Deer hunters spend a lot of time and resources scouting and hunting white-tailed deer, but if you’re like a lot of folks in the woods, there is a lot you may not know about your quarry. As such, everyone once in a while I’m going help hunters get a better handle on deer and their habits by publishing some simple deer facts. Here’s the first installment:
White-tailed Deer Facts:
-White-tailed bucks most often bed by laying on their right side and facing downwind, which allows them to use their eyes, ears, and excellent sense of smell to detect danger approaching from any direction.
-Research studies have shown that whitetail deer can smell human scent on underbrush for days after we leave the woods! Wary, mature bucks react very negatively when they run across human scent, often becoming leery of the area for weeks afterwards.
-A whitetail’s hair color appears almost bluish-grey in winter. New hair that grows during autumn provides whitetails with added insulation against cold, winter temperatures. The tips on these new hairs are dark, giving the winter hide its richer hue.
-When running from danger, a deer takes very long strides with its tracks sometimes spaced as much as 25-feet apart! That’s what I call getting away!