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Any guess on age ?

RedCloud

RedCloud

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North Central Ohio
I was out looking for shed, shrooms, and groundhogs and ran across a big old doe that had dead within the past 2 weeks. I'm not sure what she died from but I did notice while looking at the teeth she had an abscess in one of her molars. It had been infected bad enough that it ate away some of the bone in the surrounding jaw area. This is what I think she may have died from along with her age. I have an idea what her age is but I was wondering if you guys wanted to take a guess :D

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Another look at the top jaw with the abscess circled

0429111407-1.jpg


I will head back tomorrow with the actual camera and not the cell pics lol.
 
I really have no idea Adam but it's very cool that you noticed the abscess on the tooth though. The teeth look to have little wear for the most part and still have distinct sharp edges so it doesn't appear TOO be an old alpha doe. How big of body did she have?
 
finelyshedded said:
I really have no idea Adam but it's very cool that you noticed the abscess on the tooth though. The teeth look to have little wear for the most part and still have distinct sharp edges so it doesn't appear TOO be an old alpha doe. How big of body did she have?
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Looked like she was a big body doe. Here is a picture of her foot the rest was pretty well eat up.

IMAG0050-1.jpg
 
Looks like a younger doe to me. A 2010 fawn is my guess, or a 2009 fawn at the oldest. An adult doe will be in the 4" or larger range and teeth far more worn than that...
 
My guess was 4.5 and I'll tell you way. See that 3rd molar on the bottom jaw. You usually don't start seeing any wear on the very back of that molar nearest the hinge of the jaw until they reach 4.5 - 5.5 years old.

The pictures are kind of deceiving in the fact they make it look like they are sharper cusps then they really are. If you seen them in person 3-D compared to the 2-d of the picture you would see what I'm saying.
 
Some small ass hoves for a 4 year old doe, but I'm sure it would have helped to have seen it in person. Still a cool find either way...
 
RedCloud said:
My guess was 4.5 and I'll tell you way. See that 3rd molar on the bottom jaw. You usually don't start seeing any wear on the very back of that molar nearest the hinge of the jaw until they reach 4.5 - 5.5 years old.

The pictures are kind of deceiving in the fact they make it look like they are sharper cusps then they really are. If you seen them in person 3-D compared to the 2-d of the picture you would see what I'm saying.
Click to expand...

The wear on her teeth could have been to her chewing kinda funny due to the soarness of the abscessed tooth, and therefore causing premature wear. Just a thought.
 
IMO, it's a 3.5 yr old doe. The lower right teeth are worn down more than the left, most likely due to that absess like Hoyt mentioned. Disregard the top teeth altogether... they really don't mean much for age. It's definitely not a 1.5 yr old (born 2010) because if it was, the 3rd premolar (3rd tooth from the front) would either be a tricuspid or would be the new bicuspid just barely coming up through the jaw. 1.5 yr old deer are the easiest to age, for this reason. The amount of dentine showing on the 1st molar looks to be pretty indicative of a 3.5 yr old, but pictures always make it tough. The real key here is the second picture of the first set that you posted... the side profile of the teeth shows the first molar to still have some "sharpness" to the top of those crests. A 4.5 yr or older deer will usually not have sharp crests there. Also, that back cusp that Adam mentioned... a 3.5 yr old will show some wear there... it'll be more "cupped" than anything, though. Once they get to be 4.5+, that back cusp will start to slide right off to the outside of the jaw, and loose the "cupped" feel. Just my 2 cents. Could be a 4.5, but I'm going with 3.5... flip a coin.
 
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