another jaw bone pic

[fins&fur]

need some input on age of this jaw bone..i use qdma.com to compare..but I aint real good at it..from what I see here it looks to be 4.5 or older..what do you think

 

[catman529]

I'd say it's 3.5

 

[BSK]

A side view would be helpful, but from just that one picture, I would lean towards 3 1/2.

 

[fins&fur]

 

[Andy S.]

3.5

 

[BSK]

Yup, 3 1/2.

 

[pass-thru]

I agree that the jawbone reads 3.5 in most regards....but what about that deep slope on the last cusp of the back molar? I have found that clue to be helpful in a lot of deer that otherwise appear to fit into a particular age category....the rule of thumb as I learned is 2 year old-concave; 3 year old flat; sharp slope-older than 3.

To the OP....do you have any pics of the deer? One thing most people agree on, aging by jawbone is often off by one or more years.

 

[BSK]

I find the last small cusp of the 6th tooth to be interesting, and I certainly look at it, but I've seen an amazing amount of variability in wear on that cusp between individual deer of the same age. And I really don't know why it is so variable.

 

[redblood]

young for sure. 2.5 to 3.5 to my eyes. no older than 3.5

 

[fins&fur]

pass-thru..here are a few pics of it after I shot it 13pt..with triple brow tine..right brow was half broke off..


here is a pic from last year..and yes..im 99% sure its the same deer..have pics from 2011 too..but cant find the card..he had the kicker in 2011 too..a side shot and head on shot


field dressed..caped with head cut off and all 4 legs below the joint he weighed 156lbs..he wasn't a young deer at all..i have another pic of the 8 pt my wife got..im sure it was 3..like to get opions on it..and then show a side by side of the 2 jaw bones..but want to get age opinions of her 8pt before I put up a side by side

 

[fins&fur]

here is a jaw bone pic of her 8pt..and of the deer

 

[BSK]

fins&fur,

The tooth-wear for both deer are a year younger than I would have assessed by body conformation. I would have put your buck at 4 1/2 and your wife's at 3 1/2. However, the tooth-wear indicates the ages as 3 1/2 and 2 1/2 respectively.

 

[Andy S.]

The tooth-wear for both deer are a year younger than I would have assessed by body conformation. I would have put your buck at 4 1/2 and your wife's at 3 1/2. However, the tooth-wear indicates the ages as 3 1/2 and 2 1/2 respectively.

Agree Bryan. With that said and the fact that we KNOW that TRW method only guarantees minimum age, which would you go with if you had to guess their exact age, body conformation this time of year or tooth wear?

 

[pass-thru]

fins&fur,

The tooth-wear for both deer are a year younger than I would have assessed by body conformation. I would have put your buck at 4 1/2 and your wife's at 3 1/2. However, the tooth-wear indicates the ages as 3 1/2 and 2 1/2 respectively.

I agree with this but will add that, although not text book, I would have aged the first jaw bone at 4.5 based on the deep slope of the last cusp of the back molar, even though the rest of the jaw bone says 3 yro. The reason being that I have never seen that cusp with a slope like that and the deer's body not indicate a 4 yro.

 

[BSK]

The tooth-wear for both deer are a year younger than I would have assessed by body conformation. I would have put your buck at 4 1/2 and your wife's at 3 1/2. However, the tooth-wear indicates the ages as 3 1/2 and 2 1/2 respectively.

Agree Bryan. With that said and the fact that we KNOW that TRW method only guarantees minimum age, which would you go with if you had to guess their exact age, body conformation this time of year or tooth wear?

I always use tooth-wear as the final authority, realizing tooth-wear tends to under-age deer. But it is a "standard," and until a better standard is developed...