The best way to determine the age of a deer depends on where it is.
QUESTION: What is the best way to age a deer? — Richard E.
ANSWER: Well, that depends on what you mean by “aging a deer.” If you mean determining how old it is, the answer depends on whether the deer is dead at your feet or alive in the field.
The quickest and easiest way to determine the age of a harvested deer is by examining wear and replacement of teeth on the lower jaws using a method developed by William Severinghaus. You can find charts and illustrated guides at numerous online locations including the QDMA website.
If you want a more reliable measurement, you’ll have to remove one of the incisors (front teeth) and send it off to a lab, where they’ll take a cross section and count cementum annuli (growth rings like the rings on a tree).
If you are wondering how to age a deer in the field, you can consult the resources at the QDMA website. or search the archives of Buckmasters Whitetail magazine, where I’ve written several articles containing advice and instruction for aging bucks on the hoof.
If you’re referring to one of my favorite topics, aging venison, then you merely want to hang your deer in a controlled environment: 35-38 degrees for a week or so to let beneficial bacteria break down the muscle fiber without tainting or spoiling the meat.
— Recent Ask the Biologist Question:Anti-Deer Spray: Put the lime in the field and watch the deer disappear?
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