Vermont wildlife officials are now collecting teeth from deer hunters, to document deer ages
Successful rifle season hunters submitted a total of 2,489 teeth to the department. Combined with the 1,148 deer examined by biologists during the youth and rifle seasons, the department was able to get accurate ages for 3,637 deer.
RUTLAND, Vt. (AP) — The Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife says successful deer hunters who submitted teeth from the animal they took can now learn the age of the deer.
Successful rifle season hunters submitted a total of 2,489 teeth to the department. Combined with the 1,148 deer examined by biologists during the youth and rifle seasons, the department was able to get accurate ages for 3,637 deer.
“This age information helps us estimate deer population size and assess the health of deer,“said Deer Project Leader Nick Fortin. “It is also critically important for understanding the effects of new hunting regulations on the deer population and buck age structure.”
The oldest deer harvested were a pair of 17-year-old females taken in Rockingham and Fairfax. The oldest buck was 10 years old and was taken in Shaftsbury.
The information is available on the department’s website.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com