Where is the best place to send the teeth from my buck this year to get them aged. I do not want to guess as I suck at that. I want the cross section performed.
IDK, but I have seen reproduction jaw sets used for aging deer. It's usually based on how much wear there is on the teeth
Possibly UGA? I send my soil samples there every year but I don't know if they do anything to this nature or not. I have an uncle that's a dnr officer in Hall Co. I'll get him to ask our local biologist. Will let you know asap.
You can contact the Georgia Wildlife Resources Div and they will help you age your deer. Published on Georgia DNR - Wildlife Resources Division (http://www.georgiawildlife.com) Deer Herd Management for Georgia Hunters Keep Accurate Records Records should be kept on every deer harvested on the property (Figure 1 [1] - Adobe Acrobat [2] Reader required). Basic record keeping begins with the total number of bucks and does taken from the property each year. Secondly, and just as important, are the ages of all animals in the harvest. Never guess at deer ages! One side of all lower jaws should be pulled, tagged and saved for inspection by a biologist. Wildlife Resources Division biologists can provide assistance for aging jawbones to landowners and hunting clubs upon request. If this is not possible, then club members should become proficient in aging 3 age classes: fawns (6 months of age), yearlings (1.5 years of age), and adults (2.5 years of age and older). Do not underestimate the value of aging all the animals in the deer kill especially yearlings. This is the single most important piece of information obtainable for your deer herd. The meaning of all other measurements of the deer herd, such as weights and antler measurements, depends upon accurate aging. After aging, antler measurements are next in order of importance. Be consistent and thorough in your data collection. All measurements should be taken from the right antler unless it is deformed or broken. Antler diameter at the widest point (one inch above the burr) should be measured in millimeters with an inexpensive set of calipers, length of main beam from base to tip along the back of the curvature of the beam is measured with a tape in inches, total number of points (must be at least one inch in length), and outside spread is recorded. In addition to antler measurements, field dressed weights can provide very important trend data to monitor your deer herd and compare your records with those from other deer populations. Live weights can be used but are more difficult to compare with other deer herds. On clubs that do not restrict their buck harvest, data from yearling bucks is especially valuable since these animals reflect the condition of the entire population if the measurements are taken correctly. Georgia Wildlife Resources Division 2070 U.S. Hwy. 278, SE, Social Circle, GA 30025 Source URL: http://www.georgiawildlife.com/node/273
