Aging Moose
By Bill JensenPhotos by Craig Bihrle
Originally published in:
North Dakota Outdoors
(November, 2001)
Official Publication of the
State Game and Fish Department
100 North Bismarck Expressway
Bismarck, North Dakota 58501-5095
Each year Game and Fish biologists run moose checking stations to gather information from hunters about harvested animals. A common question from hunters is: "How old is my moose?" If you've ever been lucky enough to hunt moose and brought it into a field check station, a biologist probably estimated the age by looking at its teeth, and told you some basic things about how they did it. But you probably wondered if you couldn't do it yourself. This guide will help successful hunters estimate the age of their moose.
This resource is based on the following source:
Jensen, Bill. 2001. Aging Moose. North Dakota Outdoors 64(4):17-20.
This resource should be cited as:
Jensen, Bill. 2001. Aging Moose. North Dakota Outdoors 64(4):17-20. Jamestown, ND: Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center Online. http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/mammals/mooseage/index.htm (Version 27AUG2002).
Table of Contents
- How to Age Your Moose
- It's All in the Teeth
- Tooth Identification Basics
- Cheek Teeth
- Through the Ages
- Six Months
- 1 ½ Years
- 2 ½ Years
- 3 ½ Years
- 4 ½ Years and Older
Bill Jensen is a Game and Fish Department big game biologist.
The Department would like to thank Mary Hindelang and Rolf Peterson of Michigan Technological University, and Isle Royale National Park for allowing us to photograph the older aged jaws used in this article.
mooseage.zip (369K) -- Aging MooseInstallation: Extract all files and open index.htm in a web browser.