Big Deer Blog

The cutest animals on Earth have started dropping, and in celebration  we’ll be posting fun and informative fawn facts over the next few weeks. Question from Dave in Alabama: Mike, I’ve heard that whitetail fawns can have more than one buck as a daddy, is that right? In the case of twins and triplets, a definite yes. A Texas A&M-Kingsville study found that 16 of 23 sets of twins had 2 different sires, typically one mature buck and another buck 2½ years or younger. Researchers suggest the younger bucks are opportunistic little devils, sneaking in to breed the doe just before or after the mature buck does. And get this: Scientists at Auburn University reported 3 different buck sires for [...]

The Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission (TFWC) has changed the legal definition of a buck deer for the 2016-17 hunting season. Previously, a deer with tiny spikes less than 3 inches long was considered “antlerless,” and did not count against a hunter's annual 2-buck limit. Under the new rule, any deer with boned antler “protruding above the hairline” is considered a buck and will count toward the hunter's limit. I believe that button buck fawns, where the hairline is not broken by antler, will still be considered antlerless, but don’t quote me on that. The new rule has caused a stir with Tennessee hunters. Many people point out that it can be difficult to distinguish a buck with tiny spikes [...]