The whitetail deer are arguably the most enjoyed and studied large mammal in North America and quite possibly the world. Webster's dictionary defines biology as "the science that deals with the origin, history, physical characteristics, life processes, habits, etc., of plant or animal". In our case, whitetail deer biology. Sometime in the late spring of 2009 I will be publishing a great book about whitetail deer and hunting them. Look for it as it will be a great read and have a wealth of information about whitetail deer and hunting them.
The obscure origin of the whitetail deer date back million's of years. They are the evolutionary descendents of some of the earliest hoofed mammals, artiodactyls, that roamed our earth some 50 million years ago. In the deer family, the whitetail biology is distinguished from their cousin, the mule deer, mainly by the configuration and shape of their antlers. A whitetail bucks main antler beam curves forward without a dichotomous (dividing or branching) fork. On the contrary, a mule deer bucks major beam of antler grows upward with a dichotomous fork.
Whitetail biology studies have recognized no less than 30 subspecies of whitetail deer in North and Central America, and 8 in South America. The whitetail deer is well adapted to various habitat environments. It's diversity is reflected in its biological characteristics.
As the whitetails home area advances in the northern latitudes, it's body weight and size increase. The biological characteristics of this fact is in direct relation to the colder climates of the northern hemisphere. The further north we go in our hemisphere, the physical biological characteristics of whitetail deer get bigger, and vice-versa. Adult whitetail deer body weight can vary dramatically; from under one hundred pounds in parts of southern climates, to over three hundred pounds in the far north.
It is possible that deer can live to be eleven or twelve years old. But most don't live that long. That is because deer wear down their teeth in about ten years at a rate of 1 mm a year. After that they aren't able to eat their food efficiently in which saliva blends with the chewed food that adds active enzymes necessary to the digestive process. When this happens, deer weaken and starve to death. Many die early from predators, injuries, accidents, or disease sustained in daily life. In heavily hunted areas of the country, most bucks don't live much past 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 years of age. Optimum biological deer antler development is attained the 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 years of age.
A whitetails eyes are positioned in the skull that allows for over 300 degrees of viewing. They have the uncanny ability to notice any unnatural movement, an acute night vision that aids in their nocturnal activities, and a seemingly sixth sense to know when a predator or hunter is looking them in the eye. Anyone who has been archery hunting for any length of time for whitetails will know not to look a whitetail in the eye if they are within 40 yards. You watch their body, not their eye's. In my 40 years of hunting whitetail deer I have noticed that they now look up for danger more than they did when I first started hunting them with a bow. A deer hunter could place a stand at eye level and be successful hunting deer at that height. Now where do we like to place our hunting stands? That's right, as high as we are comfortable climbing; up to a point (for good shot placement) - sometimes 20 feet or more. In Minnesota forty years ago, six feet was a standard for a stand height. We also didn't have portable or ladder stands available to us. Now we have them. We also can build (on private property with permission) permanent stands up to sixteen feet off the ground in Minnesota. We as hunter's are a predator in a tree and the deer are now onto us. They now look up more often; and in most cases have adapted to these predators/hunters from above.. We must adapt too. We must blend into their visual realm. Lets face it, it is their habitat and home. We are in their outdoor environment and the odds are against us on any given day. Did you know that the average archery tag takes some twenty-plus days of deer hunting to fill? We are at a great disadvantage, and must take every possible step not to be discovered.
We, as whitetail deer hunters, may be the best deer repellant in the outdoors. A whitetails sense of smell is acutely keen, just incredible. It is said that a whitetail's nose is a thousand times as sensitive as ours if not more. Many a deer has survived a hunting season because of hunter carelessness in dealing with sent control. We stink danger to deer. We need to think about being "neutral clean", no emanation of any scent whatsoever. Many times a deer will move off slowly and quietly into deeper cover when we are scented. Most of the time a hunter will not even know he has been scented as he or she approaches their morning stand for the hunt.
We as deer hunters make so many mistakes - and get so few second chances.
A whitetails keen sense of hearing is critical to their survival and detecting danger. Ever notice how both ears rotate and move as if they were radar antenna's, never in the same direction unless alerted to something? They are like directional finders, each able to rotate 180 degrees, honing in on possible danger. A deer recognizes the natural sounds in its outdoor environment. It knows the difference between a squirrel, turkey, bear, another deer or other wildlife. It also knows what sounds are not natural to its home area.
1. Whitetail bucks shed their antlers mid-winter and then grow new antlers every spring and summer.
This antler growth process starts out as just a couple of small knobs called pedicles, that seem to bulge on the fore-head covered with a lightly colored brown/grayish skin, and then grow outward as the days get longer. The new antlers are filled with blood and are very soft and tender. During the 4 1/2 month growing period they can be easily damaged. Antlers grow very quickly in June and July, sometimes up to 1 1/2 inches a day. By late summer they are full grown and covered with velvet. At this time the blood that flows to the antlers stop, and then they begin to harden. It is during this time that the buck will start rubbing trees and brush. Bucks need to remove the velvet (some believe that antlers now begin to itch), and strengthen their neck to prepare for the coming rut; or breeding season. It's during the pre-rut that bucks spar with each other to establish an area of dominance. At this time it is mostly pushing and shoving to see who is the strongest; they are not really fighting at this point. That may come later in the actual rut, it usually happens when two dominate bucks cross paths, or are competing for the same doe in estrus to breed.
2. Whitetail deer have hooves. A deer's hoof, like two fingers, is split in two. This makes it easier to walk on soft ground and mud. A deer's hoof also has a scent gland between it's toes and the dew claws that leave a deer's scent on the ground as it walks and moves through it's habitat area. This scent is specific to that individual deer. Deer use their hooves to dig for food; removing debris and snow to get at food. They will also stomp their front hooves on the ground to try and flush something to move. Of course when they do this, they are not sure of what is there and are ready to flee in a split second. Some biologists and deer hunters believe that deer can sense ground vibrations with their hooves. Another reason to walk quietly and slowly rolling your feet from heel to toe as you walk in and about in your hunting area.
3. The digestive system of whitetail deer is similar to that of cattle. It basically swallows food whole, or slightly chewed. A whitetails stomach has 4 chambers that food can find its way through during the digestive process. Once food is swallowed stomach acids break down parts of the food, the deer regurgitates a mouthful and chews the cud (similar to a cow), adding more enzymes for the digestive process. Because of the way a deer digests food, it allows a deer to feed quickly in an area, usually they will graze 10 to 20 minutes. After a short grazing period whitetails will retreat to a safe bedding spot, and then finish the feeding and digestive process.
4. A whitetail deer's hide is covered with hollow hair. They also have an under layer of fur that is very thick during the winter. This is one of the main reasons that whitetail deer can survive the harsh, cold winters of northern latitudes. Another survival characteristic is their metabolism. A whitetails metabolism slows down considerably during the winter months when food is scarce. At this time deer turn to browse for food; things like twigs, branches, pine needles, stems of plants and other edible items available. This browse has little food value, but may provide just enough valuable calories to see a deer through the winter. This is a main reason for high whitetail mortality during long, cold, harsh winters. It is during these harsh conditions that many deer will starve to death by spring. This is the number one reason whitetail biologist and game managers need to keep whitetail deer populations in check, and in balance, as it pertains to their habitat. A whitetail's habitat can only support so many deer in a given area.
A whitetail deer will live out most of biological its life in a small area of land; usually not much larger than 1/2 to 1 1/2 square miles. If they have adequate food, water, shelter (for bedding areas), and safety( escape routes), they very seldom venture out their little piece of habitat. The bucks will travel more, especially during the rut, up to 3 1/2 square miles while searching for does to breed. The whitetail does will usually give birth to their fawns in the same area year after year.
The whitetail deer will stay in their
comfortable secure area unless forced out by predators, human pressure, or harsh
winters with deep snow depths.
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