I shot a good buck a few years ago and took the antlers and the jawbone to the truck buck scoring. I had photos of the deer as a very nice 10 point from three years prior. With that and his body, I am confident that he was at least 3.5 and possibly 4.5 at that time. So, when I killed him he was at least 6.5 possibly 7.5.
The biologist, after looking at his jawbone, said he was 2.5 to 3.5. That’s when I lost confidence in aging based solely on the jawbone. (And no, the habitat the deer was taken is typical middle Georgia habitat so that shouldn’t play a big factor in scoring a typical Georgia deer)
I wonder if feeding and plots are throwing kinks into aging by teeth. Meaning that if a deer is eating lots of plots/ Soft forage and softer pellets does it make his teeth not wear as much. Making his teeth look younger than he is? I wonder if any biologists have looked into this? Maybe something they can study at UGA or Auburn?I shot a good buck a few years ago and took the antlers and the jawbone to the truck buck scoring. I had photos of the deer as a very nice 10 point from three years prior. With that and his body, I am confident that he was at least 3.5 and possibly 4.5 at that time. So, when I killed him he was at least 6.5 possibly 7.5.
The biologist, after looking at his jawbone, said he was 2.5 to 3.5. That’s when I lost confidence in aging based solely on the jawbone. (And no, the habitat the deer was taken is typical middle Georgia habitat so that shouldn’t play a big factor in scoring a typical Georgia deer)