Whitetails are one of the most studied big game species in North America, yet they still keep plenty of secrets from hunters. Whether you’re brand new to deer hunting or you’ve been chasing whitetails for years, there’s always something new to learn. Here are a few facts about America’s favorite big game animal that will help you better understand your favorite species.
Deer see the world very differently than humans. Whitetails are far more sensitive to short-wavelength colors like blue, yet they struggle to distinguish longer wavelengths such as reds, oranges, and some greens. That’s why blaze orange looks like a dull brown or gray to them. Whitetail visual acuity is also much lower than ours. Humans can see at 20/20, while whitetails see around 20/60. This means deer detect movement far better than detail. For hunters, this reinforces the importance of stealthy movement over the color (or camouflage pattern) of your favorite gear.
Deer use their preorbital glands as a primary communication tool to identify other deer are in the area. Preorbital glands are located at the inner corner of a whitetail’s eye, and all deer, bucks and does deposit scent from these glands on branches, rubs, and even other deer. It’s a sophisticated scent-based communication system that conveys identity, hierarchy, and breeding readiness. Of course, deer also use these glands on licking branches to communicate during the rut, but these same licking branches usually remain active year-round as a primary communication tool for deer. In many ways, this is the deer version of leaving a business card on a local bulletin board.
A doe carrying twins doesn’t always carry them from the same buck. This is known as superfecundation, which means each fawn can be sired by a different buck. Since does are often bred multiple times during estrus, each ovulation can be fertilized independently depending on timing and which buck is present. It’s one of the stranger aspects of whitetail biology and a reminder of how competitive the breeding season truly is.
Whitetails are crepuscular, meaning they’re naturally most active at dawn and dusk. While hunters have observed this for decades, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resource’s DNR’s recent Southwest Wisconsin CWD, Deer and Predator Study uses GPS collared data to confirm the behavior. In the study, deer locations consistently clustered during low-light periods, showing short, frequent movements at first light and again before dark. This reinforces why early morning and late afternoon sits are productive outside the peak rut. Deer naturally prefer the safety of low light for feeding and travel. This behavior applies to the majority of the deer season, with the exception being peak rut when bucks are in full-blown search mode.
Another interesting takeaway from Wisconsin DNR’s collaring project is that some bucks shift their home ranges dramatically throughout the year. One collared buck spent spring and summer in the southern portion of its range, only to travel north each fall, returning to the same area season after season. This helps explain why a buck you see all summer on trail cameras may vanish when fall arrives. He’s not gone. Instead, the buck you’re daydreaming of is simply using different habitat to match seasonal needs like food availability, breeding opportunities, and security cover. This is why areas with diverse habitat are usually the most productive hunting spots. That doesn’t just mean a well-manicured food plot – bedding areas, native browse, and edge cover are all equally as important.
Whitetails are incredibly adaptive animals, and part of your role as a hunter is understanding what makes them tick. While these insights can serve as fun trivia, they’ll also make you a smarter, more strategic bowhunter the next time you head to the woods.
