The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department is asking hunters for help gathering biological data on the state's deer population. Hunters who get a deer this year are asked to provide an incisor tooth from their deer.
Tooth envelopes are available at all deer reporting stations. Instructions for submitting teeth by mail can be found on the fish and wildlife website.
Biologists are collecting middle incisor teeth from deer to evaluate regional differences in deer ages and to help estimate population size, growth rate, health, and mortality rates. Each tooth will be cross sectioned to accurately determine the deer's age, and the results will be posted on the Fish and Wildlife website next spring.
"Knowing the ages of harvested deer is critically important, and more information allows us to make better management decisions," said Nick Fortin, Vermont Fish and Wildlife's deer project leader. "To accurately estimate deer numbers, and to better assess our current management strategies, we really need to get teeth from as many deer as possible."