|
Life Span of a Deer
Although most
bucks are killed before they even reach their prime at five years of
age, many of the does live to be much older than that. Usually, deer
have a life span of anywhere from eight to eleven years. There is one
record, though, of a deer kept in captivity that lived to be nineteen
years old. After nine years of age, does begin to decrease in fertility.
Most does still are able to have at least one fawn per year until they
die.
The
Game Research Division has
found that deer with antlers are killed at a much younger age. The
following chart is a representation of the average life expectancy of
antlered deer:
|
67 percent |
1 1/2 years old |
|
20 percent |
2 1/2 years old |
|
9 percent |
3 1/2 years old |
|
2 percent |
4 1/2 years old |
|
2 percent |
5 1/2 years old |
The most common way to determine a
deer's age is to check the amount of wear on the premolars and the
molars. At birth, the fawn has eight incisors. In roughly a week, four
premolars develop and then the last pair is usually in place within a
month. At three months of age, the first set of molars erupt, the second
set of molars at six months, and in nine months the third set of molars
completes the dentition. At seventeen months of age the three cusped cap
of the rear premolar drop off and are replaced by the permanent two
cusped caps. From this time on, the age of the deer can only be
estimated by wear and tear on the teeth. Many factors can play a role,
but it is still the best field method of determining a deer's age. There
is a more accurate method, which requires laboratory equipment, and that
is counting annual rings inside a deer's tooth.
- By Anonymous |
