Antler Shop Taxidermy

As a Wildlife Biologist, I am often asked what a property owner can do to improve his land for deer and other wildlife.  To answer this question we must first understand the basic needs of deer and wildlife. Then and evaluation of the property will determine its needs for improvement.

Wildlife survival depends on the ability of animals to find in substantial quantities its basic needs.  Wildlife is in constant search of its fundamental needs such as food, water, shelter and space for its habitat.

Some animals, like the whitetail deer, are very general in their food requirements.  As a general herbivore, the deer can consume a great variety of plants.  Leaves of trees, shrubs and vines, twigs, fruits and seeds, and wildflowers are just a part of the deer’s diet.  Throw in agricultural plants like corn, soybeans, and wheat and the deer can live just about anywhere.

Bushy tailed tree squirrels, on the other hand, have specific food requirements, that of hard seeds, mast that grow on trees, and shrubs of the forest.  With their adapted teeth with a hard coating of enamel, squirrels can gnaw into these seeds to obtain the meat of the nut.  Of course, squirrels do eat a variety of other food items, but generally depend on trees to provide the bulk of their food.

Water is also a requirement for survival.  Just like us, wildlife needs to drink periodically through the day and night.  Fortunately, water in our area is quite abundant and animals don’t have to travel far to find a good clean supply of water.

Shelter provides wildlife with protection from weather elements, a place to hide from enemies, to store food, and to raise young.  Bird nests primarily are used to raise young, although several species such as woodpeckers, nuthatches, and chickadees use hollow cavities to roost in year-round.  Trees are susceptible to a fungus disease called heart rot, which causes hollow cavities to form.  This disease does not kill the tree, but can make it less strong structurally to withstand high windstorms.  These tree cavities in turn provide shelter for a multitude of forest animals.  Squirrels, raccoons, opossums, owls, black rat snakes, tree frogs, honeybees, and bats all find shelter in hollow trees.  Coyotes, foxes, ground squirrels, and woodchucks all excavate burrows to provide shelter.  Deer find shelter in secluded areas where vegetation is dense and can adequately hide them and provide some protection from the elements.  Secondary growth forests and thick stands of prairie grass offer ideal shelter for deer.

Wildlife requires space to find food, water, and shelter.  This space is found within an animal’s home range.  Animals do not wander aimlessly through the forest, but instead occupy specific areas where all of their basic needs can be acquired.  This is an animal’s home range.  Ventures outside this area are rare because surrounding areas are territories occupied by other animals.  Conflicts at borders do occur.

Where an animal can find adequate amounts of food, water, shelter and space, it can survive there.  These basic needs define a habitat.

For anyone interested, I am available for evaluating the habitat of your property.

Notice that the left antler is non-typical due to an injury to the pedicel and the right antler is normal (no injury).