By Charles J. Alsheimer

Now that we’ve reached the longest day of the year antler growth will explode throughout the whitetail’s range.

In my blog entry two weeks ago I showed a photo of a mature buck’s antler growth on June 1st.  The accompanying photo shows that same buck photographed again on June 15th. As you can see, the buck’s inside spread is complete and its G-2s and G-3s are beginning to form, along with sprouting several small stickers.

Mature bucks’ antlers are beginning to grow at an accelerated rate – up to an inch per day with optimum nutrition. This buck was photographed on June 15. (photo copyright Charles J. Alsheimer)

Over the next 30 days antler growth will be rapid.  With lush forage readily available, bucks can consume up to 15 pounds of highly nutritious food each day. This will fuel antler growth of as much as an inch per day during the peak period from mid-June to mid-July. Most bucks are now part of a bachelor group that feeds, beds and travels together with very little energy spent on displaying dominance – a stark contrast from their attitudes during the fall months.

Be sure to check back in two weeks to see what this guy looked like on July 1st as we follow the fascinating progression of his antlers.

– Charlie

Learn more about the life and antler cycle of whitetails year round with Whitetails: A Photographic Journey Through the Seasons. This book chronicles the lives of six white-tailed deer, sharing a journey through the seasons from the viewpoint of the deer, vividly illustrating both behavior and the deer’s perspective.

• More than 200 stunning, full-color photos portray the life of the whitetail in intimate detail
• Chapters read like “a day in the life of,” providing a rare glimpse at the behaviors of deer
• Explains reproduction, courtship and mating, including the rut and behaviors leading up to it
• Covers bucks, does and fawns for an entire year cycle
• Special chapter on antler growth. Time-lapse images taken between April and October depict a buck as it grows a full rack of antlers

The hands-on field course that gets educators out into Vermont’s streams, forests and wetlands with some of the state’s leading experts takes place at the Buck Lake Conservation Camp in Woodbury.

Now in its 28th year, “Fish and Wildlife Management for Educators,” is a one-week, three-credit graduate course taught by Vermont Fish & Wildlife and other Agency of Natural Resources staff through the University of Vermont.

“Wildlife resources are important to all Vermonters in one way or another,” says Fish & Wildlife’s Education Coordinator Alison Thomas. “If teachers can get connected with the outdoors and in turn expose their students, then many of these youngsters will be able to make informed decisions about Vermont wildlife and their habitat needs when they become adults.”

“This course is unique in that it helps teachers from any discipline, whether it is math, language arts, physical education, or history, to improve their instructional strategies and make their lesson plans more relevant to their students,” says Thomas.

Tuition is $770 for the week — books, food and overnight facilities are included. A limited number of partial scholarships are available. A course description and schedule of activities are available from the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department’s website at www.vtfishandwildlife.com under “general education.” You can also contact them by calling (802) 371-9975 or emailing Alison.Thomas@state.vt.us.

Buck Lake Conservation Camp in located east of Route 14, north of Woodbury Village.

Hemorrhagic disease is caused by the caused by the EHD virus (EHDV) and bluetongue

A buck with hemorrhagic disease, which is caused by a virus and affects a deer’s ability to eat and breathe. (Photo: Bob Funke/Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism)

virus (BTV). The virus can affect deer, sheep and cows, and is believed caused by a biting midge found around water sources. Because these animals need more water in summer, obviously, they’re going to be found around these sources. During times of drought or lower than normal rainfall, water sources may become smaller, concentrating the animals and increasing the chance of one or both viruses to be spread.

Northern and midwestern states are seeing more regular outbreaks of hemorrhagic diseases. Severe outbreaks the last five years have affected populations of white-tailed deer and other species, especially in the upper midwest.

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“It looks like [HD] has been expanding its geographic range over the last several years, in the northward direction,” John Fischer, unit director of the University of Georgia’s Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study (SCWDS), said in this Wildlife Society News report about the northern expansion. SCWDS was founded in 1957 and helps state and federal wildlife agencies with diseases, research and data.

EHD confirmations between 1980 and 2003.

Hemorrhagic disease was first identified in 1955 but, like other viral diseases, may have been or probably was around much earlier. The disease has been found in almost every state in the U.S. but is primarily associated with the Southeast and upper Midwest. Why? Who knows?

From the report:

Not all deer populations across the United States are impacted equally. Researchers have found that, in the northeastern U.S. and the Midwest, the frequency of infection and the number of HD outbreaks tends to decrease farther north. Outbreaks that do occur in those areas, however, are typically more severe and result in a higher number of mortalities (Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study). This regional pattern of disease might be the result of acquired immunity from a previous infection, maternal protective immunity, or an innate resistance that some southern deer populations may have developed to HD.

Hunters and landowners often find dead deer — unfortunately, they can smell them first — near creeks and watering sites during summer outbreaks. A few years ago when one of the hardest HD outbreaks hit in Tennessee, it was common to get a big whiff of rotting deer when approaching bridges over creeks. The creeks were dry or trickling and infected deer were searching for water. Many died along those creeks.

Creating watering holes that are not conducive to the infected midges is one way you can do something to counteract HD.

But while those findings are alarming, and distressing when different age classes of does and bucks are discovered, they’re not always indicative of a massive die-off of the population. From the report:

Rates of mortality during an HD outbreak rarely exceed 25 percent, and at this level, deer populations can usually recover relatively quickly. Although HD outbreaks haven’t yet impacted deer populations on a state or national scale, they can affect local populations. Though local populations will likely rebound over time, says Mark Ruder, research veterinary medical officer with the USDA-Agricultural Research Service, HD is still a cause for concern: “It’s a little bit dangerous of us to just completely dismiss the disease as not significant,” Ruder says. “We’re in a changing environment and we don’t know if … there could be other disease threats that move in and tip the scale.”

For the full Wildlife Society News report, click here.

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At its June 13 meeting in Lakeland, Commissioners said they wanted more time to hear from staff and stakeholders about options designed to reduce the chances of chronic wasting disease being introduced into the state.

CWD is not known to affect people but is a contagious neurological disease affecting deer, elk and moose. It is similar to mad cow disease, always fatal, and there is no known cure or vaccine. So far, the disease has been discovered in 22 states, two Canadian provinces and in South Korea.

Since the beginning of May, the FWC has received much public comment and answered many questions and concerns through its website from deer enthusiasts and those who have deer farms and hunting preserves. The Commission used this public input when considering this proposal, which was deferred until fall.

For more information on CWD, go to www.CWD-info.org. For more information on this draft rule that was deferred, go to MyFWC.com/Deer.

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Jesus Mabalot, 38, was drinking at a church picnic near Eklutna Lake Campground and figured a bicycle ride would be a good idea. He also took some barbecued meat with him for his drunken ride.

After spotting a bear, Mabalot flung a hunk of meat at the bear. Tasty goodies! Then, fueled by the liquid courage coursing through his flittering brain cells, Mabalot tossed a chunck to the bear a second time. That’s when things got outta control.

Alaska State Trooper spokeswoman Beth Ipsen told the Anchorage Daily News that Mabalot was attacked by the bear. It obviously figured Mabalot was a bigger bite of barbecue. Sounds like Mabalot was marinated but not completely pickled.

Mabalot sustained scratches to his body in the attack and was treated at a nearby hospital. He also received a citation for illegally feeding wildlife.

If you’re going to drink and fight bears, you better be tough because you never know what might happen.

Check out the full story here from the Anchorage Daily News.

Rick Giguere, left, and Dave Redfield with Giguere’s 48.75-inch bull from the 2010 season.

The annual drawing to select the lucky hunters who will be offered a permit to hunt moose in New Hampshire this autumn will be June 21 at 9 a.m.

The drawing will be held at the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department in Concord. Fish and Game will issue 275 moose hunting permits this year. The public and interested media are invited to be on hand to watch the excitement as the names are drawn. Winners are selected through a computerized random drawing.

Radio personality Peter St. James will broadcast live from Fish and Game headquarters from 6-10 a.m., with the drawing starting at 9 a.m. Tune in to radio station WTPL (107.7 FM), which can be heard from Nashua to the Lakes Region; or in the Upper Valley, the broadcast can be heard on 94.3 FM or 1400 AM. The station will also stream the audio on its website.

Lottery results will also be available online. Official lists of winners and alternates will be posted on the Fish and Game website by 11 a.m. on Friday. Please be patient; the large spike in web traffic on lottery day can cause download delays.

Limited-edition 2013 moose hunt T-shirts will be available for purchase online.

New Hampshire’s 2013 moose hunt runs from Oct. 19-27. For more about moose hunting in New Hampshire, visit this link.

Pennsylvania officials are trying to determine the owner of this unusual deer found with white-tailed deer in a Lancaster County park.

Pennsylvania Game Commission officials still are conducting an investigation into the deer and where it came from. It was discovered in Lancaster County Central Park and watched for signs of chronic wasting disease.

After no determination could be made of the owner, officials ordered it shot. Subsequent testing for CWD proved negative.

Officials and residents are on edge after CWD was discovered in white-tailed deer last year. The mysterious deer, with the tagged ears, likely is from a game farm but that is uncertain since the owner has not been determined. State officials allow time for the owner to report any escaped deer from high fence farms; none did for this one, and it was put down.

Click here for the full report from the Lancaster