MONTPELIER — The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department is asking hunters for help in a statewide initiative to gather more biological data on the state’s deer population. Hunters who get a deer during the November 13-28 regular deer season are asked to provide an incisor tooth from their deer. Tooth envelopes are available at all deer reporting stations.

Biologists are collecting middle incisor teeth from all regular season bucks to evaluate regional differences in ages and antler characteristics as well as 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 produce accurate population estimates, and to better assess our current management strategies, we really need to get teeth from as many bucks as possible.”