An Evaluation of the Dental Annuli Technique for Determining Age of White-tailed Deer in lowa

During 1965-66, 47 molars from deer (Odocoileus virginianus) of Iowa and adjoining states were sectioned and examined. An exposure of the cementum pad of the first lower molar of each deer was examined to determine if the gross-sectioning dental annuli method is suitable for determining age of Iowa whitetails. Six bison molars and one elk molar were also examined. Variations in both thickness and clarity of annuli in teeth from Iowa deer made accurate age determination impossible in most cases. Teeth from deer from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan showed more distinct annuli in the root pad of the first lower molar than did those taken from Iowa deer. The bison and elk molars showed much clearer annuli formation in the pad than did the molars of Iowa deer. Further research is needed to interpret the variations in annuli formation in Iowa deer, and to seek the relationships between these variations and the quality of the deer habitat