Are Texas deer small?

[RangerRick2012]

Coming form the northwest part of the country - uh...yeah; but just as tasty.

[Chrisj81]

As a general rule in biology, the colder the climate the larger the animals. Surface area to volume ratio allows bigger animals to hold heat better and survive better. Polar bear is great example... sperm whale is another good example, giant squid...

any way, yes the BODY SIZE of deer further north are generally larger. The availability row crops for them to munch on doesn't hurt either.

As for ANTLERS... bs, Texas is a WORLD LEADER in deer hunting. The bone put on the heads of Texas deer is as big as anywhere. In fact I think TV shows like to hunt Texas cause the smaller body size make a smaller deer look bigger on tv. a 140 inch hill country deer like WIDE compared to a 300 pound 140 from Nebraska...

turn on your tv to a hunting channel. 50/50 shot they are hunting texas in that show and 80/20 if they aren't they will in at least one of the next 2... that says a lot.

You are correct!! While deer in TX aren't hitting the record books in body size!! They hit there quite often especially south Texas for Antler size and mass!!!!

[rtp]

This year we have killed a 228 and 220 lb buck. Before this year the best was 212lb. I don't think that is small.

[catslayer]

Deer body size grows larger from South to North because of relative temperatures. They range from the tiny Keyes deer of Florida to the 300+ lb. Deer of Canada.

keys deer are TINY but cool

[Arrow chucker]

Yes, but our RATTLESNAKES are bigger!

[SwampRabbit]

Well, I hunt in the Hill Country and I've been "told" that within Texas, Hill Country deer are smaller on average. Based on some pics I've seen of other's deer at the same age, that may be true.

The way I look at it is that they maybe smaller... but I get to take more home with me to offset thier size. It actually means more hunting...

[Playa]

It's called Bergmann's Rule


Bergmann’s Rule is an ecologic principle which states that as latitude increases the body mass of a particular species increases. The data are taken from a Swedish study investigating the size of moose as latitude increases as shows the positive relationship between the two, supporting Bergmann’s Rule. [1]
Bergmann's rule is an ecogeographic principle that states that within a broadly distributed taxonomic clade, populations and species of larger size are found in colder environments, and species of smaller size are found in warmer regions. Although originally formulated in terms of species within a genus, it has often been recast in terms of populations within a species. It is also often cast in terms of latitude. The rule is named after nineteenth-century German biologist Carl Bergmann, who described the pattern in 1847, though he was not the first to notice it. Bergmann's rule is most often applied to mammals and birds which are endotherms, but some researchers have also found evidence for the rule in studies of ectothermic species[2][3] such as the ant Leptothorax acervorum. While Bergmann's rule appears to hold true for many mammals and birds, there are exceptions.[4][5][6]

There seems to be a tendency for larger-bodied animals to conform more closely than smaller-bodied animals, at least up to certain latitudes, perhaps reflecting a reduced ability to avoid stressful environments by burrowing or other means.[7] In addition to being a general pattern across space, Bergmann’s rule has been reported in populations over historical and evolutionary time when exposed to varying thermal regimes.[8][9][10] In particular, reversible dwarfing of mammals has been noted during two relatively brief upward excursions in temperature during the Paleogene: the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum[11] and the Eocene Thermal Maximum 2.[12]

[C.E.Williams]

Smaller bodies same antlers. Smaller bodies harder shot. So they may be smaller but that makes us better marksmen.

[Nocked Up]

I do believe the body size of our deer are smaller than some states, especially the midwest, due primarily to more agriculture/crops available to the animals as well as harsher winters. Deer have to bulk up much more up north than they do here which also makes them much larger. We also have harsher summers than they do with less precipitation and higher temperatures which takes a toll on the available water and forage for the animals.

As far as growing up and hunting ETX, we have great deer. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise!

Here Here!

[Efren]

It's not the size of the antler, but the taste of the meat. Ha!!

[Cphil87]

Maybe be smaller but the prize is bigger .. You can sit all day in ETX. might see a doe yearling maybe a buck ,, go sit in the Midwest and have an abundance of horns to choose from

[Patton]

Yes I think Texas deer are smaller than deer farther North. But even within TX we have different types of deer. Look at a mature S TX buck and a mature Hill Country buck, two worlds apart.

I think you could even say the terrain affects the size. A big hill country buck lives his life climbing mtns and hills where in S TX they cruise pretty flat land.

[hoythitman]

It depends but on average I would say yes they are smaller just in the native non managed deer. Its all relative to the location, management habits, etc... I hunted North Arkansas, Missouri, and Kansas the average deer I shot were in the 220-250# live weight range, for a mature buck, you will be hard pressed to find a native hill country buck on a non managed place that is anywhere near that big. But the ranch I'm going to hunt this Friday and weekend down in south Texas, they are taking deer that go 240+ on the hoof.

[Bassdeer]

No, the land in Texas is just bigger and that makes the deer look smaller.

[s1rGr1nG0]

No, the land in Texas is just bigger and that makes the deer look smaller.

LMAO! I appreciate all the replies. Lot's of smarts around here.

But, this is by far the best reply so far!