Forty-two is the number that comes to my mind when I’m asked this question, but not because it’s accurate or has anything to do with deer. Instead, “42” is the line from Hitchhiker’s Guide to…
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The Science of the Second Rut
Dec 8, 2021Cheyne Matzenbacher
I hit the grunt call three times, and within minutes a nice mature buck jumped the fence and came in with his ears laid back in search of whatever buck just made that sound in…
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Anatomy of a Whitetail Tarsal Gland
Nov 17, 2021Matt Ross
Of the seven glands that deer use to communicate with one another, hunters are probably most familiar with the tarsal gland and its role when deer make a scrape. But have you ever wondered exactly…
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The Mysterious Adventure of an Exceptional Buck
Nov 3, 2021Lindsay Thomas Jr.
it’s difficult to trap a good deer scientist. They leave themselves room to maneuver when you ask them for certainty about deer behavior, a sort of scientific CYA. Good deer scientists say “usually” instead of…
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Cold Fronts May Get Hunters On Their Feet, But Bucks Answer a Different Call
Oct 6, 2021Lindsay Thomas Jr.
Don’t say it. Do not say it! Don’t say the cold front has got the bucks on their feet. You are going to say it, aren’t you? Seriously, listen to yourself this fall. You’re going…
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Should You Shoot a Deer Wearing a Tracking Collar?
Sep 29, 2021Lindsay Thomas Jr.
Our knowledge of deer behavior and biology, and our ability to hunt and manage deer effectively, expands all the time thanks to the remote tracking collar. You’ve seen their movements as dots on a satellite map…
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Why Are Bucks in Front of Everyone’s Cameras But Yours?
Aug 4, 2021Lindsay Thomas Jr.
The parade of social-media bucks is underway. Every day now, more trail-cameras are appearing in the woods, and so are the photos they capture, especially big bucks in velvet and big bachelor groups of bucks…
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10 Highlights From New Deer Science You Can Use
Jul 14, 2021Lindsay Thomas Jr.
The Southeast Deer Study Group meeting was one of the last in-person gatherings I attended in 2020 before the pandemic hit, and it looked for a while as if COVID-19 would prevent the 2021…
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Deer Mange Looks Bad. Is It A Concern for Deer Populations?
Jul 7, 2021Lindsay Thomas Jr.
Got the itch for deer season? If not, this recent photo of a doe with mange ought to get you scratching. The photo above, taken on July 1 in Alabama, shows a classic case of…
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Deer Instincts Can Trigger Weird Behaviors, Like This Doe Eating a Dead Fawn
Jun 29, 2021Lindsay Thomas Jr.
A lot of deer behavior is pre-programmed, not learned. The way they react to certain stimuli is instinctual as a result of millions of years of testing, with death serving as an effective cancellation of…
