Just exactly what are whitetails doing this time of year? I presented Chad Dacus, statewide deer program coordinator with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, with this very question, and here is his biological perspective of what deer in the Magnolia State are up to during the miserably hot months of July and August.
As far as the female segment of the deer herd, summer is all about having babies. On average, mid July is considered the peak fawning period for whitetails in Mississippi. However, the peak fawning dates vary considerably from late June in north Mississippi to mid August in the southeastern corner of the state.
“During the fawning period, does are not very active,” said Dacus. “They become very solitary and are no longer grouped up with other does.
“Due to the intense heat, they mainly feed at night. When they do feed during the day, it is usually restricted to heavily shaded areas. The does will also get up several times each day to allow their young fawns to nurse. They will usually feed their fawns every six to eight hours.”
According to Dacus, bucks of all ages are bunched up in large bachelor groups this time of year. And since midsummer marks the fastest antler-growing period for Magnolia State whitetails, the bucks won’t fight due to their antlers being so sensitive. Not only does this allow the bucks to group up without being a danger to one another, it also helps protect them from predators. Twenty eyes are better than two when a predator wants to have you for lunch.
“Much like their female counterparts, the bucks move more at night to avoid the intense summer heat,” said Dacus. “This decrease in movement also results in their home ranges being greatly reduced during the summer months.”
Insect pests seem to always be a problem for whitetails in the Magnolia State. And when the mosquitoes, flies and gnats get really bad during the summer, you will often see bucks moving around a lot at dusk or even standing in deep water to avoid these irritating pests.
Unless there is a drought, an abundance of high-quality browse is readily available during this time of year. Soft mass, such as blackberries, are maturing at this time as well. Some of the plants that deer regularly feed on during the midsummer include kudzu, soybeans, peas, white clover, polk salad, ragweed, goldenrod, poison ivy and trumpet creeper.
In areas of the state where severe overpopulation exists, it is not uncommon to see browse lines appear. Whitetails will concentrate their foraging efforts on the most preferred plants until they are gone, then work their way down to those that are less desirable, and in many cases less nutritious. In areas with high deer densities, planting summer food plots can provide supplemental food sources that can help maintain an adequate nutritional plane until harvesting efforts reduce the deer population to acceptable levels.
Editor’s note: This article is part of the Never too Early feature in the July issue of Mississippi Sportsman. Digital editions can be downloaded right to your computer or smartphone.
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