I was fortunate to harvest a trophy buck in the fall of 2025. I had encountered this particular deer in the previous year, but I wasn’t certain about its age. While I have posters that explain how to age deer by examining their physical characteristics and the tartar on their teeth, I’m not entirely convinced about the accuracy of those methods. I wanted a more precise estimate of my trophy’s age. I know there are other hunters out there who have similar questions, so I’m relieved to have discovered DeerAge.com.
First Encounter
Before the 2024 Pennsylvania archery season, I set up a scrape and hung a SpyPoint camera on a farm where I hunt. Almost immediately, I captured footage of a beautiful 8-point buck visiting that scrape. I was uncertain whether he was 2.5 or 3.5 years old. While I was excited to see this impressive buck, he wasn’t my primary focus because I had an even larger, more mature buck appearing on camera. I encountered the 8-point multiple times throughout the season and was pleased to capture images of him again in early 2025. I eagerly anticipated seeing how much he would grow in the summer of 2025.
Things That Make You Go HMMMMMMM…..
I named the buck TT8 in 2025 after receiving more SpyPoint videos of him throughout the summer. Although I was still uncertain about his age, I was excited to see how much larger his rack and body had grown. I realized that I would need to harvest the buck to determine his true age. I made TT8 my target buck and hoped to succeed during archery season.
Success
On the first evening of the Pennsylvania archery season, I successfully shot the buck I named TT8 with a Black Eagle Arrow. My wife, Gwen, assisted me in loading TT8 into my truck so I could take him home for processing. I caped him out and took the antlers and cape to my taxidermist. The taxidermist removed the lower teeth and recommended that I use DeerAge.com to determine the buck’s age. I brought the teeth home and placed them in a bag with salt to dry them out. I completely forgot about the teeth until after Christmas, and then I decided it was time to visit DeerAge.com to see how they could help me age my trophy.
Simple and Easy
I logged onto my computer and visited DeerAge.com to find out how to get my deer aged. I reviewed the three options they offered for aging the deer, and I chose the Platinum option.Â
Basic Level  $39.00
90 Day Turnaround Time
1 Loyalty PointÂ
Access to Game Tracking Portal
Express Level   $65.00
45 Day Turnaound Time
5 Loyalty Points
Access to Game Tracking Portal
Priority Posting on Social Media
Platinum Level    $99.00
1 Week Turnaround
10 Loyalty Points
Access to Game Tracking Portal
Priority Posting on Social Media
Discounts on Certificates
Discounted on Annotated Images
All Sample Types Included
Collecting A Sample
To age your trophy, DeerAge requires the bottom two front teeth from either a whitetail deer, mule deer, or elk. Here is a quick video demonstrating how to extract the two teeth needed for the sample.
Packaging the Teeth
It is essential for DeerAge to receive the teeth intact in order to determine the most accurate age. The video above demonstrates how to mail the teeth safely. Always use non-machinable mail to ensure that it is not crushed during transit.
Final Results
I sent the two teeth in the DeerAge envelope that was provided after I ordered the Platinum package. I received a notification once DeerAge received my sample. One week later, I received another email stating that my deer had been aged and that the results were ready for me to view. I logged into my DeerAge account and found the results. I was excited to see that TT8 was determined to be 3.5 years old. The picture of the cementum in the teeth was very interesting and easy to understand. I am completely convinced that DeerAge is the most accurate method for aging deer.
Learn more about Cementum Ageing by using the link below. I know you will be as impressed as I was.Â
Link: https://deerage.com/accuracy-of-cementum-annuli-aging/
