Precision of cementum annuli method for aging male white-tailed deer

The most common method used to estimate ages of harvested white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and other cervids is a criterion based on tooth replacement-and-wear (TRW). Previous studies have shown this method is prone to considerable error because TRW is partially subjective. A presumably more accurate, but more labor intensive and expensive, method to estimate age involves the counting of cementum annuli (CA) of cross-sectioned incisors. Quantifying rate of error of the CA aging method is not possible without known-aged specimens, but precision of duplicate CA age estimates for two teeth may be related to accuracy if identical factors influence both CA accuracy and precision. The objective of this research was to identify and assess factors affecting precision of paired CA ages as well as evaluate congruence between TRW and CA age estimates. We obtained paired CA age estimates from a laboratory specializing in CA aging for 473 adult (≥ 1 year old), male white-tailed deer harvested in Iowa (USA; 2014–2018). Not all CA age estimates of paired incisors agreed with one another and probability of agreement between the paired CA ages decreased as the certainty level of the CA ages provided by the laboratory decreased and was dependent upon the batches in which they were aged by the laboratory. We also estimated the age of 1,292 adult, male deer using both TRW and CA methods and compared the congruence between the TRW and CA age estimates. Congruence rates of CA and TRW ages differed among age classes (80% congruence in yearling TRW age classification, 65% with 2-year-olds, 78% with ≥3-year-olds). Our results showed that CA aging is imperfect and that the certainty level is an important factor to consider with CA ages, as shown in previous research, as is the batch in which the teeth were aged. We also confirmed previous studies’ findings that CA and TRW ages for adult deer are not always congruent, particularly in age classes other than the yearling age class. Our results suggest managers are best served by using TRW to age adult deer as yearlings or ≥2-years-old. If additional age classes are required, CA aging is likely to be a better tool than TRW.