Tooth wear

foxhunter

Well-Known Member
I shot this old buck at the weekend with his teeth worn right down to the gums. Can anyone predict the likely age of this old chap?

He weighed 48 lb head and legs off , still in good condition.

tims012.jpg
 
Hi foxhunter, If you can let me have his bottom jaw ( both mandibles ) I will section M1 and try and make a reading on the cementum layers. If you are interested pm me
morena
 
Hi Foxhunter,

Good photograph. Where abouts was the animal shot? Tooth wear can vary dependent on the type of ground the animal had fed on. for instance, residues from sandy soils on the vegetation consumed by the animal will accelerate tooth wear, whereas on heathland the wear rate will differ.

I would certainly take Morena up on his kind offer, and it would be interesting to find out. I'd have a guess of between 7 - 10 years old.

Incidentally, when I was farming deer in Wales we had a Red hind who's teeth were worn down to almost the same level as your Roe. She was only 5 years old.

At the time we were winter feeding a maintenance diet of barley straw and molasses. My guess was that the sugar in the molasses had perhaps been the cause of the teeth decaying. Our vet also agreed, although this has never been proven - just a theory.

I would be interested to hear if anyone else has found, or experienced deer with premature teeth wear/decay.

I would also be interested to hear more about your Roebuck, and hopefully some news from Morena.

Best regards,
 
You had beter be carful with the answer you give Mike . You know what happend last time what i can say is he was old and ready for the culling.
 
I shoot quite a few Roe on or close to the seashore, think the sand plays quite a part in tooth wear.

He is old I would not want to be more specific, without seeing the whole bottom jaw,with an educated guess you should be able to age within a year or two, the only way to be absolutely certain of age is to section a tooth.
 
That doesnt look like normal wear , often by the time the front teeth wear like that they are the only teeth in the head, what were the grinders like?
deer can sometimes wear out teeth quick on hard treacle licks or by gnawing soil to get minerals but probably more common in reds than roe. High grit in diet ,like on dunes i would expect extra wear but it may be the result a specific behaviour by that individual or a specific lack that has given it softer teeth.
Great pic, good post and looking forward to an answer as to the cause,
 
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