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Deer Science

Bucks of All Ages Succeed in the Wild Whitetail Rut. Yes, Even These.

Nov 29, 2023 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

In the frenzied breeding scramble that is the whitetail rut, are bucks and does selective about the age of their mates, or is rut success random? The answer is: Yes. There’s scientific evidence that age…

Deer Science

Strike 3 for the Myth of the Genetic “Cull Buck”

Nov 8, 2023 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

The latest scientific attempt to improve wild deer antler genetics failed to find a practical method that works in the wild, but it helped shed more light on why the genetic “cull buck” remains elusive:…

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Deer Science

CWD Roundup – November 2023

Nov 1, 2023 Torin Miller

CWD Roundup is the National Deer Association’s (NDA) bi-monthly update on all things chronic wasting disease (CWD). We’ll provide the latest updates on CWD spread, research and policy from across North America. Updates are provided…

Wild Pigs Complicate Deer Movement in Hunting Season. Here’s What to Do.

Oct 30, 2023 David Jachowski

Invasive wild pigs are generally known to be bad for deer. Most hunters in the Southeast have a story of wild pigs destroying food plots or chasing deer away from food sources like acorns near…

Do Deer Hunters Really Need to Be Concerned About Cowhorn Spikes?

Oct 18, 2023 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

When we tell deer hunters that “culling” spike-antlered yearling bucks to improve antler quality is a management mistake, a host of online experts are sure to correct us and remind us of their exception to…

Listen to These 5 Facts About Deer Hearing

Oct 4, 2023 Ben Westfall

As prey animals, deer have many amazing defense mechanisms for detecting and avoiding predators like us, and one of them is their hearing. We scoured the research from a variety of sources to learn all…

The Hunt for a CWD Vaccine Took a Significant Step Forward

Oct 4, 2023 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

The task of hunters in the fight against chronic wasting disease in deer is to slow the spread and help buy time for science to find solutions. While potential solutions are still elusive, hunters should…

It’s Time to Worry About Our National Doe Harvest, Especially in These States

Sep 27, 2023 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

In 1988, faced with declining hunter numbers and too many deer, our founders and leaders called deer hunters to action: reduce pressure on bucks and increase harvest pressure on does. Deer hunters responded and led…

Which Deer Aging Technique is More Accurate, Jawbone or Cementum?

Sep 20, 2023 Kip Adams

There are two methods hunters can use to estimate the age of harvested deer, and both rely on deer teeth. There is a lot of misunderstanding, misapplication, and misinformation shared about these valuable deer management…

My Birthday Buck Had Upper Canine Teeth. Yes, Deer Fangs!

Sep 13, 2023 Cheyne Matzenbacher

Fangs on a whitetail? Yes, both whitetails and mule deer can sometimes grow small, upper canine teeth. I was aware of this rare phenomenon in deer, but I got some hands-on experience in fall 2022…

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