Whitetail Deer
From: NADeFA
History
While whitetail deer farming as a commercial venture has a
relatively short history, records of whitetail deer farming have been found in
the United States dating back to the turn of the century. At that time,
whitetail deer populations were dangerously low due to mass habitat devastation
and widespread hunting. In an effort to replenish the whitetail population,
wildlife managers and interested farmers and ranchers began to restore
whitetail deer habitats and implement population management programs. Today,
whitetail deer management has grown considerably, with deer operations focused
on producing quality animals.
SPECIES SPECIFICS
General
The whitetail deer’s long white tail, raised erect when
alarmed, is its most distinctive feature. Its metatarsal gland below the hock
on the outside of the hind leg is one inch long, which is somewhat shorter than
its cousins the mule deer and the blacktail deer.
Whitetail fawns are spotted at birth. As adults, their color
varies form a summer reddish-brown to a winter gray. An adult whitetail buck
can weigh anywhere form 200-400 pounds, depending on the area of North America.
Nutrition/Health
Whitetails are browsers, therefore they may be maintained on
marginal land unsuitable for cattle, sheep and horses. They require little more
than natural cover, browse, graze and nutritional supplements along with
adequate water supply. Minerals and proteins are important in the deer diet;
soil sampling and pasture management are fundamental tools for deer management.
If the pasture does not supply enough nutrients, the farmer should supplement
feed with trace minerals if needed.
Whitetail deer need hay, grain, vitamins and minerals during
the winter to meet nutritional requirements. Supplemental feeding is also
necessary during hot weather when pastures are growing slowly and during late
summer in preparation for the rut.
Whitetail deer are hardy animals, but are vulnerable to
diseases that afflict other cervids. They are also susceptible to Epizootic
hemorrhagic disease, bluetongue and anaplasmosis. Sheep should not be raised
side by side with whitetail deer as they are carriers of bluetongue.
Reproduction
Whitetail deer follow the patterns of their cervid
counterparts in reproduction stages. Unlike red and fallow deer though, twins
are regularity. They have seasonal synchronization of birth, body growth,
activity cycles and growth stasis corresponding to feed quantity, quality and
availability. For example, maximum nutritional demands for females occurs
during lactation. The precise timing of breeding and birthing ensures that
maximal lactational demands coincide with the most lush and plentiful growth of
forage (May, June and July).
Summer is the time of fawning and lactation, and the time of
maximum weight gain for the yearlings. For the mature bucks, it is the time for
antler growth and regaining of body condition and fat reserves depleted during
the previous autumn rut and winter.
Whitetail does have been known to live up to twenty years,
producing fawns almost every year after two years of age. Does can be bred at
one and a half years of age and up. The average productive life of a doe is ten
years. The current production practice is to replace bucks after five years of
breeding. The ratio of buck to breeding does should be one to ten.
Some whitetail breeders are currently using cutting edge
technology such as artificial insemination, in-vitro fertilization, and
selective breeding in their breeding program. This is also an excellent
opportunity to learn new techniques such as chemical immobilization of deer,
handling and transport. From a commercial standpoint, the whitetail segment of
the deer industry is still in its early stages with potential for successful
business ventures in all aspects, large or small.
Special thanks to contributors Thelma Morgan, Birchwood
Whitetail Deer Farm, Union City, PA; Brad Thurston, Luke’s Run, Spencer IN
