Anyone use Deerage.com???

[kamcgraw]

Hey everyone! I was just curious if anyone has used the lab aging at deerage.com on a buck they have killed? I used it on the buck I killed last fall and he was aged at 4.5. I'll be honest, I haven't done a ton of research on how accurate it is. Their website says something like 90% accurate. It was recommended to me by a reputable taxidermy studio. From my understanding they cut the front incisor and count rings much like a tree. It sparked my interest because I've kinda learned how hard it is to actually age a deer on the hoof. I guess I could have condensed this and asked if anyone knows if lab aging is actually that accurate? Thanks guys!

[comeback_kid]

Check out this article by JoeRE :

http://wiredtohunt.com/2017/07/13/the-b ... it-really/


I also thought about sending mine off, but this article makes me wonder how accurate they can be

[kamcgraw]

Thanks for the article! I'll be honest, I was very suprised when my buck came back aged at 4. When I decided to shoot him, I was shooting a 2-3 yr old in my head. Interesting stuff.

[BAS4109]

I sent a tooth in to them a few years ago. I guessed the buck at 3.5 and that is what they came back with too.

It is supposed to be quite a bit more accurate than tooth wear.

[SamPotter]

It’s important to note that I don’t believe the lab JoeRe used was deerage.com. Why does that matter? Cementum annuli aging is a science, but not an exact science. There certainly are some judgment calls and I would guess that accuracy comes with experience, etc. Regardless, cementum annuli aging still has the potential to be significantly more accurate than tooth wear aging because there are so many subjective factors to be taken into consideration with tooth wear aging.
I’ve used deerage.com several times and found the results to be well within the age range I was guessing. I was disappointed in one- a 144” buck from NY that came back as a 3-year old, but when I stepped back and noticed his bases were a little under 4” and he’d had a smaller body, it made perfect sense. The only reason I was disappointed was I realized I’d nipped a rare animal in the bud- a buck that had booner potential, which is very rare in NY.