Whitetail Biology and Management

	I harvested a doe this fall, that had been with a buck the entire previous week. While field dressing her, I had a large amount of very fluid white liquid released from her teat area. Is it possible that a doe would still be milking in November in Western New York State, possibly from going into heat, or could it have been semen from the buck ? - Walt Dunn 12/14/2003, ID=2278
	Walt: I'm willing to bet the doe you took was an older doe. Many times, older does will allow her fawn(s) to nurse well into the fall, even though her fawns are functional ruminants (say, at 10-weeks of age). I've actually seen a 1.5 year old (adult) doe nurse from her mother . . . go figure! Maybe the milk tastes good? But in this case, I'd imagine that the adult teeth has to hurt the mother's teat!? Overall, I'm betting the doe you took was simply a very good mother that exhibited these characteristics. Although this may seem strange or rare, I observe this every season. C.J. Winand

	*do you know if household ammonia works well in mock scrapes ?* - kevin 10/31/2003, ID=2247
	Kevin: A study with Cam-Tracker cameras showed that when researchers placed buck urine, estrus urine and doe urine in a scrape there was no significant difference among bucks visiting scrapes. When the researchers placed human urine and "that new car smell" in scrapes they came up with same conclusion. Thus, they concluded that there was NO significant difference between any of the samples and most anything will work! Although the buck urine had a slightly more visitation rate, it was not significant. I might suggest using whatever is the cheapest, i.e., human urine! I'm dead serious, I urinate in every scrape I find. Sometimes I really have to squeeze it out! Additional data indicates that bucks visit scrapes primarily at night, but I bet you already knew that? C.J. Winand

	*Hello, Does a mature buck deposit clump droppings more so than the other deer? I've been told it's diet more than gender, but I've found firm brown clump droppings and soft green clump droppings.* - RUSS FIORE 10/30/2003, ID=2245
	Russ: Here we go again, I hear this question at least once every other month. Trust me, I can show you some Boone and Crockett droppings from adult does. Enclosed is the link to an article that has been printed in three different magazines. In short, you can't tell the sex of the animal by its dropping. Story title: "Deer Pelletology 101" or "Everything you wanted to know about crap, but were afraid to ask" . . . ENJOY! http://www.bowsite.com/bowsite/features/armchair_biologist/poop/index.htm C.J. Winand

	I have read that yearling bucks disperse from their home range to prevent in-breeding. For the same reason, one would expect mature bucks to disperse too. Yet, there are numerous articles where hunters claim to hunt the same buck for years. My personal experience, based on shed hunting, observation and remote cameras, is that mature bucks do disperse, but not to the same extent as yearling bucks. Have any studies been done on this subject? Do mature bucks disperse from the home range they establish following dispersal as a yearling buck? - Brian Parrott 09/12/2003, ID=2230
	Brian: Good question! Yes, by the time a buck reaches 1.5 years old, we know that 80% will leave the maternal home range never to return, 10% will leave and then return (like college kids) and the remaining 10% never leave. We all know that if the doe (dam) is harvested the young buck won't have anyone to push him out of his home range and thus, he stays in the "back 40" where you have been hunting! Studies on mature bucks indicates that once he establishes his home range, dispersion from that area does not occur. We call this site fidelity or love of site. However, northern bucks will migrate to wintering areas and these seasonal trips can be tens of miles away. As for your statement on hunters claiming to hunt the same buck, year after year. Who knows, but as you said, this may be over exaggerated. I can tell you this, big bucks will humble you time and time again. C.J. Winand

	*When and how do I plant alfafa to encourge deer population in my area?* - Brenda Parker 09/12/2003, ID=2229
	Brenda: Alfalfa is best planted in early spring! Alfalfa is like ice cream to deer, they love it! But it's also expensive and time consuming, via maintenance. When you drill it into the ground make sure it's no more than 1/4" deep and your planting is coordinated with a pending rain for germination! C.J. Winand

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Be sure to visit C.J. Winand's Website - CJ is a wildlife biologist and an outdoor writer for Bowhunter and North American Hunter magazines. In addition to his writing, CJ is highly sought as a speaker on deer management topics and has worked on a Masters of Science degree in Wildlife Management at West Virginia University under Dr. David Samuel. CJ manages and guides on several quality deer management programs around the country.