Fat on deer this year

[turkeyfeathers]

Doe i zipped last week had more fat on her than any other deer I've taken. Buddy said same about a nice 10 he shot last night. 

Anyone else notice this? It's odd too as been pretty dang warm all along IMO

[Jeremy K]

Plenty of food and easy living right now. Same reason I have so much fat on me.

[wolc123]

8 hours ago, turkeyfeathers said:

Doe i zipped last week had more fat on her than any other deer I've taken. Buddy said same about a nice 10 he shot last night. 

Anyone else notice this? It's odd too as been pretty dang warm all along IMO

Was there any milk in her ?  The one I killed this year, in the early antlerless gun season, was loaded with fat.  I think most of that was due to the coyotes getting her fawn, and her not needing to make any more milk.  
 

Last year I killed an older doe, just a couple weeks later in the year (during early NZ ML).  She had two fawns, was loaded with milk, and had very little fat on her.  

[turkeyfeathers]

1 minute ago, wolc123 said:

Was there any milk in her ?  The one I killed this year, in the early antlerless gun season, was loaded with fat.  I think most of that was due to the coyotes getting her fawn, and her not needing to make any more milk.  
 

Last year I killed an older doe, just a couple weeks later in the year (during early NZ ML).  She had two fawns, was loaded with milk, and had very little fat on her.  

no milk

[suburbanfarmer]

Forecasting a very cold and snowy winter. These critters know better and are planning accordingly

[WNY Bowhunter]

It's definitely not from an overabundance of acorns! The crop has been virtually non-existent here in the finger lakes region for the second year in a row.

[rob-c]

24 minutes ago, suburbanfarmer said:

Forecasting a very cold and snowy winter. These critters know better and are planning accordingly

That’s my new excuse from now on . 

[suburbanfarmer]

27 minutes ago, WNY Bowhunter said:

It's definitely not from an overabundance of acorns! The crop has been virtually non-existent here in the finger lakes region for the second year in a row.

The gypsy moth were again bad in 8N this yr

[DDT]

Farmers I've seen are leaving crops standing longer due to good weather.  More food sources?

[Hock3y24]

I’ve found it does not correlate to the winter we’re about to have. It changes deer to deer. Probably dirt based. 

[dbHunterNY]

Was there any milk in her ?  The one I killed this year, in the early antlerless gun season, was loaded with fat.  I think most of that was due to the coyotes getting her fawn, and her not needing to make any more milk.  
 
Last year I killed an older doe, just a couple weeks later in the year (during early NZ ML).  She had two fawns, was loaded with milk, and had very little fat on her.  

There's some truth to this.

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[genesee_mohican]

On 11/3/2022 at 8:15 PM, WNY Bowhunter said:

It's definitely not from an overabundance of acorns! The crop has been virtually non-existent here in the finger lakes region for the second year in a row.

No acorns is right! At least last year there was a bumper crop of hickory nuts which the deer love as well.  The crop fields around me have been picked, coated with liquid manure and tilled too. It appears they they are mostly eating greens at this point.

[biggamefish]

1 hour ago, genesee_mohican said:

No acorns is right! At least last year there was a bumper crop of hickory nuts which the deer love as well.  The crop fields around me have been picked, coated with liquid manure and tilled too. It appears they they are mostly eating greens at this point.

Have you seen deer eating these? I have hickory trees where I hunt and never seen a deer stop for them. I always wonder if it was because the are so hard to chew on.

[genesee_mohican]

Yes, I've seen them eating hickory nuts several times. They can be quite loud chewing the shells. 

[Robhuntandfish]

Maybe two easy winters so it was easier for them to recover and gain weight thru the summer. And it wasn't a super soaker summer or real hot so most everything grew well.  Lots on the buffet for them.  

[kpkot]

14 hours ago, biggamefish said:

Have you seen deer eating these? I have hickory trees where I hunt and never seen a deer stop for them. I always wonder if it was because the are so hard to chew on.

I have a stand of swamp hickory that the deer hit. It's super loud when they eat them.

[crappyice]

Doe I shot yesterday in Columbia county is loaded with fat. My 3S doe, not so much.


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[Five Seasons]

Yep lot of fat on mine, but early in the year. Lots of food around though.


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