Deer Density, Buck to Doe Ratio, and Harvest Rates

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. Continue reading “Deer Density, Buck to Doe Ratio, and Harvest Rates”

Big Buck Harvested Near Grosvenor, Texas

If you have spent any amount of time driving around Texas then you know that there really are good, native white-tailed bucks scattered across the state. You don’t even have to be a deer hunter to realize that the Lone Star State harbors some photo-worthy whitetails in every region, although some places seem to have more than their fare share.

This triple-beamed, Brown County buck is a testament to Texas’ great whitetail habitat and the many ranches involved in very successful deer management programs. The bucks is a good deer without the extra beam on it’s right side, sporting numerous points and good mass overall.

Big Non-typical Whitetail Buck from Brown County

Brown County has long been a favorite place of many hunters looking to set their sights on white-tailed deer. And deer hunters love Brown County for good reason, because there is some amazing deer country out there! Although this area produces solid whitetail bucks year-in and year-out, it seems one lucky hunter really got even more than he could have imagined this season. Let’s just say the results are, well, non-typical.

Here is what I received via email:

“Attached are photos of a freak whitetail buck that was supposed to have been killed this morning between Thrifty and Grosvenor. I received two calls this morning telling me that the non-typical buck was at Weakley Watson Sporting Goods. Since I was already in town, I stopped and took the attached photos. The buck had been scored at 208 and had 27 points. There was quite a crowd gathered to see this big whitetail buck.”

I believe that big whitetail bucks can be produced just about anywhere where high quality deer habitat is found, Texas or otherwise. Time and time again I’ve helped managers on private ranches increase the antler size of bucks on their property by improving habitat, regulating harvest, and implementing good all-around deer management techniques.

Sure, it never hurts to have a genetically exceptional buck make a place look good, but there are certain things every hunter can do to improve the quality of every deer found on their land. The easiest way to ensure the deer found on your deer hunting property are healthy is to shoot enough of them, but allow the buck part of the herd to attain and maintain good age structure. If there are some old ones there will always be some good ones!

Factors that Influence Deer Harvest Rates

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.

Habitat Quantity and Quality Impact White-tailed Deer Harvest Rates

Harvest rates can vary annually by habitat quantity, habitat quality, fawn production, and white-tailed deer management objectives. Hunters and landowners looking to maintain healthy age structure in bucks should never harvest over 20% of the buck herd. This holds true whether the buck to doe ratio is 1:10 or 1:1. Of course, if the deer density in the area is held constant, many more bucks can be harvested when there is 1 buck for every 1 doe compared to when there is 1 buck for every 10 does. Many hunters fail to realize that from a population standpoint the types of the bucks being shot is less important as the total number of bucks being removed from the herd. In short, limit buck harvest to less than 20% of the buck population.

Doe harvest management is more important in determining the overall dynamics of a white-tailed deer population in a given area. The doe population determines if a deer population declines, remains stable, or grows. However, the doe population is dependent on, as mentioned prior, habitat quantity, habitat quality, fawn production, and management objectives. Because the doe population in an area depends on these annual factors, so does the annual harvest rates.

Habitat Quantity

This is a measure of the total amount of deer habitat available. Does your property have 100 acres of deer habitat or 1,000 acres of deer habitat? Obviously, more deer habitat correlates with a larger population size. Hunters on 100 acres of habitat can not expect to harvest as many deer as hunters on 1,000 acres of habitat, assuming the deer density in that habitat is the same. If both ranches have the same harvest strategy in place, then the 1,000 acres of habitat can harvest 10 times the number of animals. It’s not because those hunters are greedy, it is just that the total deer harvest for a property should be related to available deer habitat, not just property size. In this example, both ranches could have been 1,000 acres in size. We only discussed available deer habitat on those properties. Property size will not effect the harvest rate, only the total number of animals harvested (because of available habitat).

Habitat Quality

Habitat quality is measured by an area’s ability to provide food, cover, water, and space for white-tailed deer. Deer found on high quality habitat have higher reproductive rates than deer found on low quality habitat. Here is an example of how habitat quality impacts harvest rate: Let’s say that there are two ranches 1,000 acres in size. One provides high quality habitat and the other provides low quality habitat. If we assume that the deer density is the same, then fawn production on the high quality habitat will be higher because there is more food per animal. This high quality habitat means more food per doe, a higher reproductive rate, a higher fawn survival rate, and more bucks and does available for harvest each year. In short, properties with high quality habitat must harvest does at a higher rate to keep the deer population stable.

In Summary

Without a doubt, both habitat quantity and quality impact the annual harvest rates of a deer population. Property size does not impact harvest rate, but smaller properties will harvest fewer animals than larger properties based simply on habitat quantity and differences in the sizes of the deer populations. Habitat quality can vary by property depending on habitat management practices (or lack thereof) and deer found on high quality habitat have higher reproductive success. Because of this habitat effect, properties providing high quality habitat must harvest does at higher rates than properties providing low quality deer habitat. Next week, I will discuss how fawn survival, density, and buck to doe ratio also impact white-tailed deer harvest rates.

Doe Harvest with Caution?

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? Continue reading “Doe Harvest with Caution?”

Texan Bags 38-Point Non-Typical Nebraska Buck

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.

Wesley O'Brien and his 38-Point Nebraska Non-typical Buck

On Saturday, November 14, the very first evening of Nebraska’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.

As Wesley O’Brien can attest, the deer did not suffer from ground shrinkage. In fact, the buck tenatively scored 281 Boone and Crockett inches and is threatening as largest white-tailed buck ever harvested in the state of Nebraska! The antlers will be officially scored after the mandatory 60 day “drying” period as required by Boone and Crockett Club.

Source: “So it remains to be seen if the O’Brien buck will top a famous set of antlers from a deer killed 47 years ago in Hall County by bowhunter Del Austin of Hastings. Commonly called ‘Old Mossy Horns,’ the Austin buck scored 279 7/8 , ranking it not only first in Nebraska, but a world record for a whitetail taken by archery.”

O’Brien admitted that their was some luck involved in taking this bruiser whitetail, which he now refers to as “Too Easy.” He came to Nebraska with a friend who knew a landowner, who in turn allowed them to hunt his farm. Other than a non-resident license, O’Brien paid no fees for deer hunting access. He then shot the buck shortly before sundown not long after stepping out of a truck to stalk a different buck.

Sometimes white-tailed deer hunting is just about being in the right place at the right time. Or from the buck’s perspective, at the wrong place at the wrong time.