Non-typical Stuff | Deer Hunting & Management

White-tailed Deer Facts 2

White-tailed deer are one of the most widely studied wildlife species in the US. As a result, there are more known facts about whitetail than any other species, game or non-game. For example, researchers have already identified at least 25+ subspecies of white-tailed deer spanning from coast to coast! Although most are very similar, each is somewhat different in terms of physical characteristics and in behavior.

Below are 5 facts about the amazing white-tailed deer:

1. Well-nourished white-tailed bucks begin growing new antlers each April. The timing regarding new antler growth can vary with an individual buck’s body condition, but is influenced by environmental conditions. Antlers can grow more than 1/2″ per day.

2. When temperatures drop to single digits (farenheit), whitetail deer are often more nocturnal and also tend to move during the mid-day hours.

3. The large ears of white-tailed deer can rotate 180 degrees and pick up high-frequency sounds very well.

4. The entire molting process for whitetails is slow and gradual, usually taking several months to complete. From early spring to late summer, a deer’s coat transforms from a dense grey pelage (fur) to a thin but deeply-colored auburn.

5. However, when hunting in early fall, hunters will notice that the deer’s coat has changed from reddish to grey. This fall color change occurs much more rapidly, often within only one to two weeks!

Want more information? Check out these addtional white-tailed deer facts.

Buck Shot By Bowhunter While Locked Up

We’ve all heard instances were two white-tailed bucks were found locked-up during a fight and found dead, but most of us are not lucky (or unlucky) enough to stumble across such an occurence. However, in the hunting video above, a bowhunter (and recruited camera man) finds two nice whitetail bucks tangled together.

In the video, keep an eye on the buck on the left. After the camera zooms in, you can see the arrow hit the buck directly in the lungs and that gets the deer going again. The video ends as the struggling stops, so not sure how what happens after that.

Find a Hunting Lease in Texas

If you hunt deer then you are always looking for a new place to hang a stand, a new place to setup a trail camera and see what happens.

If you are looking to find a place to hunt white-tailed deer in Texas, then this may be just what you are looking for! The following places are provided as sources of hunting leases and offer hunting for white-tailed bucks, management buck hunts, doe hunts, turkey, and some even hogs and migratory bird hunting.

Check ’em out!

Hunting Lease
Lease Hunter
Texas Hunting Lease
Deer Texas
High Tech Redneck
Texas Lease Connection
Hunter’s Domain
Wild Goose
Magnum Guide Service
Warner Hunting Leases
Texas Outdoorsman

White-tailed Deer Hunting – Know Their Senses

White-tailed deer populations span from from the Atlantic to the pacific, north into Canada, and as far south as Peru. In every area white-tailed deer live, something is out to get them. Hunters will hunt and predators must eat, but deer have adapted to the endless pursuit of predators, including humans, and here is how.

Whitetail deer are mostly active at dusk and dawn (crepuscular) and will often feed at night, becoming totally nocturanal. This may be an adaptation to the habits of man because humans, of all animals, rely most heavily on sight to find deer. Deer, especially mature bucks, go nocturnal counter our limitations.

Sight, however, is not the whitetail’s keenest sense. Deer often can not distinguish between a motionless object and its background, but deer are quick to respond at the slightest movement. Just a twitch is enough to warn a deer that something is not quite right and set the animal on high alert. Deer hunters know this well.

If a deer is suspicious, but there is no movement, the deer will approach and stomp with its front leg in an attempt to make the out-of-place “thing” move. Without a reaction, a curious and smart white-tailed deer may also call into duty their sharpest sense – smell. A deer may circle downwind and analyze the wind with its nose in an attempt to detect danger. If things don’t smell right… goodbye!

As good as their senses are to sight and sound, there is no denying that a deer’s keen sense of hearing is their most effective weapon to ward off would-be predators and hopeful hunters. This is why hunting buck scrapes and using doe urine can be highly effective when used properly. Their ears are designed to collect sound waves, the eyes to collect colors, and their nose to smell danger. They all add up to one heck of a crafty white-tailed deer!

White-tailed Deer – A Success Story in Texas

At one point in the late 19th century, white-tailed deer nearly disappeared from the Texas landscape. Over harvest and alteration of natural plant communities had reduced or eliminated deer numbers across much of Texas. Protective measures were taken, including the first deer seasons, harvest limits, and the establishment of the state game warden service.

This protection from exploitation was accompanied by adaptation of deer to altered landscapes and widespread restocking by the state wildlife department. From their near disappearance over 100-years ago, white-tailed deer have been restored to most areas they previously occupied and have even expanded their range into historically unoccupied areas of the state. The restoration of the whitetail is a wildlife management success story in Texas and many other states that went through similar transitions.

The current status of white-tailed deer populations nationally is also a testament to the resiliency and adaptability of this species. White-tailed deer can thrive side-by-side with human populations through urban and suburban areas throughout the United States. The adaptability of white-tailed deer and the desire of people to live and work in areas that retain green spaces have resulted in deer overabundance in many areas.

Not only do deer represent a success story for the species, but they represent part of the culture in many rural areas. White-tailed deer now account for a significant portion of local economies in Texas and much of small-town America. With significant biological, economic, and social importance, hopefully the white-tailed deer will always have a place to call home.