Deer Science Archives - Page 2 of 44

24 06, 2024

June and July: How Much Do Whitetail Deer Antlers Grow?

Clay Hanback2024-06-21T13:12:32-04:00June 24th, 2024|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, Deer Science, whitetail deer|Comments Off on June and July: How Much Do Whitetail Deer Antlers Grow?

I looked off my back porch the other morning and saw a single deer feeding on weed sprouts on our recently mowed lake berm. He was 300 yards away, and although I could not count tines with the naked eye, I could not miss the tall, thick, velvety beams. One glimpse through my binocular and it was clear this was going to be an above-average to exceptional deer for this part of the Virginia Piedmont. My excitement grew as I realized the rack had a good 6 more weeks to grow. How much bigger will those antlers get? June and July: Zoom Months for Antlers Velvet antler is the fastest-growing tissue in the mammal world. In mid-summer, each beam and [...]

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, [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

14 12, 2023

Texas Panhandle Non-Typical Buck

Clay Hanback2023-12-11T09:14:52-05:00December 14th, 2023|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Science, whitetail deer|Comments Off on Texas Panhandle Non-Typical Buck

I shot this super-cool buck in North Texas, Wheeler County, a few days ago. Two biologists confirmed what I thought: that the non-typical left side of the rack was almost certainly caused by an injury to the buck’s body during the 2023 spring/summer antler-growing season. Most likely the buck injured one of his right legs. In what scientists call the “contralateral effect,” an injury to one side of the body often causes an antler deformity on the opposite side of the rack. Penn State biologists say the reasons for this are unknown. Exactly how the opposite-side antler will be altered from its original size or shape is anyone’s guess. In any event, I am extremely happy with this mature, funky [...]