deer - Wildlife Management Pro

Whitetails Still Rutting in Kansas

The rifle whitetail action in north-central Kansas continued to be slow but steady through the first full weekend of the season. The hunters and outfitters of Washington County, Kansas continue to be largely frustrated in finding the big bucks that this country is known for, although a handful of really nice bucks have shown up in the back of pickups at the local diner around lunch time. The freezing rain that fell across much of the state on saturday morning dried up within 24 hours or so, making dirt roads passable again. Even with access restored, there was still pretty little shooting going on. Continue reading Whitetails Still Rutting in Kansas

Big Nebraska Whitetails

The good news and the bad news about Nebraska’s deer season is that it’s 9-days of rifle hunting smack during the middle of the rut. Good news, because hunting rutting whitetails is a hoot. Bad news, because young bucks experience lots of mortality, many never getting a chance to reach their potential. Couple this with the fact that hunters can each take two bucks (again, a good news / bad news kind of thing), and the bucks get hit really hard each year.

The 2007 Nebraska season appears to have been about average. The weather was warm, the warmest deer hunt I’ve ever been on, but the bucks were in full rut.

I hunted near Ogallala for the last 3 days or so of the season that opened November 10th and ended on the 18th.

The 4×4 I took was very hot on the tail of a doe, chasing her aggressively through the brush. Through a combination of tough luck and being selective (OK, mostly tough luck), I had not tagged a buck for several years, and when I saw he was a 4-point I knew I wanted to take him. Continue reading Big Nebraska Whitetails

Deer Biology and Behavior

Breeding occurs from October to January depending on latitude. Peak activity is in November. Does are in heat for 24 hours every 28 days for 2 to 3 consecutive cycles. One buck may inseminate several does. No pairing takes place. Most does breed during their second fall, although on good range up to 30% of the doe fawns (6 months old) will be bred. Gestation is about 202 days. The peak of fawn drop is in May or June. Most reproducing fawns give birth to a single fawn, but adult does typically bear twin fawns. Reproductive potential is very sensitive to nutrition. Continue reading Deer Biology and Behavior