BigDeer Archives - Page 12 of 342

11 06, 2024

4 Things to Know About June Deer Antlers

Clay Hanback2024-06-11T10:52:25-04:00June 11th, 2024|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Science, whitetail deer|Comments Off on 4 Things to Know About June Deer Antlers

Scientists at the Mississippi State Deer Lab say velvet antlers grow rapidly, as much as ¾-inch a week for yearling bucks and 1 1/2 inches per week for adults during the peak growing season in June! Velvet antlers have a complex system of blood vessels which causes them to be hot to the touch. There is so much blood carrying protein and minerals to a buck’s antlers this time of year that even small antlers are easily detected by thermal imaging devices. Tiny hairs on the velvet stick out and make the antlers look thicker than they actually are. The hairs act as a radar system so a buck won’t bump into trees, fence posts, etc. and damage his soft antlers. Sebum, [...]

3 06, 2024

Pennsylvania’s CWD Surveillance of Deer

Clay Hanback2024-06-03T13:55:45-04:00June 3rd, 2024|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, CWD, Hunting News, whitetail deer|Comments Off on Pennsylvania’s CWD Surveillance of Deer

Since July 1, 2023, the PA Game Commission has collected nearly 11,000 CWD samples from deer. Hunter harvested samples from last season made up the bulk of those with over 7,000. CWD was detected in a total of 291 of those hunter-harvested deer. To date, over 440 deer have tested positive for CWD in the 2023-2024 sampling year, up from 426 CWD-positive samples in 2022-23. “CWD surveillance is crucial to managing the disease,” said agency CWD Section Supervisor Andrea Korman. “CWD is a serious threat to deer and elk. Knowing where the disease is allows us to focus our efforts to keep more deer from becoming infected.” One of those efforts is using CWD Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) units [...]

30 05, 2024

Do Whitetail Does Have More Buck Fawns in Hunted Areas?

Clay Hanback2024-05-30T09:54:58-04:00May 30th, 2024|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Rut, Deer Science, whitetail deer|Comments Off on Do Whitetail Does Have More Buck Fawns in Hunted Areas?

I just ran across a study conducted by the University of Florida years ago. It found that in areas where hunting is permitted, whitetail does give birth to more male fawns than female fawns. Researchers examined the reproductive tracts of 380 legally harvested does from four tracts across Florida. Two of the areas were off limits to general hunting, and the other two WMAs were regularly hunted. More than 90 percent of the does in all the areas were pregnant, the research found. Males comprised 56 percent of the fetuses in the hunted areas but just 39 percent in the non-hunted areas. Additionally, the researchers found 38 percent of does on hunted sites carried twins, compared with just 14 percent [...]

22 05, 2024

9 Massive Whitetail Bucks Added to Boone and Crockett Top 20

Clay Hanback2024-05-22T10:00:08-04:00May 22nd, 2024|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Hunting News, whitetail deer|Comments Off on 9 Massive Whitetail Bucks Added to Boone and Crockett Top 20

Boone and Crockett records for whitetail deer go back 194 years, with tens of thousands of trophy deer dating back to 1830. Did you know that 20% of the biggest bucks ever recorded were entered in just the past seven years! Since 2017, nine whitetails ranking top 20 All-time in typical or non-typical categories have been added to the record book. Origins of this significant recent trend can be traced in Boone and Crockett Club’s newly published Records of North American Big Game, 15th Edition. Hunters can use the data to help plan their next hunt for the buck of a lifetime. Boone and Crockett documents all whitetails that are entered and reach the 160 typical or 185 non-typical point [...]

20 05, 2024

When Should You Harvest Does on Managed Land?

Clay Hanback2024-05-20T10:36:04-04:00May 20th, 2024|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Management, Deer Science, whitetail deer|1 Comment

Most hunters shoot does for meat toward the end of the season, but should you be harvesting one or two skinheads (legal limit) earlier in the fall? Famous whitetail biologist Dr. Grant Woods says to consider this: “If does are removed during the first part of the season, usually before the rut, then there are fewer does for the bucks to expend energy on chasing, breeding, etc. In addition, the does harvested during the early season obviously won’t consume critical resources that the rest of the herd animals need to consume later during the winter months, when deer are often short of quality forage.” Grant says, and I agree, that hunters that wait till the end of season to shoot [...]