How old is this Roe ?

Glen Cadwallader

Well-Known Member
I don't know its exact age but I have a pretty good idea. This Roe has come from Aberdeenshire, living on mixed arable land with intermittent conifer and broadleaved woodlands

photo.JPG
 
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I'm no expert but I know enough to know that no man can age this animal with any accuracy as we don't know where it's come from or the type of ground it lived on. Obviously it's more than 1 year old but after that we're guessing. However I'll take a stab in the dark to get it going and say 6 years old.

Having seen the picture of the head he may be a bit younger that 6. Maybe he's been eating too many sweets?

I'm doubtful that he's really old as whilst his teeth are well worn I would have thought that they would have been right down to the gums if he was into his ninth year but I could be wrong, it happened once before all be it many years ago! Pedicles don't look that short to me either for it to be 8 years+.
We await with baited breath!
 
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This Roe has come from Aberdeenshire, living on mixed arable land with intermittent conifer and broadleaved woodlands. If you are getting within a year / year and a half of its age I think that would be fine.
 
Here is the buck himself

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Morning Gents.

All things considered, Head, facial greying, behaviour and stance when alive coupled with wear on upper and lower jaw, missing teeth on the top, the nature of the climate and feeding.. I have placed him as 8 going into his 9th year.

In any case, quite old.

My experience of ageing Jaw bones is all from Red's though so I will stand corrected if any more roe educated person would care to chime in!
 
I'd go with 4-5

http://www.thestalkingdirectory.co.uk/showthread.php/37618-Unexpected-Buck?highlight=unexpected+buck

I shot the one in the above link and there is a photo of his teeth in the initial post, I/we reckoned he was probably 9-10.

Ali

Ali,. thanks for that, I am going to have to take a bit of time to read that properly, what instantly springs to mind with your beast there is illness and or specific feeding on something that's not been very good for him for a long period of time.
 
Unable to see the buck when alive so can't comment on stance or behaviour, greying of the face though not excessive, fair bit of tooth wear, but as far as I can see from photographs no downward sloping of the outside edge of the coronets that I would expect to see in a buck of the age you suggest, in fact not a lot of sign of age in the antlers.

Aberdeenshire you say inland or coastal ? feeding on sandy soil can cause a fair bit of tooth wear
It would be interesting to have a tooth sectioned to confirm age.
 
Inland chaps, certainly not abrasive/sandy.

I'm afraid the jaws were thrown away, it's certainly the oldest Roe I've ever shot.

Bogtrotter, would you not agree he was "going back" ?
 
All my experience is in the South but from what your description and the pictures it is far more likely he is in the 7-9year bracket rather than the 5-6 that some are suggesting.
 
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