Deer Science Archives - Page 23 of 43

12 06, 2017

2017 Whitetail Report: How Are The Deer Doing?

admin2020-06-10T09:16:12-04:00June 12th, 2017|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Management, Deer Science|1 Comment

I recently returned from the 2017 North American Deer Summit, a two-day event where the top deer biologists and scientists in the nation gather to discuss the health of our herds and the future of hunting. First on the agenda: How are whitetail deer doing across the U.S.? QDMA biologist Kip Adams kicked off the discussion with some good news. After several tough years (2011-2014) when winters were harsh in some regions and big outbreaks of EHD killed substantial numbers of deer in other areas, things are looking up for America’s most popular and widespread game animal. Kip pointed out that the buck harvest is up 4% (hunters in America shoot some 2.7 million bucks every fall). Furthermore, the percentage [...]

2 06, 2017

Can a Whitetail Buck Have Two Home Ranges?

admin2020-06-10T09:16:29-04:00June 2nd, 2017|Big Deer Stories, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Science|2 Comments

Ninety-nine percent of bucks have a home range of a mile or so where they spend 95% of their time year-round. The boys venture out of their core areas once in a while, especially during the November rut, when they often leave for days or weeks on doe excursions. But they eventually come back home where they feel safe and comfortable. Of course there is the rogue buck. Researchers with Pennsylvania’s Deer-Forest Study monitored GPS-collared Buck 12783, which had 2 distinct home ranges. Source:Penn State College Agricultural Sciences In the image above, his main home range is the eastern (right side) mass of blue. To the west is a “vacation home” that he used for 2 years. The researchers believe [...]

31 05, 2017

You Can Shoot a 20-Year-Old Whitetail Doe

admin2020-06-10T09:16:29-04:00May 31st, 2017|Big Deer Stories, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, Deer Science|Comments Off on You Can Shoot a 20-Year-Old Whitetail Doe

Most of us who shoot a 5- or 6-year-old doe with bow and arrow think we’ve done something, and we have. A doe that lives that long in the wild is crafty, one of the smartest deer in the woods. Imagine a doe that lives 10 or 15 years longer yet! This Instagram post from wildlife biologist @MattRossqdma caught my eye: Camel Doe…throwback to the absolute oldest deer I will ever kill. September 18, 2002. She was easily in her late teens, if not older…my friends said she looked just like a camel. She tasted fine to me! Matt went on to say that he based the New York doe’s age on his experience of having aged thousands of jawbones [...]

22 05, 2017

Weird Whitetail: Deer with White Eyes

admin2020-06-10T09:16:29-04:00May 22nd, 2017|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Science|Comments Off on Weird Whitetail: Deer with White Eyes

A few years ago a Canadian hunter sent me this… Mike: I thought this would be right up your alley since you like cool and unusual deer stuff. That is what makes your web page so great. I harvested this buck outside of Dryden, Ontario. He had white eyes! His eyes where not fogged over with cataracts or anything, and I can assure you he was not blind. They were just white, devoid of color. His hide was not piebald, although it was a little lighter than some. But except for the eyes, the deer was normal looking and acted normal. Have you or any of the blog readers ever seen this type of eye coloring on a deer? Thanks, [...]

12 05, 2017

Do Deer Feed On Dead Human Bodies?

admin2020-06-10T09:16:29-04:00May 12th, 2017|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Science|3 Comments

Suppose a hiker or a hunter gets lost in the woods, dies and is not found for months. Or some thug murders a guy and dumps the body in a remote area. Sure, a fox, coyote, bear or vulture or other scavenger would pick the body. But would a deer eat the decaying remains too? Sounds absurd, but... From an Abstract published in the Journal of Forensic Science: Herein, we report on the first known photographic evidence of deer gnawing human remains. As described in nonhuman scavenging literature, forking of the bone characterizes the taphonomic effect of deer gnawing in this case, which is distinct from the effect caused by other scavengers. This type of osteophagia during the winter season [...]