Something Big is Eating Feral Hogs and Hawking Up Hairballs

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Over my 20-year career as a wildlife biologist, I have run across my share of odd and puzzling things in the woods. Possibly the oddest was a whole parachute I found in a deer’s stomach. Yes, I said parachute! While field-dressing a deer harvested on a military base, I noticed its stomach was abnormally large and …

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Where Do Northern Deer Find Water in Winter?

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Follow Matt on Instagram. Winter Water Requirements of WhitetailsHow do northern whitetails quench their thirst in winter when all of the water is frozen? This was an #AskQDMA question we received from a QDMA member, and our own Matt Ross of New York provides the answer in this quick video. Posted by The Quality Deer …

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Defend, Display or Duel: What Are Antlers Good For?

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Antlers are like the beards on guys at hunting camp – they are secondary sexual characteristics that separate females and males but don’t directly contribute to reproduction. So, why exactly do bucks grow them?  There are four main theories as to why bucks grow antlers. According to noted deer researchers Drs. Steve Demarais and Bronson …

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Deer Have Heart Bones?

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In the 1980s, I read an article praising the resiliency of the white-tailed deer. No doubt, whitetails possess an uncanny ability to ward off, or at least endure, many diseases and parasites. They also have a well-deserved reputation for rebounding from seemingly life-threatening injuries. The author of that article fancied himself somewhat of an expert …

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5 Common Myths About Whitetail Fawns

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It’s early June and social media is abuzz with photos of recently born fawns from across the country. While we love seeing these reports of successful whitetail breeding efforts, the ensuing discussion often leads to misinformation regarding whitetail fawns. So today we wanted to address five of the most prevalent fawn myths. A fawn is …

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