Age this Buck?

[TN Whitetail Freak]

Found this buck on Reelfoot during shed season and was wondering what you guys would age him as.....the bases on this 8 pointer are 5.5 inches which from my experiences typically correlate with age of older deer when the get to 5"....the deer doesnt score well but he had that mass....Score is 116"

 

[pass-thru]

3 or 4 by the jawbone

one of the heaviest if not the heaviest antlered buck I ever killed was only 2 years old.

 

[catman529]

He doesn't look older than 3 by the teeth


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[ROUGH COUNTRY HUNTER]

3 1/2

 

[Andy S.]

Good find, teeth say 3 at best.

 

[TN Whitetail Freak]

just got the analysis back on the front to cementums and the lab determined this 116" 8 point to be 4.5 yrs of age.

 

[AT Hiker]

Interesting


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[wobblegobble]

interesting....probably 3.5

 

[Winchester]

Yep 3.5 antlers are poor way to judge age!

 

[Andy S.]

just got the analysis back on the front to cementums and the lab determined this 116" 8 point to be 4.5 yrs of age.

Which lab did you use? Also, be aware that cementum annuli is not perfect, especially on deer 3.5 and under, and more importantly, on deer in the south (longer growing season which sometimes equates to two rings in one year), which could result in CA over aging deer from time to time. Nice find, thanks for sharing.

 

[TN Whitetail Freak]

...its was a 4.5 year old according to the Wildlife Analytical Labs in Texas.... I sent them the front incisors and they aged the teeth under a microscope. They compare it to reading a rings on a tree its actually a intresting process they conduct.

 

[Andy S.]

I've used them before and am very aware of the CA process. If you do research (peer reviewed research at universities), CA aging "in the south" is not as accurate as that owner would lead you to believe. I've talked to him on the phone. I can believe that buck was 4.5 though, just trying to make you and others aware of the CA aging process. It is pretty darn accurate on deer in the northern latitudes and deer that are 4.5+ in the southern latitudes.

 

[Andy S.]

Good insight on the CA aging process. (notice the graph and attachment at the bottom of the page).

https://www.qdma.com/articles/estimating-deer-age-with-cementum-annuli

 

[BSK]

Andy S. is correct. Be very wary of cementum annuli aging of deer from the Southeast. Our frequent late summer droughts can produce two growth and dormancy rings in a single year, producing ages that are too old.

However, for the deer in question, I'll bet that age of 4 1/2 is correct. The Severinghaus Tooth-Wear Method of aging deer gives a very good minimum age, but tends to under-age older deer.

 

[pass-thru]

What considered "the south" for CA purposes?

 

[Andy S.]

I've never seen an official line per se, but I would feel more confident in CA aging if the deer were from the midwest and further north, basically St. Louis north.

 

[Andy S.]

Another good article about CA for those interested, and these deer were in the deep south, TX to be exact.

http://www.ckwri.tamuk.edu/fileadmi...ons/InsideDeerResearchNewsletter-Fall2010.pdf

 

[fairchaser]

Another good article about CA for those interested, and these deer were in the deep south, TX to be exact.

http://www.ckwri.tamuk.edu/fileadmi...ons/InsideDeerResearchNewsletter-Fall2010.pdf

Good articles Andy. Thanks for sharing.

One wonders, if they introduced another aging criteria, like antler mass or base circumference, if they could increase their accuracy rates along with TRW or CA. Of course it would vary by region but even on different size bucks, antler base circumference on mature bucks is fairly consistent.

 

[BSK]

One wonders, if they introduced another aging criteria, like antler mass or base circumference, if they could increase their accuracy rates along with TRW or CA. Of course it would vary by region but even on different size bucks, antler base circumference on mature bucks is fairly consistent.

I think you would have to look at a number of factors together (which I assume is what you were getting at). I remember a study on body conformation and antler measurements as determinates of age, and no body or antler characteristic could be found that accurately measured age. However, I bet several added together might produce a better estimate than any one factor (including either tooth-wear or cementum annuli alone).

 

[Andy S.]

I bet several added together might produce a better estimate than any one factor (including either tooth-wear or cementum annuli alone).

I've always said this. In my opinion, the ager should use as much data as he/she has access to at that moment in order to accurately assign an age.

 

[fairchaser]

I bet several added together might produce a better estimate than any one factor (including either tooth-wear or cementum annuli alone).

I've always said this. In my opinion, the ager should use as much data as he/she has access to at that moment in order to accurately assign an age.

Andy, does that include the hunter selling the ager on the age of the buck based on tarsal staining and mature buck behavior? :lol:

 

[Andy S.]

Haha, that's funny. I plead the fifth....

 

[Good time Charlie]

I would not argue the age at being 4.5 but if I seen only the jawbone ...I would have said 3.5

 

[AT Hiker]

So basically "aging" a deer is a best guest scenario.... Who would have thunk?


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[BSK]

So basically "aging" a deer is a best guest scenario.... Who would have thunk?

There is no known way of absolutely aging a deer. There are only "indicators" that can be used to estimate age, with some being better than others.

Other than knowing a person's birthdate, is there any way to age a human? There is not. Only physical indicators exist, that each have their own error rate.

 

[AT Hiker]

So basically "aging" a deer is a best guest scenario.... Who would have thunk?

Other than knowing a person's birthdate, is there any way to age a human? There is not. Only physical indicators exist, that each have their own error rate.

And in some parts of the world it can be a year off[emoji12].




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[gator-n-buck]

Has pretty good mass. Not sure about its age but I wouldn't hesitate on pulling the trigger.