Just like most whitetail nuts, I can never get my fill of whitetail deer facts and figures. A few years ago, I enrolled in a QDMA Level I Steward course (I highly recommend the course by the way!) and here are a few “nuggets” of whitetail wisdom that I would like to share.
In Texas, the gross B&C antler score of the average 4.5 yr old whitetail buck is 130 inches. Contrast this to the Upper Midwest where the gross B&C antler score of the average 4.5 yr old whitetail buck is approximately 150 inches. This can be attributed to better soils and more rainfall and consequently more nutritious forbs (wildflowers) and browse (shrubs and small trees) here in the Midwest. Despite the hunting media spouting tales of “Big ol’ Texas whitetails”, the reality is that the Upper Midwest is more productive than advertised.
Speaking of forbs and browse, “The forestry/shrub component of your hunting success equation is THE most vastly underestimated component of all” according to QDMA wildlife biologist Dr. Gino D’Angelo. Forbs account for 44% of a deer’s diet while browse equates to 41%. Acorns make up 8% and the remaining 7% is miscellaneous food sources. Dr. D’Angelo further states, “If shrubs and browse are the whitetails “meat and potatoes”, then food plots are nothing more than the “gravy””. While I love planting food plots more than just about anything, this one fact has forced me to prioritize shrub and browse management above all else!
Joe Hamilton, THE founder of QDMA, offered some noteworthy quotes regarding trophy whitetails. “In years 1 ½ to 2 ½ you pass up young bucks. In years 3 ½ to 7 ½+ they pass YOU up!” Mr. Hamilton also stated, “The trophy is not in the antlers… the trophy is in the jaw bone.” And finally, Joe and his staff shared these surprising facts:
“1/4 of all whitetail twins born of the same mother actually have different fathers.”
“Whitetail gestation is 195 to 200 days.”
“Sex ratio of fawns has been repeatedly documented to be 50% male and 50% female.”
“Does too old to have fawns do not exist.”
“Deer do not have upper incisors teeth.”
“50% of wild deer have genes for sticker points and drop tines. But they don’t get a chance to express those genes because they are harvested before they become old enough to show us what they can grow.”
I hope that you can use one or more of these “nuggets” of whitetail wisdom to help you in the deer woods – good luck!
