Are you like many other Hunters out there and wonder what a Whitetailed Deer Lifespan is like? Well I was one of those wondering Hunters until I did extensive research. That caused me to write this article for you! By reading this article you will learn the life cycle and the lifespan of whitetail Deer, with break downs of each season and how they adapt their lifestyles.
Here is the Whitetailed Deer Lifespan!
Average Lifespans
The average Deer Lifespan is 4.5-years, This is just an average. Deer in the North-West survive on a longer average than that, because they have access to more food, and they are not in a stressful environment! The average lifespan of a Doe is 6.5-years, This goes to show that the bucks life-span is significantly lower to make the 4.5-year average. Bucks average life-span is almost 3-years (2.9-years).
Main Causes Of death
The main causes of Death for whitetail Deer are: Diseases, Hunters, Predation and automobile Accidents. Diseases & Hunters take up most of this death rate, but as we all know alot if deer are still killed by Automobiles.
As Hunters we know that we kill alot of Deer Every year. An estimated 6-million Deer are killed each Year by hunters. This may seem like a very high number, but an estimated 12-million fawns are born every spring. There are about 1.3-million car accidents that kill or injure Deer each year in the United States.
As for predation, coyotes are the cause of 54% of all Fawns Deaths. This means anytime a fawn Dies that it is most likely from a coyote. The increase in the deer herds around the nation increase the number of coyotes also, because they are able to survive due to the increase in Deer (Food).
Main Diseases
1. (EHD)- Epizootic Hemorraphic Disease — No exact report, but there has also been an expected increase, with deer heads growing it gives (EHD) a better chance to spread.
2. (CWD)- Chronic Waste Disease— There has been a big increase in Deer Tested positive with (CWD). There were about 15,000 deer samples for (CWD) and 1,057 of them came back positive.
3. (BTB)- Bovine Tuberculosis- No Exact reports, this is the least likely to have out of the 3-diseases but it is still a fatal disease to have.
White-tailed Deer Yearly Cycle
Winter
During the winter, deer are mainly focused on surviving. In order to survive they have to Eat ton of food for their bodies to function through the cold weather. Alot of Bucks will be exhausted after a long rut and it can cause Deaths, if they do not replenish their bodies. All deer during this time are on strict Food Patterns as they are eating anything they can to make it to the next day.
States that have a ton of food still lefts over for the deer will make it easy for them to survive the winter. Alot of fields in the midwest will have alot of corn or beans out and in the field that will allow the deer to gain the energy to survive.
Spring
During the spring Deer like to focus on Nurishing their tired bodies back to normal. With all of the new forage coming up they will have enough food to successfully replenish their bodies. All of the deer are focusing on a healthy growth of muscle and Bone. Bucks are focus on getting the proper Nutrition to start growing their Antlers that were shed in the winter months. All of the Doe at were bred during the Fall Months/Rut are focused on giving birth and making sure their new born fawns are healthy and protected. This is the time of year that coyotes will hunt the fawns.
Summer
When summer rolls around, the bucks will form Batchelor groups. All summer they will stay together in this group and they will spend the majority of their time feeding & Focus on growing their antlers. The Bucks will also be establishing dominance and establish their Fall Territory. This is a fun time of the year to scout and find potential shooters for the fall season. The Bucks could be adding almost an inch per day to their antler in the later summer months.
Fall
The fall, the time that all hunters wait for! This is the best time of the year to put your tag around a mature Buck! This is the time that bucks are breaking up their bachelor groups and claiming territory. They will make Rubs and scrapes to show other bucks that he will be Breeding all of the Doe in that particular area. This is where the Bucks transition from summer feeding patterns to the pre-rut and then into the Rut! If you don’t lay the smackdown on a deer then, you can always go back to the drawling board! The Post-Rut will likely Bring more opportunities!
All of the doe are going into estrus and the Bucks sense that. This is what causes the bucks testosterone to build up and they let loose and go crazy during the rut! Make sure to hunt this hard and effectively.
Now that you have read this article you will have a better understanding of a Whitetailed Deers Lifespan. You will also learn the way a Whitetailed Deer lives its life year after year! We included the four seasons of the year and what the deer do to survive so that you can use this information to possibly to harvest a big Mature buck!
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