Latitudinal Influences On Whitetail Deer
As the whitetails home area advances in the northern latitudes, it’s body weight and size increase. The biological characteristics of this fact is in direct relation to the colder climates of the northern hemisphere. The further north we go in our hemisphere, the physical biological characteristics of whitetail deer get bigger, and vice-versa. Adult whitetail deer body weight can vary dramatically; from under one hundred pounds in parts of southern climates, to over three hundred pounds in the far north.
Whitetails And Aging
It is possible that deer can live to be eleven or twelve years old. But most don’t live that long. That is because deer wear down their teeth in about ten years at a rate of 1 mm a year. After that they aren’t able to eat their food efficiently in which saliva blends with the chewed food that adds active enzymes necessary to the digestive process. When this happens, deer weaken and starve to death. Many die early from predators, injuries, accidents, or disease sustained in daily life. In heavily hunted areas of the country, most bucks don’t live much past 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 years of age. Optimum biological deer antler development is attained the 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 years of age.
Biological Senses Of Whitetails: Incredible keen biological senses.
1. Whitetails Vision
A whitetails eyes are positioned in the skull that allows for over 300 degrees of viewing. They have the uncanny ability to notice any unnatural movement, an acute night vision that aids in their nocturnal activities, and a seemingly sixth sense to know when a predator or hunter is looking them in the eye. Anyone who has been archery hunting for any length of time for whitetails will know not to look a whitetail in the eye if they are within 40 yards. You watch their body, not their eye’s. In my 40 years of hunting whitetail deer I have noticed that they now look up for danger more than they did when I first started hunting them with a bow. A deer hunter could place a stand at eye level and be successful hunting deer at that height. Now where do we like to place our hunting stands? That’s right, as high as we are comfortable climbing; up to a point (for good shot placement) – sometimes 20 feet or more. In Minnesota forty years ago, six feet was a standard for a stand height. We also didn’t have portable or ladder stands available to us. Now we have them. We also can build (on private property with permission) permanent stands up to sixteen feet off the ground in Minnesota. We as hunter’s are a predator in a tree and the deer are now onto us. They now look up more often; and in most cases have adapted to these predators/hunters from above.. We must adapt too. We must blend into their visual realm. Lets face it, it is their habitat and home. We are in their outdoor environment and the odds are against us on any given day. Did you know that the average archery tag takes some twenty-plus days of deer hunting to fill? We are at a great disadvantage, and must take every possible step not to be discovered. A Deer’s Eye’s, Nose & Ears
2. A Whitetails Nose
We, as whitetail deer hunters, may be the best deer repellent in the outdoors. A whitetails sense of smell is acutely keen, just incredible. It is said that a whitetail’s nose is a thousand times as sensitive as ours if not more. Many a deer has survived a hunting season because of hunter carelessness in dealing with scent control. We stink danger to deer. We need to think about being “neutral clean”, no emanation of any scent whatsoever. Many times a deer will move off slowly and quietly into deeper cover when we are scented. Most of the time a hunter will not even know he has been scented as he or she approaches their morning stand for the hunt.
We as deer hunters make so many mistakes – and get so few second chances.
3. Ears Of The Whitetail
A whitetails keen sense of hearing is critical to their survival and detecting danger. Ever notice how both ears rotate and move as if they were radar antenna’s, never in the same direction unless alerted to something? They are like directional finders, each able to rotate 180 degrees, honing in on possible danger. A deer recognizes the natural sounds in its outdoor environment. It knows the difference between a squirrel, turkey, bear, another deer or other wildlife. It also knows what sounds are not natural to its home area.
A whitetail deer will live out most of its biological life in a small area of land; usually not much larger than 1/2 to 1 1/2 square miles. If they have adequate food, water, shelter (for bedding areas), and safety (escape routes), they very seldom venture out their little piece of habitat. The bucks will travel more, especially during the rut, up to 3 1/2 square miles while searching for does to breed. The whitetail does will usually give birth to their fawns in the same area year after year.