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Aging deer by the lower jaw.

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    Aging deer by the lower jaw.

    Just how accurate is the lower jaw tooth aging?
    My dad killed a nice 8 point this year and we aged him by his lower jaw at 3.5. But we’re pretty sure from trail camera pics over the years that he was at least 5.5. We usually don’t worry about exact ages because where we hunt is all family land and pretty much just family hunts it. We manage the deer but we don’t get crazy with it. We focuse on shooting mature bucks and don’t worry about exact ages. But if this deer was really 3.5, his body size and demeanor were definitely not showing it.
    So what day the green screen, how accurate is tooth wear aging??

    #2
    There are many variables. It’s definitely not exact. Some say it’s about 40% accurate. Not sure how true that is though.

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      #3
      About as accurate as winning the lottery.

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        #4
        Originally posted by JLivi1224 View Post
        There are many variables. It’s definitely not exact. Some say it’s about 40% accurate. Not sure how true that is though.
        The percentage I've read is around this, but the cementum annuli method is only a little better according to the same article, somewhere in the mid to upper 50% range if I remember correctly. This was a test on bucks whose ages were known.

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          #5
          Some what accurate, but not precise! Depending on diet and range conditions it can be off by years. I have seen know age deer that were 8 1/2 years old and the tooth wear (jaw) shows 3 1/2. The only precise way to know the age is to tag them when they are born. Aging by tooth wear is mostly SWAG.

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            #6
            Originally posted by WS_AG View Post
            Some what accurate, but not precise! Depending on diet and range conditions it can be off by years. I have seen know age deer that were 8 1/2 years old and the tooth wear (jaw) shows 3 1/2. The only precise way to know the age is to tag them when they are born. Aging by tooth wear is mostly SWAG.
            This!

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              #7
              Hot topic recently. It's been my observation that possibly more than half of the GS crowd that respond to tooth wear posts dont have a clear grasp on the methodology or have created their own sideline guidelines.

              Tooth wear has been proven to be variable when used to estimate an exact age. Yes, 50-60% accuracy from tested experts in 2 studies. Cementum Anuli is actually a little better, especially on really old deer. There are the occasional extreme outliers, but lumping ages, as you describe, is pretty functional for management purposes. When lumped, the same experts increased their accuracy to 80-90%.

              If all the bucks you kill end up having at least one dished out molar, you're doing awesome!

              Also, I would like to encourage everyone to remember that hunting is supposed to be FUN. Stressing out about ages, or penalties for killing a buck too young, or kicking people off properties seriously sucks the fun out of it.

              Strive for old, but don't let your heart be cold.

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                #8
                Thanks guys! This is about what I expected. And yea Top of Texas, I agree. That’s why we don’t get crazy with management and aging. If the grand kids want to shoot a buck their free to, if the grand dads (my dad) want to shoot any deer, it’s not a big deal! We have fun on our place.

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                  #9
                  Originally posted by Top Of Texas View Post
                  Hot topic recently. It's been my observation that possibly more than half of the GS crowd that respond to tooth wear posts dont have a clear grasp on the methodology or have created their own sideline guidelines.

                  Tooth wear has been proven to be variable when used to estimate an exact age. Yes, 50-60% accuracy from tested experts in 2 studies. Cementum Anuli is actually a little better, especially on really old deer. There are the occasional extreme outliers, but lumping ages, as you describe, is pretty functional for management purposes. When lumped, the same experts increased their accuracy to 80-90%.

                  If all the bucks you kill end up having at least one dished out molar, you're doing awesome!

                  Also, I would like to encourage everyone to remember that hunting is supposed to be FUN. Stressing out about ages, or penalties for killing a buck too young, or kicking people off properties seriously sucks the fun out of it.

                  Strive for old, but don't let your heart be cold.
                  Yep, yep and yep!

                  If tooth aging is as high as 60%, I would be surprised. You gotta start somewhere but, it aint concrete.

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                    #10
                    I've read articles saying its around 40% accurate

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                      #11
                      Lots of variation---I just age them as young (.5 to 2.5), middle-aged (3.5-5.5) and old (6.5 +) Do the same thing with bucks on the hoof.

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                        #12
                        It's so inaccurate that it is almost not worth doing..
                        I'm mean why? Its almost useless. Best guess type situation.

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                          #13
                          You can send there bottom front teeth to Texas a&m they can tell exact age and it’s cheap and yes jawbone teeth can be misleading I have seen deer be 2 or 3 yrs older and deer younger than we thought

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                            #14
                            Originally posted by ttaxidermy View Post
                            It's so inaccurate that it is almost not worth doing..
                            I'm mean why? Its almost useless. Best guess type situation.
                            I could not agree more. We have a couple of dumb suns a bistquits on our place I swear they think they have the magic tooth finger. Run their finger up a deers mouth and poof they know the age. Idiots. Two examples from this season so far. I had two bucks I have been watching for 4 years and this year they are 6 to seven years old minimum. Ol magic finger not knowing what I know claimed them to be 4 year olds. Even with presented photographic evidence they still were not convinced they could be wrong. Irritates the crap outta me. Even when I pull out the jaws I keep of the deer I have had cementum aged that are 4, 5, 6 and 7 years old. Nope the magic finger never lies.

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                              #15
                              Originally posted by sotx View Post
                              I could not agree more. We have a couple of dumb suns a bistquits on our place I swear they think they have the magic tooth finger. Run their finger up a deers mouth and poof they know the age. Idiots. Two examples from this season so far. I had two bucks I have been watching for 4 years and this year they are 6 to seven years old minimum. Ol magic finger not knowing what I know claimed them to be 4 year olds. Even with presented photographic evidence they still were not convinced they could be wrong. Irritates the crap outta me. Even when I pull out the jaws I keep of the deer I have had cementum aged that are 4, 5, 6 and 7 years old. Nope the magic finger never lies.
                              LMBO..... I know the type all to well!! I got on a lease south of Brackketville some years back and the "lease boss" was actually trying to convince me that you age a deer by the wear on his bottom front teeth.... I'm sure the look on my face baffled him.. He was one of those "know it alls too"... But hey he subscribed to Buckmasters magazine.... LMAO!!!!

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