A Deer Story - 1/17/08

- I have heard many wildlife stories throughout my lifetime, and many of them could not be verified.... with several of these tales falling into the 'big one that got away' syndrome. However, this is one that has been verified....

- The attached photos (one view from the rear and one from the front...note the many brow times) are of a Whitetail Deer found dead by a friend of mine. This massive buck was found dead in a wooded area near his home. By motion sensor camera, mostly at night, he had photographed this unique deer over several years...with the first photo being in 2002 (I have seen the photos) and already the buck had a massive set of antlers, though not quite as large as shown. This fact is phenomenal within itself...as male deer of this age, by statistics, comprise less than 1% of the population. There is no sure way of knowing the age of the buck when it was first photographed, but I do believe, based on evidence, this deer was at least 6.5 and maybe even 7.5+ years old when found. The .5 is relevant because most whitetails are born in the late spring/early summer...and statistics are based on annual harvest statistics that are always taken in the autumn/early winter. Why is this significant? I have many reference books that state that male deer NEVER reach this age in the wild. I have actually seen the harvest records taken from wildlife management areas showing thousands of entries over a period of years...and the OLDEST entry was 4.5 years. Age was estimated by examining the dentition when the animal was taken to the local checking stations. This also tells me that this whitetail was incredibly evasive and cautious. My friend had seen him only once during the daylight hours and it was not during hunting season. He had photographed this deer several times over the years, but these photographs were taken by the motion sensor camera at night, so one might assume nocturnal wanderings were the rule for him. Also, it is difficult to believe there could possibly be two bucks of this size in one general area. One other item of interest....deer shed their antlers annually and typically these antlers, which are made of minerals such as calcium, are eaten by rodents. This can be seen in the photographs...as many of the tines show gnaw marks of the incisors of rodents.

- How did this buck die? Two theories....1) A poacher at night...for the deer was found dead in the forest near a field, a part of which could be seen from a county road. 2) Old age.

- Some of the measured statistics of this magnificent animal....The longest vertical tines upward from the main beams were 13+/- inches tall. The inside spread of the rack was 19.5". There are 18 measurable points. Wow! A sad ending, but what a life he must have led! And one thought that immediately registered with me....how many young bucks did he sire that one day may cause a similar reaction?