Ask The Biologist

How to Tell the Age of a Deer

How to Tell the Age of a Deer

By Bob Humphrey

QUESTION: Last fall I shot my first buck. It had an average rack, but when I looked in its mouth I noticed it didn’t have any front teeth. I suspect it must have been very old. Is there some way to tell how old it was? — Pete C.

ANSWER: There is a relatively easy way to tell the approximate age of a deer, but before I tell you, I'll address what you might be seeing. Many people are surprised to learn that deer lack upper incisors (front teeth). Instead they have only a leathery pad. When they feed on woody browse, the bottom teeth snip, but because they have no top teeth, the nipped twig often has an uneven, torn look. This is one way to differentiate between deer and rabbit browsing.

As for aging, biologists most often use a system developed by William Severinghaus. It involves examining the replacement and relative wear of specific teeth to determine age. Rather than explain in detail, I’ll simply direct you to a link: http://www.qdma.com/uploads/pdf/Jawbone-Aging.pdf

It is fairly reliable, but a more precise age can be determined by another technique wherein biologists pull a tooth, make a cross-section cut and then count the cementum annuli (or rings), much like you would count rings on a tree trunk.

Copyright 2024 by Buckmasters, Ltd.

Copyright 2020 by Buckmasters, Ltd