The Whitetailed Deer

Odocoileus virginianus

Size: head and body length, 4-6 ft; tail length 7-11 in.;shoulder height, 2¾-3½ ft.

What to look for: tail white on underside, raised when alarmed; antlers (males) have main bean with several prongs; fur reddish (summer) or grayish (winter)

Habitat: forests, swamps; adjacent brushy areas

The cutting of forests and clearing of land for farming favored these graceful deer, now the most abundant hoofed mammals in North America. Early morning and dusk are the best time to see them; at other times of the day they usually rest and digest their food. Except in winter, they are not gregarious and seldom appear in groups of more than three animals (a doe and two fawns). Females normally have no antlers. Males begin growing them several months after birth, shed them each winter, and develop them anew each spring. The age of a deer cannot be told by the number of points (tines), for antler development is d

Hunting in Wisconsin:

Wisconsin offers some of the best whitetail deer hunting of any state in the United States. With millions of acres of public and private land and an estimated 1.25 million deer, the chances of bagging a whitetail are quite good. The gun-deer season begins on the Saturday the weekend before Thanksgiving in November (usually around the 20th of November), and extends nine days until the next Sunday. Each resident hunter who posesses a gun deer back tag may harvest one antlered buck in any area of the state (with a few restrictions). They can also apply for bonus antlerless tags. Because of the high whitetail population in Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has, in the past, designated certian areas of the state as a "T" zone. In these areas, the DNR has found the whitetail population excessive and they offer more bonus antlerless tags, and extended or early seasons. In 1997, they even offered hunters two free bonus antlerless deer tags per day for every day of the season. The northern forests offer the best trophy deer, but they can be hard to find in the thousands upon thousands of acres of forests. In certian areas of the state, private land owners have begun "Quality Deer Management Programs." These programs are designed to produce larger deer (bucks in particular) by harvesting only certian numbers and sizes of deer. If the hunters hunting in these areas stick to the guidelines of the program, they can produce some massive deer in just five to six years. This is just a little bit of information on gun deer hunting in Wisconsin. There are also seasons to hunt whitetail with bow and arrow and muzzleloader. If you have any questions or comments on whitetail hunting in Wisconsin, feel free to send me an email and I'd be glad to try to answer them for you. Happy hunting, and remember trespassing is illegal and can result in a fine up to $1000. Ask permission before hunting, and landowners appreciate a word of thanks after the hunt.