Kerr WMA: Deer Research Projects

Age of Doe

Whitetail Antler Whitetail Antler

Early in the studies, the effect of age of the does and their influence on antler production became a concern. No studies were specifically designed to determine the effect of dam age on antler production. However, in the deer pens, 73% of the spikes born were born from 3 year old or older deer. When age of doe is analyzed by study, only the study where spikes were bred back to their daughters did a large number of young does produce spike offspring. This was to be expected since bucks that were spikes as yearlings were bred to does from spikes.