Most people who manage or hunt white-tailed deer on private land want to produce or harvest bucks with large antlers. Three primary factors influence antler size: age, nutrition and genetics.
As managers and sportsmen become more aware of the importance of age in antler production, selective harvest management programs become increasingly popular. The use of physical characteristics to estimate ages of deer in the field is often the basis of harvest decisions.
The Noble Research Institute Agricultural Research Team is investigating the effects of hunter density on male white-tailed deer movements in southern Oklahoma. This is a collaborative study to further understanding of the impacts that hunter density and hunting pressure have on male white-tailed deer behavior, movement patterns and survivability.