Whitetail Management

The bucks are rubbing the velvet off their mature antlers in preparation for the rut. The does are gradually weaning the fawns whose spots are rapidly fading. Warm summer nights give way to the crispness predictive of autumn. Another season draws to a close here in Wisconsin.

While the bucks are in velvet, they are relatively docile. Their antlers are soft and fragile while they are growing and sensitive to touch. Once the antler hardens, however, they become sharp weapons which the buck uses to defend his territory and his does. Even in bachelor pens the bucks will spar and fight, so we watch them closely to break up any fights or to treat injuries if they occur.

We have put up dark barriers between the buck pens to help prevent the bucks from trying to fight through the fence. Fights are not unusual during the rut.even in herds where the bucks have grown up together. It is also dangerous to enter the pens even to feed the bucks once the velvet is off. We always enter with a weapon for defense in the event of an attack and never turn our back on a buck. While the television commercial where a buck attacks a man may seem funny, it is a fact that bucks can do great harm to people during the rut and should never be taken for granted.

The bucks have gained weight over the summer in preparation for the breeding season when they will lose lose it again. Keeping weight on the bucks during the winter is a challenge, but the better condition they maintain, the better their antler growth will be next year.

With the fawns weaned and the bucks and does preparing for breeding, autumn is the time for selling deer. Just as other farmers harvest their crops, deer farmers sell their breeding stock in the fall. We have selected the bucks and does that we want to sell. Be sure to give us a call if you are in the market for some fine healthy animals for your farm or ranch.