A 20-year study tested whether culling smaller-antlered bucks improves antler genetics. The findings reveal why early antler size, genetic potential, nutrition, and population management must be considered separately.
GPS tracking of 188 bucks revealed how movement changes during the rut, how patterns differ by age, and why the decline before firearm season shouldn’t automatically be attributed to hunting pressure.
A Georgia study finds heavier thinning and prescribed fire can improve high-protein forage potential in mid-rotation loblolly pine stands.
A study of 43 deer-managed properties found that forage availability was often limited. Learn why habitat composition and management scale matter.
A playback experiment found that white-tailed deer were more likely to flee from wild pig sounds than coyote sounds. Here’s what the results suggest about competition and deer behavior—and what they do not prove.
The Big Takeaway: If you have ever looked at a piece of property with poor soils and assumed it could
Researchers detected CWD prion activity in blood samples from healthy-appearing wild deer, including some with no detectable prion deposits in other tissues. The findings could advance early detection, but the blood test still has important limitations.
A 2026 study found that white-tailed deer fawns survived at bedsites with greater horizontal visibility, while vegetation height and measured concealment did not differ significantly. The findings suggest fawning habitat involves more than simply maximizing cover.
A study in Alabama found that annual prescribed burning increased the availability of higher-protein forage in early summer compared with burning every two years. But total forage biomass and digestible protein production did not differ significantly between treatments.
White-tailed deer see color differently from humans, with greater sensitivity to short wavelengths and lower sensitivity to red and orange. Research also shows that lighting conditions influence deer movement. Here’s what those findings mean for hunters—and what the evidence doesn’t prove.
