A deer herd should be managed as two separate populations. The female segement of the herd must be managed to maintain productivity. The number of new deer added to the pre-hunt population is a function of the number of fawns born and their survival until until the fall. The number of fawns born is primarily determined by the number of does, but the survival of fawns, however, is mostly dependent upon the physical condition of does, although predation is certainly a factor is some situations. (more…)

The question of how many deer to harvest and in what proportion is asked in developing all deer management plans, but seldom is answered in an objective manner. Ideally, a deer manager would know exactly how many deer of the proper age and sex should be present to best meet the management goals for a particular ranch or tract of land.

With accurate information on herd size, the buck to doe ratio and fawn survival, and with considerations for rainfall, habitat conditions, and hunting on neighboring property, the manager could then prescribe the percentage of the herd that should be harvested to optimize management objectives. Situations such as this where all pertinent information is availalbe are, of course, very rare in deer management. (more…)

Harvest really is a key management tool required to manage white-tailed deer populations. However, remember that successful management must also involve proper habitat management. The basic strategy for deer population mangaement, which involves harvest, consist of the following:

1. Deer numbers must be maintained at or below the carrying capacity of the property to maintain excellent body condition and maximum antler growth. It’s kind of like cows in a pasture. You can have more, but body condition and overall health will suffer.

2. The desired sex ratio must be achieved for proper recruitment levels and desired harvest quotas. Maintaining too many does will require harvesting many deer each year. Too few does and recruitment may not be adequate to replace deer harvested.

3). The harvest rate of bucks must be established to attain the desired age structure of bucks available for harvest (which includes spikes and other culls as part of the buck harvest quota). A lower harvest rate keeps more bucks in the older age classes.

Habitat conditions throughout most of Texas this year were in excellent condition thanks to the abundant rainfall we received throughout spring and summer. The plentiful rain translated into great warm-season forbs and browse production, which in turn put Texas’ white-tailed deer herd in outstanding condition. Bell county was no exception. Although conditions were not ideal for hunters heading to the field for the General Season opener (due to mild temperatures), that didn’t deter one Bell County hunter.

Opening morning didn’t bring the big boy out, but Sunday, just after 9:00 am, he saw this main-frame 8 point buck with split G2s step out that gross scored 130 2/8 Boone a Crockett inches, and that was enough reward for enduring the near 90 degree weather on Saturday. The buck’s main-frame 8 point rack grossed 119 2/8 inches and the buck had 11 inches of non-typical antler due to the split G2s.

Good habitat conditions, good body conditions… make for a nice 10 point buck!

Long-term planning is feasible in deer management, but different years can call for slight to moderate changes in annual harvests based on habitat conditions, fawn survival, and estimated population numbers. Without conducting a deer population survey to get a good estimate of your overall deer numbers and density, you are literally shooting into the wind. Although deer surveys are simply "good estimates" when properly performed, they will keep you on the right track with regards to your long-term management.  

Let's take a look at how annual changes in fawn survival can impact your annual harvests. For example, let’s assume you have a long-term goal of 100 deer on your property, the property is at carrying capacity (100 deer), and you have a 1:1 buck to doe ratio. If your late summer/early fall fawn crop is estimated at 50% (25 fawns from 50 does) then you need to remove 25 deer this fall.

However, if you have an 80% fawn crop next year, that is a total of 40 animals you have to remove from the deer herd to keep the population at carrying capacity. Although your long-term population goal stays the same, your annual harvests will fluctuate to some extent. This is an adaptive harvest strategy allows you to keep number in line with carrying capacity and stay on track. As you can see, getting annual estimates of the deer population as a whole, and particularly fawn survival, is important for the proper management of your deer herd.

The harvest rate of bucks will be dependent on the objectives of the land manager. One of the concerns of many first-time and veteran deer managers is the age structure of the buck segment of the population. If one of the deer management objectives is to produce bucks with larger antlers, bucks must be allowed to reach older ages, which means that the harvest of young, immature bucks should be heavily restricted.

Restricting hunters to mature bucks only is a good management strategy to harvest old bucks, but does not address inferior bucks that are young or middle-aged. As a result, these deer must be carefully removed. Deer body characteristics, in addition to antler characteristics, should be used to determine the relative age of bucks “on-the-hoof.” Let’s discuss two different management strategies for the buck segment of your deer population.

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The harvest of whitetail deer is serious business on a highly-managed piece of property. As a result, take time to document what’s happening each year to record where your deer management program is heading. Records should be kept to monitor the status of the deer herd and measure the success of management over time.  As a minimum, record keeping should include:

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The buck to doe ratio over much of the United States is probably somewhere around 1 buck per 3 to 6 adult does. This ratio is considered satisfactory for good production and recruitment of white-tailed deer if one is interested in a quick turnover in the herd. Basically, a sex ratio in favor of does can increase the size of the deer herd very quickly. As a result, many young bucks and does of all ages are available for harvest each year. This is good for maximum production, but is not necessarily beneficial for optimal quality production.

Ideas on the ideal buck to doe ratio can be quite varied and controversial in some cases. Depending upon the part of the country you are located, the age of the person you are talking to, and a person’s general management philosophies, you will most likely get different answers from every individual you ask. But you know what, they may all be correct. There is no single correct answer for every property out there. However, there are some good rules of thumb that could help you out.

If you want to harvest a high number of deer each year, then maintaining many more does than bucks will definitely get you there. For example, let’s just say your hunting property is 500 acres. Assuming the proper carrying capacity for this land is roughly 50 deer (1 deer/10 acres) then a buck to doe ratio of 1:4 would mean your deer herd is comprised of 10 bucks and 40 does. If you have an overall fawn crop of 50%, meaning 20 fawns survive through the summer. With this in mind, you must now remove an excess of 20 deer on your property come fall hunting season to keep the overall population size in check with the available habitat. (more…)