How To Age a Whitetail Deer
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At birth, white-tailed fawns have four teeth. Adult deer have 32 teeth. 12 premolars, 12 molars, six incisors and two canines.
Aging analysis often is based on the wear of the molars, which lose about 1 millimeter of height per year. It takes a deer about 10 1/2 years to wear its teeth down to the gum line. Therefore, its difficult to determine the age of a deer that’s older than 10 1/2 years. Most importantly, the ability to estimate a deer’s age based on the wear of its teeth is something most hunters can learn with a little study and practice. |
Wildlife biologists and deer
researchers agree that analysis of tooth replacement and wear — though
not perfect is the most handy and reliable field method for aging
white-tailed deer. That’s because, regardless of where they live,
whitetails lose their baby "milk" teeth and wear out their
permanent teeth on a fairly predictable schedule
(1) Few hunters have difficulty aging a white-tailed fawn, whose short snout and small body are usually obvious when viewed up close. If there is doubt, simply count the teeth in the deer’s lower jaw If the jaw has less than six teeth the deer is a fawn.
Yearling
— About 17-18
Months
(2) The dead giveaway
of their age is
the third premolar, which has three cusps. This is also the age where deer start
to shed their ‘milk teeth,’ They’ll either be loose or gone. In this photo
you can see the permanent premolars partially erupted as they push up under the loosening
milk teeth.
Yearling
— At least 19
Months
(3) At about 1 year, 7 months, most
deer have all three permanent premolars. The new teeth are white in contrast to
pigmentation on older teeth. They have a smooth, chalk-white appearance and show
on wear. The third molar is partially erupted.
2 1/2 Years
(4) The lingual crests of the first
molar are sharp, with the enamel rising well above the narrow dentine (the dark
layer below the enamel) of the crest. Crests on the first molar are as sharp as
those on the second and third molar. Wear on the posterior cusp of the third
molar is slight, and the gum line is often not retracted enough to expose the
full height of this cusp.
3 1/2 Years (5) The lingual crests (inside, next
to tongue) of the first molar are blunted, and the dentine of the crests on this
tooth is as wide or wider than the enamel. Compare it to the second
molar. third dentine on the second molar is not wider than the enamel, which
means this deer is probably 3 1/2 years old. Also, the posterior cusp of the third
molar is flattened by wear, forming a definite concavity on the biting surface
of the teeth. 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 Years
(6) At this point, it’s often
hard to distinguish between the two age classes. The lingual crests of the first
molar are almost worn away. The posterior cusp of the third molar is worn at the
cusp’s edge so the biting surface slopes downward. Wear has spread to the
second molar. making the dentine wider than the enamel on the first and second
molars. By age 5 1/2, wear has usually spread to all six teeth, making the dentine
wider than the enamel on all teeth. Because the first molar is the oldest, it
wears out first. Also, by 5 1/2. there might be no lingual crests on the first
and second molars, although rounded edges might appear like crests. A line drawn
from lingual to outside edges of first and second molars generally touches the
enamel on both sides of the infundibulum.
6 1/2 to 8 1/2 Years 9 1/2 and Older
(7) Segregating deer by a specific age
becomes increasingly difficult by this time. By age 6 1/2, wear is moderate on the
first premolar, and heavy on the second and third premolars. On the third
premolar, infundibulum might appear as a small triangular hole. On the first
molar, the infundibulum appears as fine line or chevron, or it might be absent. little
or no enamel remains on the first molar. In 7 1/2 or 8 1/2 year-old deer, the
first molar might be worn within 2 mm or 3 mm of the gum line on the outside,
and 4 mm or 5 mm on lingual side. The second molar is almost smooth and the
third molar is worn down until lingual crests are gone.
Membership meeting information
Board meetings are the third Tuesday of the month at 7:00pm.
Membership meetings are the fourth Tuesday at 7:30pm. With Guest Speaker To discuss farm issues and conservation efforts.
All Meetings are held at the VFW Hall, 133 E. Lakeside St.(off John Nolen drive). in Madison.