Deer Science The latest in deer research

The NDA prides itself in keeping up with the latest in deer research and management and presenting that information to our members in easy-to-understand articles, videos, and podcast interviews.

Deer Science

This “Frosty” Silver Buck Has Biologists Stumped. See the Photos.

Dec 10, 2025 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

For three seasons now, Kevin O’Brien and his uncle and cousins, who all hunt in the same area of northwest Wisconsin, have been seeing and photographing a ghostly deer. Lots of whitetail bucks “ghost” us,…

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Deer Science

Bucks, Does, and Dewclaws: Clearing Up One of Hunting’s Biggest Myths

Dec 3, 2025 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

At NDA, we frequently share emerging science that sometimes shatters old beliefs about deer, so we’re accustomed to hearing from skeptical hunters who are reluctant to let go of time-honored ideas. Lots of hunters have…

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The Most Important Building Blocks of Big Whitetail Bucks

Aug 20, 2025 Matt Ross

Despite the fact today’s hunters pursue some of the highest densities of mature bucks in history, big whitetail bucks are still an uncommon sight. Specimens of male deer with above-average antlers are not the norm, which is just…

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The National Deer Association’s Guide to Doe Harvest

Aug 12, 2025 NDA Staff

Whitetails are prey. Like any prey animal, they produce enough offspring to compensate for losses to predators, so when there aren’t enough predators around, whitetails overpopulate. Today, hunters are by far the number one predator…

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What Makes Those Holes in Deer Antlers? And Other Odd Antler FAQs.

Jun 4, 2025 Kip Adams

They grow for about 150 days a year. They can grow nearly 1 inch per day, making them the fastest normal growing tissue known to man. Humans have cherished them for thousands of years, and…

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A Photo Gallery of Jawbones From Extremely Old Deer

Apr 30, 2025 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

The longer deer live, the more they wear down their teeth from chewing forage and browse. It used to be that hunters could only age extremely worn deer jaws as “5½-plus” or some variation of…

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Top 3 Factors Influencing Deer-Vehicle Collisions

Apr 7, 2025 Casey Rotenberger

In my home state of Pennsylvania, everyone has either hit a deer with their vehicle or knows someone who has. The Keystone State was identified as “high-risk” in 2024 by State Farm, with the likelihood…

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Meet the Smallest Deer in North America, Florida’s Key Deer

Mar 5, 2025 Ben Westfall

What do you picture when you think of deer? The iconic whitetail is likely what comes to mind for most of us, but there are several other deer species found in the wild lands of…

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How Far Apart Do Bucks Drop Their Antlers? Shed Hunting Tips From New Science

Feb 5, 2025 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

You just found a nice shed antler. How far away is the matching side? How likely are you to find it? We now have scientific data to help answer these questions, thanks to a new…

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4 Reasons Mature Bucks Are Critical to Deer Herd Health and Hunting

Jan 8, 2025 Kip Adams

Mature bucks can take your breath away. Whether it’s a frosty fall morning in the woods or a summer evening in an alfalfa field, the mere glimpse of a mature buck will make your heart…

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