Age This Jaw Bone (graphic)

[rotorooter23]

not sure I follow.  how is it hard to see how many cusps on molars?  number of cusps on molars never changes.  I'm thinking you mean from the side profile each cusp or pretty much the whole tooth isn't very tall and very shallow from wear?

 

Number of cusps do change but only between 1 1/2 years old and 2 1/2 years old when it changes from 3 cusps to 2 cusps on tooth 3. That being said this deer is obviously older than that you look at the very last tooth and see how worn down that cusp is. We never really picked up that many deer past 3 years old when sampling for CWD in the field...It's been a couple years already.

Edited October 22, 2014 by rotorooter23

[dbHunterNY]

Number of cusps do change but only between 1 1/2 years old and 2 1/2 years old when it changes from 3 cusps to 2 cusps on tooth 3. That being said this deer is obviously older than that you look at the very last tooth and see how worn down that cusp is. We never really picked up that many deer past 3 years old when sampling for CWD in the field...

No I'm with you. I was making the distinction between the 3 molars and 3 premolars. Yea I've found that 4 years old is where you really start to see wear on the last cusp of the third (last) molar. The lingual crest will round off and be not as tall at 3.5.

[rotorooter23]

Totally with ya. I remember quite a bit from when I worked with the DEC and we did the deer aging thing with having to take the test and what not. Since I moved on its hard to remember it all, I should get my pamphlets  out they gave us and get back up to par with it.

[bowaholic]

4-5