MT Mule Deer Age data accuracy and reality

[The Hedgehog]

Of all you Montana deer hunters:

1) How many deer have you taken?
2) How many has the FWP "aged" at a check station or anywhere?
3) By what method - cementum or tooth wear?
4) How about at the Augusta check station?


Then, chew on this:

Watch video from roughly 1hr 13 minutes to 1hr 25 minutes.

Notable lingo:

• Age data and distribution
• Adult bucks are 2.5 years old
• Radical changes in buck hunting
• Migratory herd not very accessible to the public - an "anomaly"
• Augusta check station where they pull teeth and they have ages

 

[rogerthat]

I will go first.

1). I have taken approximately 15 deer in Montana over the course of 30 years of hunting.

2.) 0 deer have been aged by fwp

 

[wtrfwlhunter]

It is frustrating to hear these guys acknowledge around the 1:21 mark that they don’t have the data to make informed management decisions.

It is obvious that essentially zero data has been collected by FWP in regards to deer harvest, and here, among elsewhere I’ve heard people bring this issue up for years and here we are essentially still at ground zero.

 

[Forkyfinder]

Of all you Montana deer hunters:

1) How many deer have you taken?
2) How many has the FWP "aged" at a check station or anywhere?
3) By what method - cementum or tooth wear?
4) How about at the Augusta check station?


Then, chew on this:

Watch video from roughly 1hr 13 minutes to 1hr 25 minutes.

Notable lingo:

• Age data and distribution
• Adult bucks are 2.5 years old
• Radical changes in buck hunting
• Migratory herd not very accessible to the public - an "anomaly"
• Augusta check station where they pull teeth and they have ages

1) 3
2) No
3) No
4) No

In 8 years of hunting - i have seen 1 check station by ennis when late season blasting was going on.

 

[DFS]

I haven’t been through a game check since 2010ish. I have never had fwp age a deer I have shot.

 

[Nameless Range]

1) 25-ish bucks, mostly Mule deer. 40-50 does, mostly whitetail.
2) 0
3) NA
4) NA

 

[The Hedgehog]

1) Between my kids and I combined, I'm thinking close to 30 mule deer bucks.
2) I've had 2 aged, both bucks were taken same year (son and me) on a limited quota permit.
3) cementum - I sent the teeth to the FWP biologist in the mail after season following a few email exchanges.
4) Dozens of times, a few times with deer, none aged.

 

[HappyCamper]

I’ve harvested about 10 deer (all bucks) and only one has been through a game check station. They did not age it.

 

[mtmuley]

The check station for the Bitterroot is South of Darby. Lots of bucks taken North of there. Not that they would age them anyway. None of my deer have been aged. mtmuley

 

[mtmiller]

See where that antler splits about 10” above the base….=mature buck, congrats.

 

[FREAK]

1&2)1 of 7 bucks “aged” at a check station in SW Montana. It was in 2015 when they were doing the CWD testing.

3) I think the guy looked at it and threw out a number, but maybe he checked the lower teeth…

4) never ventured that far…yet

Interesting read on aging by ND game and fish.

https://gf.nd.gov/sites/default/files/publications/aging-deer.pdf

 

[Rie Bread]

Both bucks have been aged but they looked at the them and wrote something down. So I’m guessing by sight? I didn’t ask unfortunately

 

[Rie Bread]

1&2)1 of 7 bucks “aged” at a check station in SW Montana. It was in 2015 when they were doing the CWD testing.

3) I think the guy looked at it and threw out a number, but maybe he checked the lower teeth…

4) never ventured that far…yet

Interesting read on aging by ND game and fish.

https://gf.nd.gov/sites/default/files/publications/aging-deer.pdf

This is how I aged my deer at home. 2.5-3.5 years old
And a 1.5- which I would wager most bucks iv ever shot are 1.5-2.5 years old

 

[cgasner1]

I’ve taken around a dozen bucks
1 was aged by taxidermist at 3.5 years
Only been thru one check stop buck in back they guessed at 4.5 and was more worried about checking cwd.

 

[cgasner1]

1) Between my kids and I combined, I'm thinking close to 30 mule deer bucks.
2) I've had 2 aged, both bucks were taken same year (son and me) on a limited quota permit.
3) cementum - I sent the teeth to the FWP biologist in the mail after season following a few email exchanges.
4) Dozens of times, a few times with deer, none aged.

My biggest buck was aged at 3.5 what do you think your best buck would have been aged at?

 

[mtmuley]

It would be interesting to see, if we could, the age structure of LE area bucks compared to general. mtmuley

 

[DFS]

The only animal I’ve ever seen aged was at the Bonner check station probably around 2006 when I was going to college in Missoula. My buddy had shot a spike elk we drug it out because it was so small bodied. Looked like a couple of college kids were working the game check. They looked in its mouth and said it looks like it’s 3.5 years old.

I’m not sure Montana has ever worked with good data.

 

[DFS]

I guess they aged a cow I shot in the Bitterroot too. Forgot that one. They wanted to look at the ivory instead of the bottom jaw I packed out for them. I left the ivories.

 

[Carl]

Of all you Montana deer hunters:

1) How many deer have you taken?
2) How many has the FWP "aged" at a check station or anywhere?
3) By what method - cementum or tooth wear?
4) How about at the Augusta check station?

1). 13 MT mule deer bucks
2). Zero
3). N/A
4). I've been through it, but never brought an animal through.

 

[Carnage2011]

Probably killed 10-15 bucks.
I’ve had 4 aged.
3 by toothwear and 1 that I sent in.