Observation about deer.

[Jackalope]

Thanks to Brock in more ways than one I was able to shoot a whitetail in Highland county last Saturday.. We're not going to go into the details of it all. Lets just say there aren't many slugs left in my safe until next season. :smiley_crocodile:

Anyway, Once i got her back to Vinton and hung her in the underground concrete meat cellar i noticed a few things. This deer was stockier and built like a feeder calf compared to VC deer. And it had a noticeably shorter tail.. A Vinton County deer of her estimated weight would have been within a few inches of touching the floor in the cellar. Yet she was a solid foot shorter than she should have been.. The chest is broader and all quarters are bulkier. Compared to Vinton County deer which must have longer sleeker bodies.

We always cut off the rear legs below the knee to hang them in the cellar.. I compared her cut off leg with that of a VC doe hanging in the cellar and they were an inch shorter just from the knee down.. However the VC deer was longer by about a foot tail to nose.

Another observation was the tail. The VC deer had a flag that was two times longer than the Highland county deer. It was just a shorter, stubbier and not as full flag.

I had never noticed these differences between Clark county deer and VC deer. But I've never hung another counties deer in that cellar to actually see the scale.

Anyway. Just an interesting observation.

 

[Dannmann801]

Funny you should mention that - I had a doe go past me earlier in the season in Scioto Co that was noticeably different in appearance than deer I'd seen before in other places - she was darker brown and really low-slung and long, like a stretch limo, stocky too....didn't check the tail, but I remember that deer distinctly because it reminded me of one of my nephews and made me laugh at the comparison.

 

[rgecko23]

Probably a stupid question but what were guesstimated age differences or where they the same?

 

[Jackalope]

They were the same. 2.5 year old i would guess. One was shorter and stockier and the other was longer and sleeker. Both were close to the same weight.

 

[Carpn]

Probably just like any other chick...Some are stocky and built to place softball and others are long and lean and built for the volleyball team...

 

[TripleA88]

Another stupid question, Im no expert, I just shoot them. Could they have been 2 different sub species of the whitetail deer?

Although im with Carpn.

 

[Jackalope]

Another stupid question, Im no expert, I just shoot them. Could they have been 2 different sub species of the whitetail deer?

Although im with Carpn.

Kind of like woods rabbits and field/brush rabbits.. Now that I see it, most deer i have shot in the flats have been stocky and short legged compared to VC deer.

 

[jagermeister]

Probably just like any other chick...Some are stocky and built to place softball and others are long and lean and built for the volleyball team...

+1

Deer are just like any other animal out there, including people... genetic variations result in varying body shapes and sizes. I've never really noticed any drastic size differences in the deer I've shot in the different counties. But then again, I never looked very hard and I never compared two side by side like that. The only obvious difference I've noticed is weight... north deer vs. south deer. All the SO deer I've shot have been noticeably lighter than deer of the same age from northern Ohio.

 

[TripleA88]

Yea, just saying, according to this sub species map of the whitetails range, the deer Ive shot an hour south of Cincy in KY are different than the whitetails here in Clark. I have no idea what the differnces are though in the different sub species of whitetails.

 

[Jackalope]

I think they are different. It's not too far fetched to believe the hills deer are different than the flatland deer.

 

[uglykat26]

i think its cause of habitat , different habitats , eguals different bodys ot adjust to that habitat

 

[Jackalope]

i think its cause of habitat , different habitats , eguals different bodys ot adjust to that habitat

That's what I'm getting at... It was very noticeable.. I should have taken a pic.. lol

 

[cotty16]

My guess would be deer from hilly areas would have longer legs.

 

[hickslawns]

My guess would be deer from hilly areas would have longer legs.

Or the legs on one side of their body are shorter than the other side. Sorry. Couldn't resist the corny joke!

 

[badger]

My buddy killed a 3.5 year old doe this past weekend in Belmont County that wasn't much bigger than some of the yearlings around here.

 

[rgecko23]

i think its cause of habitat , different habitats , eguals different bodys ot adjust to that habitat

Ill believe that one.....Makes sense

 

[formerbowhunter1023]

I think they are different. It's not too far fetched to believe the hills deer are different than the flatland deer.

I agree with that. Look at the difference in bucks from those areas. Same thing with yotes.

 

[Gern186]

I agree with that. Look at the difference in bucks from those areas. Same thing with yotes.

Same thing with people too, you southerners have smaller heads and hands! LOL!

 

[formerbowhunter1023]

Same thing with people too, you southerners have smaller heads and hands! LOL!

I don't know about that! I have some enormous hands!!! From the base of my palm to the tip of middle finger is 8" and the width from thumb joint at the palm to the other side is 5". I wear XL gloves and a 7 1/4" hat!

 

[Ohiosam]

I don't know about that! I have some enormous hands!!! From the base of my palm to the tip of middle finger is 8" and the width from thumb joint at the palm to the other side is 5". I wear XL gloves and a 7 1/4" hat!

Sounds like you have spent a lot of time measuring your appendages.lol