Oh, deer!

It’s whitetail time again

Anyone who has been out and about in the last few weeks likely has noticed folks in the woods dressed in orange and carrying rifles. It is the time for the annual hunt for the elusive whitetail deer. Elusive may be a subjective term, as they seem to show up at just the wrong times, like illuminated by headlights during the commute to work, or in the garden foraging on some newly planted ornamental bush.

The whitetail deer (Odocoileus virginianus) is an influence on our habitat in many ways, and state game agencies on both sides of the river use the hunting seasons as a management tool. Regulations regarding harvest limits, antlers, etc. can be adjusted according to the needs of a particular region. The Pennsylvania State Game Commission and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation have both introduced antler restrictions in order to increase the number of older bucks that will have the larger racks.

A whitetail’s antlers start growing by March or April, and can grow as much as one-half inch per day during peak development. A yearling deer is most likely to be a spike or a small rack, as yearlings are still growing in body mass, and body growth has precedence over antler development in young deer. Antler growth nears its full potential when a deer is five to seven years of age. Older deer can produce spikes or small antlers due to malnutrition or disease. Normally, the male deer is the only deer to produce antlers, but female deer are occasionally found that produce antlers due to a hormone imbalance. The bucks use their antlers during the fall rutting season, and by February they shed their antlers only to begin the growth process again in the spring.