deer research

Book Review – Advanced White-Tailed Deer Management: The Nutrition-Population Density Sweet Spot

Jan 16, 2024 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

Managing a deer population is pretty simple, really. Improve habitat to increase the quality and quantity of deer forage, and reduce deer density if necessary until you achieve balance between forage supply and demand. Early…

read more

10 Tips for Rattling More Bucks Using Science

Nov 1, 2023 Matt Ross

It’s November, and over the next few weeks millions of deer hunters will be hitting the woods in hopes of taking home a giant. Many will attempt rattling but will fail to see any response…

read more

Which Deer Catch and Spread CWD Fastest, and Why?

Aug 30, 2023 Kip Adams

Chronic wasting disease in deer has emerged over the last 20 years as one of the most significant issues in deer hunting in modern times. The fact the disease is complex and difficult to manage…

read more

GPS Tracking Collars Are Amazing, but Do They Change Deer Behavior?

Jul 12, 2023 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

In the past 23 years, GPS tracking collars have revealed a ton of new information about deer behavior and biology. But a few hunters, skeptical of science or doubtful of the conclusions of specific studies,…

read more

How Far Can a Deer Swim?

May 17, 2023 Matt Ross

We’ve all seen at least one of numerous amateur video clips floating around the Internet in which a boater or fisherman captures a deer doggy-paddling its four little hooves off so far from shore it…

read more

3 Promising New Ways to Detect CWD, Dead Deer Not Required

Mar 15, 2023 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

Good news is scarce in the fight against chronic wasting disease, so I’m pleased that I have some to share. A series of new tools could give us the ability to detect CWD in deer…

read more

8 Ways Deer Are the Opposite of What Many Hunters Think

Mar 8, 2023 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

Using your common sense isn’t always a good method for understanding deer behavior and biology. It’s easy to believe deer move more on a full moon night because it makes common sense: They must be…

read more

14 Stats From New Deer Research

Dec 7, 2022 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

For the past two years, NDA was proud to voluntarily coordinate and host the largest national gathering of deer researchers, the Southeast Deer Study Group meeting, to ensure its continuation despite the pandemic. It’s fortunate…

read more

Do Whitetail Bucks Ever Mate With Their Own Doe Offspring?

Nov 16, 2022 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

The whitetail rut is a frenzied scramble. Literally, that’s the biological term for the whitetail breeding strategy – “scramble competition” – because a buck’s success at breeding does is determined mostly by his ability to…

read more

What We Learned From a Buck With No Eyes

Oct 12, 2022 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

Deer scientists have known for decades about the powerful influence of light on deer behavior and physical characteristics like antler growth. Early theories about latitude affecting things like rut timing were close – but incorrect….

read more