Deer Management Archives - Page 15 of 53

8 06, 2018

Deer Antlers: How They Grow in June and July

admin2020-06-10T09:15:53-04:00June 8th, 2018|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Management|2 Comments

Antler tissue is the fastest growing tissue known to man. Beams and tines may grow a quarter-inch or more per day, the process driven by a buck’s hormones and the photoperiod of the summer days. According to Missouri scientist Dr. Grant Woods, a buck’s rack will show most of its points by mid-June, though tine length is typically less than half developed at this time. Most beam length will grow by late June. Those are general rules, but Grant points out that the growth of individual racks varies. “Some bucks will show a lot of antler growth early, while others seem to add a bunch to their rack during July,” he says. More interesting facts about summer antlers: --Antlers are [...]

23 05, 2018

Deer Science: What Causes Most Fawn Deaths?

admin2020-06-10T09:15:53-04:00May 23rd, 2018|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Management, Predator Hunting|Comments Off on Deer Science: What Causes Most Fawn Deaths?

Our friend Jeff saw this newborn on his New Jersey farm last Saturday. If the little deer can make it until early August, its chances of survival soar. Scientists note that most fawn deaths occur in the first 12 weeks of life. A grad student at Penn State’s Department of Ecosystem Science and Management examined the causes of fawn deaths listed in 29 different populations, and calculated the proportion of fawns that died from each of 3 categories: human, predation, and natural causes. Not surprisingly predators, namely coyotes, bobcats, bears and dogs, killed the most fawns, about 25% of them in the populations studied. About 8% of fawns died from natural causes like starvation, disease, hypothermia and drowning. About 5% [...]

16 05, 2018

Future Of Deer Hunting: USDA TO Revise Standards for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD)

admin2020-06-10T09:15:53-04:00May 16th, 2018|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Management, Deer Science|Comments Off on Future Of Deer Hunting: USDA TO Revise Standards for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD)

As I’ve said on the Blog and on BIG DEER TV, CWD is the biggest issue and threat that we've faced in the last 50 years, and maybe ever. We need to stay on top of this and learn all we can about this disease. The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP) reports that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is currently revising their standards for CWD, and they need to hear from deer hunters from across the country. To that end, TRCP put out this message which I wholeheartedly agree with and support: Deer hunting is the single most popular form of hunting in the United States, with 9.2 million Americans participating each year, [...]

9 05, 2018

Mule Deer: Why Antler-Point Restrictions Don’t Work

admin2020-06-10T09:15:53-04:00May 9th, 2018|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Management, Mule Deer|Comments Off on Mule Deer: Why Antler-Point Restrictions Don’t Work

Most western states and provinces have, over the years, implemented some type of antler-point restrictions during mule deer hunting seasons. On the surface, antler restrictions make sense: If by law hunters cannot shoot young fork-horns and other immature bucks, those deer will grow older and bigger next year and the next. More mature bucks is good for the health of any herd, right? And most hunters want to shoot a deer with big antlers, right? Not necessarily, say experts with the Mule Deer Working Group (MDWG). These researchers and biologists report that antler-point restrictions have proved to have limited potential to produce more trophy bucks, and they result in a myriad of challenges and problems. For example: -- Available data [...]

24 04, 2018

2017-18 Virginia Deer Harvest

admin2020-06-10T09:15:54-04:00April 24th, 2018|Big Deer Stories, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Management|1 Comment

During the 2017–18 season, hunters harvested 189,730 deer in Virginia. This total included 95,474 antlered bucks, 12,822 button bucks, and 81,434 does (43% of the total harvest). Archery hunters killed 27,630 deer…muzzleloader hunters shot 48,811 animals…and firearms hunters (rifles and shotguns) shot 113,169 deer, or 60% of the total. Deer hunting with dogs accounted for approximately 54% of the total firearms deer harvest in the 59 eastern counties where deer-dog hunting is legal. Approximately 157,500 deer (83%) were checked using the Department’s electronic telephone and online checking through the Go Outdoors Virginia portal. According to Deer Project Coordinator Matt Knox, the stable or declining deer harvest trends experienced in most Virginia counties over the past decade were expected. Knox further [...]