There are a few deer that show up by a friend’s cabin because he will put corn out each morning. I should mention he lives in Michigan because we all know it is not legal to feed deer in Wisconsin. That being said, I was told one doe will chase all the other does away from the corn pile and was asked if that deer could be a Buck? Without seeing this happen it is hard to tell the reason for one being aggressive toward other deer.

If these are all does, there are a few reasons this type of interactions could be happening. COMPETITON, usually this is seen in the winter when food sources are limited. Whitetail does can be TERRITORIAL when they are protecting their area where she eats or has fawns close by. The last is normally PECKING ORDER. This is when younger deer can be chased by older does to reinforce their status by being dominant.

I asked Jeff if he could see any form of antlers on the aggressive deer, and he said no. This means it is a doe with one or even all of the above reasons. If it was a young buck, you could see antlers from a distance. Daylight hours and food contribute to growth rate of antlers. So, generally in March small velvet nubs emerge and by April due to hours of daylight getting longer will trigger rapid development. At this time 1 to 2 inch (brow tines) will be visible and depending on the intake of nutrients will influence the growth rate.

GENETICS, AGE and HEALTH of the bucks will depend on the growth rate of their antlers. During the peak period some studies show brow tines can grow 3/4 of an inch per week, while others said 1/2 inch a day is possible. July with the daylight and a good diet, you can see a huge difference in size and by August the velvet starts to dry out, and the antler hardening process begins. Come mid-September bucks will start to shed the velvet covering the antler. October all bucks will have their full rack and getting ready for rut.