Deer management is challenging, but attempting to manage deer on small acreage can be down right frustrating. And when I say small acreage, I am referring to properties from 500 acres on down. Simply said, it is very difficult to manage white-tailed deer on small ranches because neighboring properties have a large influence on an area’s deer population. Game-fenced ranches are a different story. But even if you own or hunt small acreage, do not give up just yet. There are still a few things you can do to manage and improve deer in your area.

Question: “I am a new hunter who has access to a small (85 acre) piece of property in Edwards County, Texas. I want to improve the quality of deer on the land that I hunt. Due to the very rocky terrain, food plots are out. I also need information on estrus cycles and need to know if the second and third cycle can degrade the quality of offspring. This land has a large number of 2-3 year old spikes and the buck to doe ratio is about 1 to 10. I am seeking any and all information to improve quality of deer.”

First of all, food plots are great if the land will support them, but they are neither necessary for good deer management, nor a cure-all for poor habitat. Food plots are most important for managers attempting to support deer populations above the carrying capacity of the deer habitat found on their property. Obviously, any supplemental food that can be provided will help deer on a given ranch, but the first goal of any deer management program should be good habitat management. Here is one thing to remember about food plots, especially spring food plots: When you really need them, they will not grow. When they grow, you probably do not need them.

After providing good deer habitat, the next goal of any manager should be to estimate the current deer population. Deer surveys can determine the number of acres of habitat available for each deer. After the deer density is estimated, the manager can determine herd composition and harvest goals. Now, this is where you need to think outside of the property because habitat management and deer surveys will only get you so far. The next component of your small acreage deer management program is harvest management. (more…)

Harvest is a critical component of any white-tailed deer management program. Not only does hunter harvest play an important role in keeping deer numbers in check with the available habitat on your lease or ranch, but the harvest rate and types of animals removed determines what deer will remain on your property. Although this is important for all segments of your deer population, this is especially important for bucks.

A reader asked over the weekend: Which is the best way to manage a deer herd? Shoot the does and nothing less than an 8-point buck, or shoot spikes and 4-point bucks to allow the larger bucks to mature, while also thinning does? Well, the question is good one. The quick answer would be shoot all bucks with 4 or fewer antler points, older does, and keep your deer herd at carrying capacity for the habitat. And although this harvest strategy would work for the reader, it does not explain why this action would work.

First, I will assume that the carrying capacity of the property is known and that density, herd composition, and fawning success have been estimated through proper deer survey methods. Without this information it would be difficult to tell if any harvest strategy would work, because a high deer density or low buck to doe ratio either would mask or compound issues. But, assuming that the property provides adequate habitat for the deer found on the ranch and the buck to doe ratio is healthy, then shooting bucks with 4 or less antler points and keeping the doe herd at its target level would improve your deer herd. (more…)

Early season deer hunting can be very effective because white-tailed bucks are more easily patterned prior to the rut. Novice deer managers may think that removing a high quality buck prior to the rut is a bad idea because it limits the buck’s ability to pass on his genes. Yes, harvesting a buck prior to the rut does limit his ability to pass on his genes, but it does not limit the ability of his offspring. When it comes to deer management we must manage the deer herd, not individual animals. If you manage the herd as a whole then good things will happen.

The most important aspect of managing the buck segment of the deer population on your property should be maintaing good quality bucks in each age class. If you are interested in improving antler quality of bucks then inferior bucks in each age class should be removed. Bucks that are deemed inferior (by your standards) in the yearling, 2 1/2, 3 1/2, 4 1/2 year old age classes should be removed each year. By doing this you ensure that only the best quality bucks remain each year, pass on their genes, and once mature are ready for harvest. (more…)

Deer management. You have heard the words before, but what does it mean to you? To different people it means different things. To pure hunters, deer management revolves around harvest management. You either shoot to get the deer population down or you lay off the herd to let the numbers grow. Sure, harvest management should be an important part of any comprehensive deer management plan, but keep in mind that it’s not the only thing.

It’s real easy to talk about deer management, but there is talking the talk and walking the walk. White-tailed deer, like all animals, have three primary needs: food, cover, and water. This seems easy enough, but there really is a big misconception among lots of folks about what deer actually eat. If you don’t already know that deer eat primarily forbs and browse, then you have some homework to do because the words “browse” and “forb” mean absolutely nothing to you. But it’s not a big deal because it’s relatively easy to learn about and research the important deer browse and forbs in your area. Once you know what deer eat, the next step is to figure out how to provide more of those foods through proper habitat management. (more…)

Texas allows the owners of high-fenced (game fenced) properties to operate under a Deer Management Permit (DMP) after meeting specific requirements. This permit allows DMP property owners to place 1 white-tailed buck and up to 20 white-tailed does in a breeding enclosure ranging between 5 to 100 acres for genetic “improvement” with the ultimate goal of increasing antler quality in bucks. After breeding, the deer must then be released onto the property and are considered “wild,” meaning they can not be recaptured.

A recent study at the King Ranch attempted to assess the effectiveness of the DMP by comparing antler scores of between pastures including DMP offspring and pastures without DMP offspring. To collect antler measurements by age class, white-tailed bucks were captured using helicopters and nets guns. (more…)

In the US, white-tailed deer were originally transported to restore populations that were “shot out” during the early 20th century.  Today, land managers continue to move deer from one area to another, but not just to restore populations. The driving force behind today’s deer translocations is primarily twofold: to augment low-density deer populations and to promote genetic improvement. However, a third option for translocation is an alternative to harvest — to manage overabundant populations; remove deer found in high deer-density urban areas, transport them, and release them elsewhere.

But regardless of why deer are moved, how do they cope? What is the survival rate and performance of transported deer after they are “liberated” at their release site? These are good questions and a study out of Texas A&M University-Kingsville hopes to answer them. We know that for a translocation program to be successful we need two things, a high survival of released deer and for the animals to remain in the area where they were released. Without achieving these two objectives, the overall goal will not be met. (more…)

You’ve heard the term before, but what exactly is a cull buck? Sure, white-tailed deer managers and hunters often talk about “cull” bucks and  it’s a hot topic — which bucks are cull bucks and which ones are not? However, there is an important factor to keep in mind: Sometimes a cull to one person is not a cull to another. A cull, by definition, is something that is considered inferior or inadequate — not as good as the rest. As such, the topic of cull bucks comes about when ranch managers and hunters want to know which bucks should be culled to improve herd quality. After all, deer antlers are highly heritable. Otherwise, you could never select for antler quality through buck harvest.

Cull bucks are bucks that are deemed genetically inferior in antler quality to other bucks in the area. With that said, a cull buck on one ranch may not be a cull buck on another ranch based on measurable or non-measurable attributes. So, what is a cull buck on your property? The answer depends on several factors — and those factors vary by property and both past and future management actions. (more…)

Axis bucks in the shade.

Many exotic big game species, such as sika, fallow, and axis deer, prefer and consume the same forbs and browse as white-tailed deer. Keeping this in mind, it’s then obvious that white-tailed deer and exotic ungulates compete for limited resources on the lands in which they live. This may not be of great concern until habitat conditions become degraded, which you never want to happen. In overpopulated areas, or during periods of stress such as drought or winter, this further increases the competition both between and within these different species in the same area — whitetail compete with whitetail, exotics with exotics, and whitetail with exotics. Everyone has to eat! (more…)