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This video displays students and faculty observing and working with deer.
white-tailed deer grazing

Food Plantings

Deer are adapted to a wide array of naturally occurring seasonal foods that provide all the nutrients needed for body growth and survival.

Food Plots
growth of antlers

Growth Cycle

Antlers grow rapidly while in velvet during the spring and summer, 3/4 inch/week for yearlings and 1 1/2 inches per week for adults during peak growth.

Antlers
doe and fawn

Nutrition & Genetics

Age, nutrition, and genetics clearly have significant impacts on antler development of white-tailed deer.

Antlers
buck deer

Why Antlers?

Research shows that bigger antlers may be a signal of age-related dominance. White-tailed deer behavior, in particular, indicates that antlers may actually be a big part of gaining social status.

Antlers
MSU Deer lab faculty

Staff & Students

Numerous graduate students, cooperating agencies, foundations, landowners, and our current faculty have established one of the premier deer management research units in the United States.

People
deer apps for smartphone

Deer Lab Media

Our apps allow hunting club members to record observations and harvest data to share, manage stand locations and identify occupied stands, and get expert tips on what to plant in food plots year-round.

Media