Some Interesting Deer Facts

My Facebook friend Terry Brennan's photo called, Looking Back!

The average range of a deer in Mississippi is one square mile, but this range is variable.   Some deer move much more than others, and ranges in excess of seven or eight miles have been noted.

An adult deer consumes seven to eight pounds of forage a day, depending on the season of the year, age of the animal and quality of the food.

Deer are color blind, but they can see well at night and detect very slight movements. Whitetails really see the world in shades of gray.  They do not see the orange color worn by deer hunters as we do.  But an entire jacket of one color is more easily detected than the different colored shades of camouflage.

Deer weights vary around the state.  How much a deer weighs depends on its sex and age, fertility of the soil, size of the deer herd and other factors.  

The weight (field dressed) of a one and one-half-year-old buck will generally be between 70 and 100 pounds.  Weights of buck two and one-half years or older are normally between 90 and 130 pounds.  Does are smaller then bucks and weight 20 to 50 pounds less.

Male deer lose their antlers each year, normally around March or April.  There are exceptions. Bucks in the state have been known to shed horns as early as the first week in January. Usually antler growth begins during each spring and is completed around late September or early October when fully hardened and polished antlers appear.

There are three basic elements needed for good antler development.  First is nutrition.  A deer must have enough of the right kinds of food present.  For example, some species of honeysuckle or greenbriar should be available on a year-round basis for any deer herd.  The buck must be old enough to have a well-developed rack.  And, if proper genetics are not present in the deer, antler size will be reduced.