The benefits of supplemental feeding of white-tailed deer have been witnessed by researchers and landowners alike. In white-tailed deer management today, the combination of habitat management and supplemental feeding go hand-in-hand on most properties. Though some landowners choose to supplement through food plots, others use protein pellets. Regardless of the product used to supplement deer, the primary reason for providing supplemental feed is to improve the overall health of each individual animal in the herd.

The health of a white-tailed herd is readily measured through the individual body condition of deer, the antler quality of bucks, and fawn production. Although the presumed outcome of providing additional food is better and healthier deer, landowners often look for different inputs—or different food options. I’ve been asked time and time again over the years about feeding whole soybeans as a supplement for whitetail. It can be done, and it can be done successfully, but it’s always good to look at the pros and cons.

First, let’s not confuse baiting deer with supplementing deer. Baiting deer with corn can be great for attracting deer for the purpose of harvest, but corn is not a supplement. A true supplement adds nutritional value to an individual deer’s diet. Sounds simple enough, but why would a deer manager consider different options for supplementing deer? Well, the big concern are typically costs. Read the rest

Most hunters that have harvested any number of white-tailed deer have unfortunately found nasal bots. At first glance, what a hunter encounters looks like a large maggot. And it basically is, and they live in the cavities of the nose and mouth. Nasal bots are the larvae of a specific kind of fly that belongs in the genus Cephenemyia. Deer biologists actually find them in a high percentage of whitetail deer, particularly when a thorough examination of the head is conducted. From my experience, white-tailed deer in Texas are much more likely to have nasals bots than not.

These bots are specific to members of the deer family, which also includes elk and mule deer in the United States. Nasal bots begin life when the adult fly lays a group of eggs around the nose or mouth of a deer. The small larvae within these eggs are then released when the deer licks the eggs. The warm, wet saliva creates an environment that permits the “hatching” of the immature bots. These larvae then migrate to the nasal passages and occasionally into the sinuses where they molt into larger stages of the maturing larvae. Read the rest

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the impacts of habitat quantity and quality on white-tailed deer harvest rates. Habitat quantity does not necessarily impact the harvest rate itself, but a property that provides a smaller amount of habitat must harvest fewer deer than a property that provides a larger amount of habitat in order to keep the deer population on the ranch stable. Habitat quality, however, can vary between properties that provide the same quantity (in acreage) of deer habitat, which in turn impacts the health and productivity of the ranch’s deer population.

Habitat quality impacts deer harvest rates because herd productivity will vary between properties. If deer density is held constant, deer on a property that provides good habitat will be in better condition than deer on poor habitat. This superior body condition can be measured through increased body weights in animals and improved antler quality in every age class of bucks. Today, I will discuss how fawn survival, as effected by deer density and the buck to doe ratio, can significantly impact the annual harvest of white-tailed deer populations. Read the rest

When it comes to white-tailed deer management—at any scale—the most important factors are deer density and buck to doe ratio. These  two numbers are usually indicative of habitat condition and the reproductive potential of the deer herd. Most hunters continue to talk about buck harvest criteria, and although important, they fail to have a good handle on the deer density and buck to doe ratio in their hunting area! In addition, many landowners overlook habitat conditions and factors that limit fawn production and survival.

White-tailed deer harvest rates are important because they determine not only the number of animals you will shoot this year, but more importantly the number of deer that will survive into next year. This is especially important for the doe population because these animals, depending on deer density and sex ratio, can increase the total deer population prior to the next hunting season by 50% or more. This article discusses population and environmental factors that influence white-tailed deer harvest rates on an annual basis.  Read the rest

Not all that many years ago it was considered unsportsman-like to shoot a doe deer. Since then, however, wildlife biologists and hunters have realized that proper doe harvest is an important part of white-tailed deer management, although I suspect there is a small percentage of landowners that still do not allow doe to be harvested on their properties. After all, a landowner has the ability to be more conservative than the law and choose not to harvest antlerless deer, even if hunting regulations permit it.

But is a no doe harvest really justified? Maybe, but then maybe not—particarly if the only reason holding someone back is the “old school” philosophy of not shooting female deer. It is true that the shooting of does may not be justified in some areas. Not every deer whitetail population can sustain regular doe harvest. Some deer herds may allow periodic doe harvest, such as every other year or every third year, for example, while others need regular (annual) doe harvest to thrive. So why does the harvest of whitetail doe vary by area? Read the rest

The state of Nebraska is well known for big corn-fed bucks, but I doubt Wesley O’Brien expected to harvest a white-tailed buck of record proportions when he left Lexington, Texas, on an invited no-cost deer hunt. Large-bodied bucks produce robust antlers and Nebraska is known for both of them. I’m sure the 24 year old hunter had dreams of big bucks bounding in his head, but could it happen? He wasn’t going to be in Texas anymore, and barely north of Kansas for that matter.

He was, however, on a farm in Richardson County, located in the far southeast corner of Nebraska. On Saturday, November 14, the very first evening of Nebraka’s gun season, the hunter’s aim was true as he squeezed off a round at a monstrous non-typical whitetail buck standing broadside and approximately 100 yards away. Wesley knew the shot was good as he watched the big buck go down. He also knew the buck was good, but determining how good was going to take some work. Read the rest

The white-tailed deer gun opener was slow in Central and North Central Texas. The second weekend was not much better. However, cooler temperatures and good reports of rutting bucks moving throughout much of the state should make this coming weekend a great time to head out deer hunting! Although much of the state’s abundant acorn crop is now depleted, deer still have a choice between cool season forbs and lush winter food plots (where they exists). Areas that were barren during the summer are now a hodge-podge of high-protein forbs.

Except for the last couple of months, 2009 has been a tough year for most of Texas’ white-tailed deer population. The preceding winter, spring, and summer were dry. Very dry. Extremely dry. But all of that has changed. Deer that were in poor to fair body condition during the summer have gorged on fat-rich acorns are now looking to be in good shape. Although many ranches are reporting that deer body weights are lower this year compared to previous years, rainfall received during September and October have ”saved” the year. Read the rest

Growing big bucks is all about age, genetics, and nutrition, but when it comes to producing mature bucks year after year nothing in white-tailed deer management is as important as harvesting bucks at the proper rate. So what is the proper harvest rate for bucks? The general rule of thumb is to harvest no more than 20% of the buck herd throughout all age classes in a given year. This includes young, middle-aged, and old cull bucks as well as mature trophy bucks.

The white-tailed buck pictured above was shot on the evening of November 7, 2009 by bowhunter Joyce Ooten. She was hunting on her 23 acre Grayson County property when she arrowed the 19 point buck standing at 20 yards. Of course, the mature buck did not spend its entire life on Joyce’s 23 acres, but did I mention that her property is next door to the Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge (NWR)? And Hagerman NWR provides solid white-tailed deer habitat. Read the rest