In the wild, a doe or buck that survives 4 or 5 years has lived a good, long life. Six or 7 years or more is ancient and rare for a wild deer. So I found it fascinating to read a report from Pennsylvania a few years ago that confirmed 2 wild does, which had been captured, ear-tagged and released, had lived to at least 13!  One of those does was documented on a trail camera, and the other was shot by a hunter. That a deer could live 13 years in the wild with all the cars, coyotes and hunting pressure is yet another testament to how amazing whitetails are. As for the pictures here, I shot this fully [...]

It’s November 1 and the seeking phase of the rut is beginning or in full swing in most regions (except the Deep South). Some bucks begin to expand their range, wandering out of their home core areas to take the estrus temperature of does within 1,000 acres or so. Other big boys roam closer to home, especially in broken farmland where feed and cover are prime. If 2 dominant deer cross paths, a hair-raising stare down or a heavyweight fight might break out. Watch for a buck “lip curling,” or sniffing a doe’s urine to check her state of estrus. Bucks keep blazing rubs and pawing scrapes. Around November 5, give or take a few days, the seeking phase launches [...]

1. In July, velvet antlers grow via a complex system of blood vessels, which causes them to be hot to the touch. Top whitetail scientist Dr. Grant Woods notes, “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. Antler tines show up like neon signs when flying over with thermal cameras in summer.” Tiny hairs on the velvet stick out and make velvet antlers look bigger than they are. The hairs act as a radar system so the buck won’t bump into trees, fence posts, etc. and damage his soft antlers. Sebum, a semi-liquid secretion, on the hairs of the velvet give [...]