Opinion on deer age based on horns?
12-09-2008 | 12:24 PM
#13
Typical Buck
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 564
Likes: 0
RE: Opinion on deer age based on horns?
ORIGINAL: Jimmy S
A few years back, I shot a nice 8 pointer that dressed at 178 pounds. When I registered him, there was a biologist from UNH that was working with the NH F&G. He asked if I was going to have it mounted and when I said no, he asked to check the age by extracting a tooth. I said OK and he told me that buck was only 1 1/2 yrs. old. I questioned his age but the biologist told me it was absolutely true and this 8 pointer was 1 1/2. I was still very suprised but was convinced he knew what he was talking about and he even showed me the extracted tooth and why he could age it so accurately.
He finally told me I made one mistake. He said I should have shot him next year.
A few years back, I shot a nice 8 pointer that dressed at 178 pounds. When I registered him, there was a biologist from UNH that was working with the NH F&G. He asked if I was going to have it mounted and when I said no, he asked to check the age by extracting a tooth. I said OK and he told me that buck was only 1 1/2 yrs. old. I questioned his age but the biologist told me it was absolutely true and this 8 pointer was 1 1/2. I was still very suprised but was convinced he knew what he was talking about and he even showed me the extracted tooth and why he could age it so accurately.
He finally told me I made one mistake. He said I should have shot him next year.
12-09-2008 | 12:37 PM
#14
Boone & Crockett
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 10,079
Likes: 0
From: Ponce de Leon Florida USA
RE: Opinion on deer age based on horns?
I think the only way you can tell for sure is to cross section the tooth and then dye it so you can count the rings much like you count the yearly growth rings of a tree. I have read of biologist catching deer, then looking at the teeth, making a determination of the age and then years later when the deer was either recaptured or shot and the agewas determined properlyand thebiologist were completely wrong the first time they aged the deer.
12-09-2008 | 01:14 PM
#16
Fork Horn
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 371
Likes: 0
From: south Ark
RE: Opinion on deer age based on horns?
I saw a study that said that biologists were accurate only 50% of the time when the tooth was not cross-sectioned.
Killed a 2 1/2 year old in KS last month. He scored 131 and weighed 260#'s.
Killed a 2 1/2 year old in KS last month. He scored 131 and weighed 260#'s.
12-09-2008 | 07:04 PM
#17
Fork Horn
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 279
Likes: 0
From: coshocton, Ohio
RE: Opinion on deer age based on horns?
My Dad killed a 10 point in 1998 that weight 155 field dressed, and the rack scored 144 gross, and netted 137. He saved the jawbone, and took it to a wildlife biologist. The guy said it was a 2 1/2 year old deer. He said that 1 in 25,000 bucks make pope & young at 2 1/2 years of age. Don't ask Me where He pulled that number from.
12-10-2008 | 10:18 AM
#20
Fork Horn
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 184
Likes: 0
From: Central Nebraska
RE: Opinion on deer age based on horns?
My cousin shot a deer that was aged at 2 1/2 and scored in the 160s. I think it is all in the genetics and what they eat. If I'm going off of antlers/horns (does it really matter?) alone I look at the mass of it. Is this accurate? I would like your opinions on that also. Also it amazes me at how small the body of your buck was. Most doe are bigger than that here.
Congrats! It's a great deer!
Congrats! It's a great deer!