Aging Questions?
This is a topic that I have been thinking about for some time now and I wanted to get some insight from the board. I know that many of you are practiced in the aging of deer. From what I understand the main aspect taken into account is wear on the teeth of a deer. I have seen numerous jawbones removed for aging purposes, but have never been involved with the actual aging process. Now for a few questions and points that I am curious about.
Is dental wear the only feature of the animal used in the aging process?
Wouldn’t the major elements of a deer’s diet be a major variable in the rate of wear of a deer’s teeth? Example: If deer A lives in Iowa and the main staple of its diet is corn and deer B lives near a suburb in Florida a mainly forages on gardens and green leafy plants. Wouldn’t deer A show significantly more dental wear than deer B at the same age? Also wouldn’t the sugar content of the main staples in the diet potentially play a factor (tooth decay)?
Would the animal’s calcium intake come into play? Wouldn't calcium deficient animals may be more susceptible to dental wear.
Finally, is it possible that a method of aging could be derived from skull thickness or bone density? I know that many of you have noticed, as I have, that there is significant difference between the skull thicknesses of a yearling versus that of a mature animal. (I understand nutritional intake and the availability of vitamins and minerals would affect this also.)
These are just a few questions that I thought I would throw out there and see if anyone had any insight on this topic. It is amazing the thing that go through your mind when you’re sitting out there in a tree stand.