Even as progressive as wildlife managers and hunters have become, there are other people that continue to steal your wildlife. After all, wildlife is considered a public resource. The whole concept is a bit odd because even though game animals are “owned” by the public, unless the animal is on your property (or land that you have the right to hunt on), then you do not have the legal right to harvest it. But enough about that. Wildlife theives, commonly referred to as poachers, should not be confused with true hunters. But unfortunately they often are, especially by non-hunters.

Today’s deer story comes from Ohio. Two young men made a big, and costly, mistake when they illegally shot a white-tailed deer. In fact, it ended up being a huge buck. Unfortunately for the poachers, the celebration was short-lived. In addition to fines, restitution, license suspension, and community service the deer, firearms, and all other equipment used in the illegal activities were ordered forfeit. Also, all venison was forfeited and will be donated to a local food pantry. By the way, this punishment has been standard procedure in Texas for some time now, and it can even end with a felony charge. To learn more about the story and above photo, check out the news release below:

Chillicothe, OH – Two men convicted of the illegal harvest of white-tailed deer have been ordered to pay restitution of $12,988 according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. The Honorable Judge Thomas E. Bunch presided and assistant law director Michele Route prosecuted today over the first case in the State involving white-tailed deer restitution under Ohio’s revised restitution law. The law went into effect March 2008 and allows the Ohio Division of Wildlife to seek an increased recovery value on all illegally harvested wildlife. (more…)

Deer hunting regulations impact hunters and the deer populations that we hunt. Each year in every state, wildlife agencies examine current regulations and potentially propose changes to those regs to better manage existing game populations. Several years ago, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) transitioned away from political boundaries for the purpose of monitoring white-tailed deer populations and toward biologically-based communities or Resource Management Units (RMUs). TPWD identified 33 unique RMUs across the state having similar soils, vegetation types, and land use practices that they believe will more accurately capture deer population dynamics. Their intent is to develop deer season bag limit frameworks based on these units, although regulations will be implemented based on county boundaries to avoid confusion among hunters.

Recently, TPWD unveiled an extensive suite of potential regulation changes in deer harvest throughout much of the state. The department has begun gathering public input on the potential proposals during the next few months and present to the commission in January a comprehensive set of proposals. Those proposals will then go back out for official comment during a series of public hearings around the state next spring.  A final decision will be made by the commission at its March 25-26, 2009, public meeting. The changes that could be proposed are listed below and the online public comment period will last until 5:00 pm on January 14, 2009. Click here to make your comments now: Comment on potential TPWD regulations

• Expansion of Antler Restriction Regulations into 52 additional counties
• Bag Limit Changes: Baylor, Callahan, Haskell, Jones, Knox, Shackelford, Taylor, Throckmorton, and Wilbarger counties
• Bag Limit Changes: Pecos, Terrell, and Upton counties
• Bag Limit Changes: Most Cross Timbers and Prairies and Eastern Rolling Plains counties
• Bag Limit Changes: Selected counties in the western rolling plains
• General open season: Dawson, Deaf Smith, and Martin counties
• Expansion of the late antlerless and spike season into additional counties
• General open season (with antlerless harvest by permit only) in grayson county
• Additional antlerless deer harvest opportunities
• Muzzleloader counties and season
• Extending youth-only seasons

With the fall deer hunting season just around the corner and thousands of game cameras attached to trees, posts, or anything else an ingenius hunter can mount a camera to, photos are constantly being taken of white-tailed bucks going through rapid antler transformations — from velvet covered antlers to fresh, clean racks. It really is amazing how fast antlers can grow, but just as amazing is how fast a buck can take it all off!

Last week we talked about how minerals are transported from a buck’s skeleton as its antlers grow, but this week we are are touching on the velvet removal process. Velvet is removed because testosterone levels of bucks rise during the fall triggering the mineralization of the cartilage-like tissue. Because a buck’s antlers are very tender during the velvet stage and they have low levels of testosterone, bucks are very friendly towards one another. In fact, you will rarely see bucks fighting at all during the antler growing period. (more…)

Antler formation is said to be the most rapid growth known in the animal kingdom, but how does a white-tailed buck get such a huge quantity of minerals from his diet and into his antlers so rapidly? They don’t, but they do. Actually, white-tailed bucks get some of the minerals needed for antler growth from their diet and the remainder of the minerals needed from their internal reserves.

Since a buck can’t get all the raw material it needs for this rapid growth of antlers from its food, the deer must borrow it from within its body. In a process similar to that of osteoporosis in humans, minerals are taken from the ribs, sternum, and skull, and redeposited in the antlers. It’s an amazing process and bone density may decrease by as much as 30 percent! It also helps explain why mature bucks can grow larger antlers. Their skeletal frame becomes larger and literally bigger bucks can store more minerals in their bones. (more…)

The Managed Lands Deer Permit (MLDP) program as developed by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) allows Texas landowners involved in a formal deer management program to have the state’s most flexible seasons and increased harvest opportunities. The MLDP program is incentive based and focused on habitat management. The program really is set up to help landowners manage white-tailed deer. Participation in the MLDP program requires a written Wildlife Management Plan (WMP) approved by a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) biologist. However, a TPWD biologist, a landowner, or a landowner’s designated agent may prepare the WMP. A WMP prepared by a landowner or an agent must be in a format approved by TPWD and submitted to TPWD for approval. Although the program seems to be set up to run with minimal paperwork, permits will not be issued unless the WMP has been approved.

There are 3 levels of MLDPs (Level 1, 2, and 3). Higher levels offer additional harvest flexibility to the landowner, but also have more stringent habitat management requirements. There is no fee or written application, other than the WMP, for the MLDP program. Landowners or their designated agents should contact their local TPWD Wildlife biologist to request permits, but don’t wait until right before deer season. New applicants should submit all required information to their local TPWD contact by August 15 if they want to receive their permits before hunting season opens.

Permits are issued by the TPWD biologists through the Texas Wildlife Information and Management System (TWIMS), a computer automated system. Permits are mailed out of Austin each year after a TPWD biologist enters or modifies a harvest recommendation in the database. By the way, permits are valid only for the specific ranch for which they were issued.

An approved WMP will include an annually updated harvest recommendation for does and/or bucks, dependant on the level of participation. The annual harvest recommendation will determine the number of permits to be issued and will establish the maximum harvest for the property. If permits are issued after the start of deer season, all deer harvested prior to permit issuance, regardless of permit level, must be counted towards the maximum quota. Subsequent survey data may indicate a need to amend the harvest recommendation, which could result in a supplemental issuance of MLDPs.

Once permits are issued, all deer harvested (with the exception of buck deer on Level 1 properties) on that property must be tagged with the appropriate MLDP. Completion of the hunting license log and use of a hunting license tag are not required for deer harvested under the authority of a MLDP, but since all deer must have the MLDP, harvest is stricly regulated and intended to meet a landowners objectives.

Providing reliable harvest data, including accurate ages as determined by tooth wear and replacement, is a requirement for program participation. A suggestion for untrained individuals is to remove and label one jawbone from every deer harvested for a wildlife biologist to age at a later date. Jawbones must be labeled in such a way that the biologist can identify the deer on the data sheet. Check this out for more information on the aging deer using the tooth wear technique.

Now, it’s time for specific information about TPWD’s MLDP program. This information is straight from TPWD’s website: (more…)

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department will be conducting special drawings for hunts and applications for these quality, affordable hunting experiences are available online now. Application booklets are also being mailed to last year’s primary hunt applicants and will be available at TPWD law enforcement offices.

During the upcoming hunting seasons, more than 5,700 hunters will be selected through random computer drawings allowing access to some of the state’s high-quality managed wildlife habitat. Wildlife management areas, state parks and leased private property will be available for these quality supervised hunts for white-tailed deer, mule deer, pronghorn, javelina, alligator, exotics, feral hog and spring turkey. (more…)

In the US, white-tailed deer were originally transported to restore populations that were “shot out” during the early 20th century.  Today, land managers continue to move deer from one area to another, but not just to restore populations. The driving force behind today’s deer translocations is primarily twofold: to augment low-density deer populations and to promote genetic improvement. However, a third option for translocation is an alternative to harvest — to manage overabundant populations; remove deer found in high deer-density urban areas, transport them, and release them elsewhere.

But regardless of why deer are moved, how do they cope? What is the survival rate and performance of transported deer after they are “liberated” at their release site? These are good questions and a study out of Texas A&M University-Kingsville hopes to answer them. We know that for a translocation program to be successful we need two things, a high survival of released deer and for the animals to remain in the area where they were released. Without achieving these two objectives, the overall goal will not be met. (more…)

Well, it’s not a white-tailed deer and it’s not located in the US, but a yearling (1 1/2-year old) Roe Deer was spotted in Italy with only a single antler protruding from the center of it’s head! The director of the Center of Natural Sciences in Prato told the press:

“This is fantasy becoming reality. The unicorn has always been a mythological animal.”

The 1-year-old buck, who not coincidentally is nicknamed “Unicorn,” was born in captivity in the research center’s park in the Tuscan town of Prato, near Florence. Obviously, the buck was born with a genetic flaw because his twin, like other Roe bucks, has two horns.

Single-horned deer are rare but not unheard of — but even more unusual is the central positioning of the horn. The location of the horn is probably the result of trauma early in the animal’s life, but the scientific director of Rome’s zoo said:

“Generally, the horn is on one side (of the head) rather than being at the center. This looks like a complex case. This shows that even in past times, there could have been animals with this anomaly. It’s not like they dreamed it up.”

Photos of a Normal Roe Buck and Doe: