Spike On One Side: Genetics or Injury?

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Among hunters, few topics stir discussion like hunting over bait or hunting deer with dogs – but the dispute over “cull bucks” comes close. While ethics play a major role in other debates, the dispute over cull bucks boils down to science – something that should not be debatable. Hopefully I can present some information …

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How Many Rubs Does a Buck Make?

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Not seeing many rubs and scrapes in your area? This may be directly related to an absence of older bucks. Just how many rubs does a whitetail buck make each year? That depends on the buck’s age, and older bucks make more rubs. According to the University of Georgia’s Dr. Karl V. Miller, one mature …

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Bucks Shedding Velvet Early

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Like so much that happens in the cycle of the whitetail’s year, the timing of bucks shedding their antler velvet is closely tied to photoperiod (the number of hours of daylight in a day). Decreasing photoperiod in late summer triggers increasing testosterone levels, which leads to antler hardening and then velvet shedding. Interestingly, bucks began …

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Know the Signs of HD: Hemorrhagic Disease

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During the summer of 2011, regional outbreaks of hemorrhagic disease (HD) in white-tailed deer stole the headlines throughout portions of the Unites States. This – occurring just four years after the HD epidemic in 2007, the worst year for the disease in at least 50 years – helped to affirm it as the most significant …

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Will Dominant Bucks Dominate the Breeding?

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“Do a handful of bucks sire the majority of the fawns?” This question is often followed with a series of questions, such as: “If the dominant buck in my area has narrow antlers, will I start seeing more narrow-antlered bucks?” Or… “If someone shoots the dominant buck early in the season will it upset the …

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