I think you are good until you start applying emotions and thought to animals. In my animal behavior classes words are used that shouldnt be used such as: think, tries to avoid, decide, etc.

It boils my blood. We are taught not to use human traits but people still do. The HSUS and PETA have pretty much won over the biologists that are not FW majors.

Heck I have had to read papers where humans are studied and the results are analyzed like we are animals, while doing this they compare us to animals and mention emotions and mate selection.

Do scientists give human emotions to animals? You betchya. Do they also give complex human interactions, emotions, and thoughts as behaviors that can be quantified and estimated? You betchya

I am a scientist but scientists need to get their act together.

Well after that rant I have to admit......... Many animals have traits that vary in the species. Does this mean they have the same thought process as humans? Heck no.

It is a fine line to walk and no one (hunter or scientists) seem to stay on the line.

Yep, all deer have different personalities, likes and dislikes, feelings, emotions and all the other mammal traits. I confess , I love ungulates-- lots of them!Thats why when I pull the trigger or hit the release I am sure I'm making the most humane shot possible, because I want that animal to die as quick as possible so I can hear those inside tenderloins hitting the grill (SSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!) as soon as possible.

“Some of the behavior patterns we’re talking about are similar to what we call personality in human psychology literature,” said Max Wolf of the Max Planck Institute in Germany. “So why not call it personality in other animals?”

Well Max, maybe because that's stupid????? Trees are made of something similiar to what your psychology literature is made of...Sooo why not call them both trees????

yes they do .I worked for the whitney family for ten years and they have fed deer for darn near forever at their main camp deer lands in the adirondacks . In those ten years i have seen just about every deer behavior you can think of fighting, breeding ,birthing , stomping the stuffing out of the care takers dog and on and on. the deer are fed there year round and in the winter you can see upwards of 150-200 deer day coming in to feed morning and evening, with some bucks scoring in the 150-160 bc class . they may all do basically the same thing but they all do it in their own different ways. that being said unless one ask's me not to eat him or her they are still on the menu .

Saying that deer possess human traits and personalities is an insult to the entire deer population and only proves that science will continue to discover only what they want to discover.

I can tell you from working with livestock for many years that cattle and horses do most definitely have distinct personalities. No anthropomorphism intended as I use descriptive terms normally associated with human behavior as... well... we don't have any other good ways to convey such. In cattle I have found some that are shy and with drawing, some are out going and almost playful and some are down right mean to point of being almost evil! These traits seem to develop within a herd separate from any human handling issues.

When I was in college I would go to the deer research facility and watch the deer react with each other in a large enclosure. There were deer that were content to do what ever, there were deer that seemed to like to bully other deer (especially does) and there were deer that were shy and withdrawing. I see no reason this behavior would not carry over into the wilds.

I completely agree with Mark J. Of course animals can make decisions! Every animal does, from the trophy buck to the trophy bucketmouth. Animals are not just pulled through life by "fate." And obviously the bigger-brained animals like elephants, horses and dogs can feel emotions, not like our own exactly but emotions nonetheless. As for pumpkinseed sunfish having personalities.... Who knows but the Lord who made 'em.

I would say that it is not so much "personality" as it is habits or preferences. I don't think that because an individual deer might prefer one food source to another or that he is more aggresive that it means he has a personality.

of course they have personalities but some go away with age

Hey Walt,
"Shoot Me Down" will be back. In fact, I think Scott is going to post one soon. So stay tuned.

I have watched wildlife for several years. I dont think I would classify it as personality. It looks more order to me.

When ever you give animals human characteristics that is called personification.

I would agree 100% that animals, and Bucks especially have personalities. Their brain function is not up to speed with ours, but highly developed instincts and senses play a role in developing "personalities". Anyone who has ever owned a dog or cat can attest to animals having personalities. Aside from what we "train" them to do animals are individuals who are ruled by their own instincts.

Yes animals do have personalities. Not just conditioned ones as some other posters have pontificated about, but true personalities. I watch mallards drakes outside my parents windows that cintinually try and mate, with one drake assuming the female role and nesting and the other tending as a drake wold do. I have also watched a Buck run a 1/2 section of land just to keep others away from his food source. Conversely I have seen subordinate bucks purposely walk around said section just to avoid confrontation with the bully buck, as we called him.
That being said, there is a huge difference between anthropomorphism (NOT PERSONIFICATION) and cognitive reasoning. If a whitetail was capable of cognitive reasoning we wold never should one. The first miss would absolutely educate even yearlings and they would become nocturnal. That is why if you miss a young deer,over a food plot lets say, chances are they will be back to the food source in a relatively short amount of time, sometimes within seconds of the miss fire. This is the instictive drive to feed. Usually bucks and does alike become educated to hunters over a period of a year or two. It's not instant, as it would be for a well adjusted human. Even my toddler knows the dangers of stairs after falling down them once.
A whitetails' instictive drive is far greater than any semblance of cognitive reasoning they MIGHT possess. Personality, yes. But not quite critical thinkers are they?