Whitetail Deer Aging Tool

This year we have purchased the Deer Aging Tool to take the third step in learning to age our whitetail deer. Last year we took the second step in trying to age the whitetail deer that we shoot on our hunting property by studying the tooth wear and replacement method of deer aging.

The Deer Aging Tool is a three dimensional field tool consisting of eight deer jaws from ages 1 ½ to 8 ½ years of age. Of course these are not real deer jaws; instead they were made by taking molds of deer jaws.

This is much better than looking at pictures in books or just reading the description of what each age should look like. After doing a lot of head scratching staring at a book and deer jaws last year I thought that I could use a little more help.

I still have the jaws from the last two deer that we shot last season and we compared them to the molded deer jaws to see how old they were. The buck that we aged at 2 ½ using the tooth wear and replacement method also appeared to be 2 ½ with the tool. The doe that we aged at 5 ½ with the tooth wear method appeared to be 3 ½ when place next to the deer jaw molds.

The doe was interesting since we initially thought that the doe was younger last year before aging her with the tooth wear method.

One other thing that was a problem with both of the deer was the wear of the sixth tooth (last molar). In both deer this tooth was wore down much more than either the tooth wear and replacement method anticipated and also more than the cast deer jaws of the Deer Aging Tool. I’m not sure why this would be but it will be interesting to see what we find when we look at the teeth of the deer that we shoot this year.

We have extracted the jaw from our first 2005 deer and have found similar tooth wear patterns to the two deer from last year. This doe appears to be at least 6 1/2 years old and her 6th molar is worn down as well, she is definitely in the mature age class.

It looks like the more jaws you get to look at the better you will get at determining a deers age. I've now aged two more deer in 2005 and can say that the more you look at the easier it gets, although it is still not an exact science. After only five jaws I'm surely no expert but it's getting clearer.

The Deer Aging Tool is nice since you can hold it right alongside the deer jaw and compare the tooth wear but I’m becoming convinced that this is not an exact science or at least not for beginners. What either method will do is get you in the ballpark of the age of the deer. I imagine that the more deer you look at the better you will get at aging them. The instructions with the tool state that you can estimate the age of your deer using the tool.

The Deer Aging Tool comes with and instructional DVD, field aging guide, carrying case and a quick tips card. The field guide contains pictures to help teach you to judge the age of whitetails on the hoof.

For those of us that want to try to age the deer we shoot for better herd management I feel that the Deer Aging Tool is a good investment to help us learn more about our deer and learn the art and science of aging whitetail deer.

Now, after the 2005 and 06 seasons, I can say that this was a good purchase for me.

They also make a deer jaw extractor to assist in opening and removing the deers jaw.


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