, or 1 and 2 year olds. Note the variability in 3 yr olds in that table I shared. A buck has to be old enough to have developed some unique characteristics that he will continue to express in consecutive years for the rest of his life. If accuracy is only 35%, then the starting point is called into question which subsequently calls future age estimates into question.

The people being tested were shown multiple photos from multiple angles. The entire test included 583 photographs of 70 bucks, from known ages (caught as fawns) that ranged from 1 to 12 years old.

I believe the Nobel Foundation failed in this paper, just like they did with tooth aging study, by not grouping age classes. It's a great eye opening study, but it fails to mention that agining on the hoof is a valuable and useful tool in deer management. Even if you don't nail the year.

We all need to stop worrying about nailing down the years, and just strive to shoot old looking deer. And after you've shot him, record his tooth wear age!

What about all the old deer that aren’t “old looking?” Case and point the deer GG posted below. This is exactly why we need to worry about the years.

[GarGuy]

Just out of curiosity how Do you know that’s the same buck? Does he have some indicator?

On my place, some deer are really easy to track year to year, I have a handful of other deer that change substantially antler wise that aren’t so easy.

He is on a place where I watch him a lot. His markings are very distinctive. His body conformation is distinctive . Hysxantlres gave always been distinctive. He gets younger looking as time passes.

[GarGuy]

Here he us a few days ago ago.

[GarGuy]

Last year.

[GarGuy]

Year before last. He would have been a yearling here if he is three this year.

[Top Of Texas]

GarGuy, in all those other photos he looks older than dirt. That is a substantially cool double throat patch! I can see where he'd be easy to follow.

I would say, shoot him and let's check his teeth, but...you know.

Would you share consecutive year photos for as far back as you have them? Just one photo per year.

[Top Of Texas]

What about all the old deer that aren’t “old looking?” Case and point the deer GG posted below. This is exactly why we need to worry about the years.

I don't know. Maybe I keep passing them up and they die of old age, and I only shoot the ones who look 6 years or older?

Which brings up a question for GarGuy and Chance - If I killed a deer whose teeth showed 6 years, would y'all expect him to be younger or older than 6 years?

[GarGuy]

Older than teeth show every time on my place. On the deer I pisted... he has outlived a couple computers. I gave followed him since 2010. I had him at 3 then but could gave been 4. He always had straight forward beams that hooked up on the end and crooked down where his g3s came off. He n.v ever was a great deer but in 2015 we really upped the nutrients where he was. I have pics from that year donvan old phone and I am sure he was 8. He took a nice jump the next year but I cant find pics without rebooting an old computer.

2017 at 10 years old he was a monster 8. Probably 145. Maybe 150. He was a shooter but I had a booner on the stand and I wouldn't burn my tag and dang sure wouldnt let anyone else hunt it.

He lost g3 length in 2018 but was 24 wide. You saw pics of him there.

His best year was at a solid10 years old.

[GarGuy]

2015 at 8 yrs old

[GarGuy]

2017 at 10yrs old