Deer Population Today vs. Fawn Numbers Tomorrow

Fawns Key to Deer Herd

It’s pre-season prime-time right now with game cameras working 24-7 as hunters prepare for the upcoming deer hunting seasons. It’s a cornucopia of SD cards and game camera photos. Which bucks are still in the area? Where did Stickers go? Will he return? And will I be there when he does?

Fun things to ponder for sure, but hunters should also consider the number of white-tailed deer that call their hunting property/lease home.

Fawns are Important for Deer Management and Hunting

Why? The health of the deer population found there depends on it, or at least that is what research out of Texas is suggesting. The study, spearheaded by the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute at Texas A&M University–Kingsville, is investigating the interaction between deer density and overall fawn health.

Research suggests that whitetail does spatially isolate themselves during fawning by decreasing their home range size immediately proceeding or up to 2 weeks prior to parturition, although this behavior was not consistently observed in Texas, at least not in south Texas.

Tracking Does and Fawns

To better understand changes in home range size during fawning 35 does were fitted with GPS collars in 200 acre high-fenced pastures on 2 South Texas ranches. Each ranch had one high density (60 deer) and one low density (20 deer) pasture. Nineteen does were collared in high density enclosures (10 and 9/ranch), and 16 does were collared in low density enclosures (8/ranch).

Collars recorded doe locations every 30 minutes and were deployed for 27–29 weeks beginning in early Spring. Researchers were able to determine when the doe gave birth based on movement data, which varied by deer density. Twenty-seven of 35 females decreased their home ranges during the study just before and after giving birth.

Long-term Deer Management takes Short-term Fawn Production

Averaging across all weeks, the does in the low density pasture had home ranges that were 43 percent larger than the does in the high density pasture. In addition, the post-birth home ranges of low density does averaged 52 percent larger than their counterparts.

The numbers are interesting at first, but eye-opening because managers realize that smaller home ranges could result in a lower quality diet for lactating does, resulting in decreased milk production and likely lower fawn survival and growth rates.

Healthy Fawns, Healthy Herd

A less than optimal start for fawns equates to mediocre deer down the road because the body size of mature deer will be negatively impacted, lower than they would have been had the deer been in a lower density environment. This, in turn, means adult does are smaller and bucks do not reach their genetic potential either. And the cycle continues.

Manage for Annual Production

Interesting work, indeed. It also makes complete sense because one of the staples of quality deer management is maintaining good nutrition within the deer herd. Maintaining the proper deer density and good nutrition for the deer found on your property (at all ages) will mean bigger, healthier deer both now and in the future. The next question is how many deer can your property maintain in good health?

BUCK FEVER – Reporters Take an In-Depth Look at Whitetail Deer Breeding and Hunting Industry

Without a doubt, white-tailed deer hunting in the US has changed dramatically over the past few decades. That initial interest in deer management spurred both hunters and property owners to get involved doing things to help whitetail, which over time lead to the development of better habitat, monitoring of deer populations on private lands, harvest management and ultimately better, bigger deer. The benefits of whitetail management are numerous, but the one take-home-point on top of everyone’s head is that bucks on managed properties grow larger antlers.

Ask any deer biologist and they will tell you that there are a multitude of factors involved when it comes to managing a deer herd for trophy bucks. And that’s the truth, if someone is managing a deer herd. But what if that someone is just managing individual deer? Well, that simplifies things. Or does it? The topic of commercial deer breeding is a hotly debated topic within the deer hunting community, around campfires, on internet hunting forums and at family reunions. The non-hunting community, which vastly outnumbers hunters, also has its eyes on those involved in deer breeding and hunting.

X-Factor: Are Mega-Bucks Good for Deer Hunting?

The following article, based on a self-proclaimed 18-month in-depth investigation, states that the commercial deer breeding industry is entirely responsible for the spread of deer diseases and is costing tax payers, both those that hunt as well as those that don’t, millions of dollars each year. It’s definitely interesting reading material.

Source: “It looks like a caricature of a deer, this dainty white-tailed buck whose neck slumps under the weight of the gnarled antlers sprawling from its head. This is X-Factor, an Indiana deer that in his prime was worth an estimated $1 million. His value as a stud comes not from research and not from the quality of his venison. Instead, his value is in those freakish antlers, the product of more than three decades of selective breeding.

In less than 40 years, a relatively small group of farmers has created something the world has never seen before — a billion-dollar industry primarily devoted to breeding deer that are trucked to fenced hunting preserves to be shot by patrons willing to pay thousands for the trophies.

An Indianapolis Star investigation has discovered the industry costs taxpayers millions of dollars, compromises long-standing wildlife laws, endangers wild deer and undermines the government’s multibillion-dollar effort to protect livestock and the food supply.

To feed the burgeoning captive-deer industry, breeders are shipping an unprecedented number of deer and elk across state lines. With them go the diseases they carry. Captive-deer facilities have spread tuberculosis to cattle and are suspected in the spread of deadly foreign deer lice in the West. More important, The Star’s investigation uncovered compelling circumstantial evidence that the industry also has helped accelerate the spread of chronic wasting disease, an always-fatal deer disease similar to mad cow. CWD now has been found in 22 states.

CWD’s spread roughly coincides with the captive-deer industry’s growth. In half of the states where CWD was found, it first appeared in a commercial deer operation. Officials in Missouri, Nebraska, New York and Canada think captive deer or elk introduced the disease to the wild.

So far, government programs have failed to halt CWD’s spread, largely because there is no reliable way to test live animals for the disease. So infected deer may be shipped into disease-free states, where they can infect other animals, captive or wild. The Star’s investigation uncovered examples of deer escaping from farms, shoddy record keeping and meager penalties for those caught breaking the rules, which further undermine state and federal efforts to contain the disease. Plus, in less than a decade, more than a dozen people have been charged with smuggling live deer across state lines.

Although CWD’s risk to humans is considered minimal, scientists say it’s unwise to allow it to spread unchecked. No human is known to have contracted CWD. But scientists and government health officials say the chances of it jumping the species barrier to humans, as they suspect mad cow did, increase as more deer are infected.

In the first comprehensive examination of the growth and associated risks of deer breeding and farming by a major newspaper, The Star submitted public records requests to all 50 states and the federal government, reviewed at least 20 studies and conducted more than 100 interviews.

What emerges is a picture of an industry made up of at least 10,000 farms and hunting preserves in the U.S. and Canada, a boutique business that’s part livestock and part wildlife and often falls into a regulatory gap between agriculture and natural resource agencies. And, when it comes to hunting deer in fenced preserves, the owners are often free to set their own rules. Read the rest…

How Long Do Deer Breed? Do Barren Does Exist?

White-tailed Deer Breeding & Fertility

White-tailed deer are prolific breeders, meaning they have the potential to reproduce and grow local deer populations quickly over just a few years. The majority of whitetail does will give birth to twin fawns each and every year after their first birth, when they usually have just a single fawn. One of the biggest deer management issues in many areas, both suburban and rural, continues to be deer overpopulation and the resulting degradation of habitat.

It would seem that deer are in large numbers everywhere, but the fact is they are not. Many hunters often encounter animals in the field that appear to be barren deer, does without fawns. So what gives? How long do deer breed?

“Is there such a thing as a barren doe? I believe there is, as I have shot quite a few does in the 115 to 130 pound-plus weight range that have no signs of ever lactating; very small nipples, no evidence of ever having a milk bag. The nipples, as well as milk bag, are tight to the belly as to have never produced. I have friends that argue the barren doe thing, but I am convinced that there is such a thing. My theory is that they come into heat, get bred, but are sterile and do not take. Could you clear this up please? Thank you.”

Deer Hunting and Management: Barren Does

Are Barren Does Out There?

Although some number of barren does can inevitably be found somewhere, they are very rare, comprising less than one percent of the doe population. Research on free-ranging whitetail deer has found that does bred when less than a year of age (fawns basically) normally produced a single fawn, with 10 percent of these animals bearing twin fawns.

Older does average almost two fawns each annually; about 60 percent have twins, 30 percent have single fawns, 3 percent have triplets and 7 percent have complications that result in no fawns being produced. However, the overwhelming majority of “non-performers” are not barren and can go on to successfully produce fawns in the future.

Using the numbers above, this means that about 160 fawns are born for every 100 does in the population. This shows just how prolific white-tailed deer can be, but it’s important to remember that just because fawns were birthed does not mean that they will survive.

Factors that Impact Deer Reproduction

Habitat quality, as in protective/hiding cover for fawns, and food availability, for lactating does, is extremely important for recruiting fawns into the adult deer population. This is where many properties fall short: inadequate deer habitat.

Source: “Failure of does to breed is not a problem, so where do the fawns go? Life is full of dangers for a fawn, and food and cover (fawning habitat) is the difference in living and dying for fawns. In many parts of the state, predation is severe unless there is adequate hiding cover for young fawns. Imported fire-ants are a problem for fawns in heavily infested areas, but their impact can often mask the real problem. Adequate deer nutrition is often limiting, and if fawns make it past fire-ants and predators to weaning, they still face the challenge of finding food and cover.

Fawn survival depends primarily on habitat quality. Malnutrition and associated problems are probably responsible for poor fawn survival in much of the state. Dry conditions aggravate the problem of inadequate food. “Empty belly disease” is the most limiting factor on whitetails in Texas. Delayed rutting and breeding could cause fawns to be born late, which would be a disadvantage on ranges where food is scarce.”

Whitetail are Fertile, Productive Animals

In short, observing does without fawns is not a barren doe issue. A large number of does without fawns by their sides, especially those in good physical condition, is an indicator of other deer management issues. Although the most common limiting factor of deer populations in many areas is a lack of deer habitat management, or more bluntly stated, poor habitat quality, I don’t believe this is the case in the situation presented by the questioner above.

In Texas, does with body weights of 115 to 130 pounds would be considered quite healthy. When deer have good, healthy body weights, one would expect the habitat to also be in good condition and that fawn recruitment would be high. In the case above, it’s suspected that predators could be the problem rather than inadequate nutrition. So, how long do whitetail deer breed? Well, they will produce fawns as long as nutrition is adequate.

Providing good deer habitat typically alleviates predator issues in whitetail, but there have been instances when predators at extreme numbers, particularly within high-fenced ranches, can become a serious deer management issue. Barren does are not the problem, but predator numbers very well could be.

The Rut and Young Bucks

The white-tailed deer rut came and went with the the deer hunting season, but let’s not forget the importance of successful breeding in deer management as we look forward to yet another (hopefully) wet spring and summer. Many hunters and deer managers looking to provide additional food sources for whitetail have already started planning their spring food plots while others are knee-deep in brush management, which will mean more high quality forbs. By the way, let’s not forget that winter is the time for managing and reducing brush — not July and August!

The rut is a great time for a deer hunter because mature bucks can become quite vulnerable as they search for or trail hot does, but the rut is also the time of the year when bucks and does handle the business of reproducing the next generation of deer for your property. The length of gestation is plus or minus 200 days for whitetail deer, so it’s pretty easy to calculate when fawns will start hitting the ground on your property or lease. Will the habitat on your property be ready?

Whitetail Deer Management: Young Bucks and Breeding

Do Young Bucks Breed?

Until more recently, it’s long been believed that young whitetail bucks did not participate much during the rut. It was often assumed that young bucks bred young does while the middle-aged and mature bucks took care of the middle-aged and older does. The mating system in white-tailed deer was commonly described as dominance-based hierarchy, where dominant bucks did the lion’s share of the breeding. Under this assumption, the bigger, older bucks would pass their genes on to bunches of fawns, while the younger and less dominant (middle-aged and young) bucks would be lucky to sire a fawn or two.

Additionally, it was often thought that older does would simply reject young, unimposing bucks. This reasoning meant the only way a young buck would participate in the rut was to breed a young doe. But as I eluded to earlier, this was the line of reasoning until more recently. Thanks to genetics and the ability to track the DNA of specific animals, research has taught everyone that all bucks participate during the rut.

In fact, a research project out of Texas A&M University-Kingsville found that yearling males successfully mated with females of all ages.

This blew that old theory out of the water and it also documented the occurrence of multiple paternity in the fawns that were produced. In short, the study found several instances where twin fawns born from the same doe were sired by different bucks. So in some cases, mature does were bred by mature and allegedly dominant bucks, but also by yearling (1 1/2 year old) bucks. This information should change the way you view those young bucks on your property. After all, when it comes to deer management — and apparently breeding — both age and genetics are important.

The study, which took place at the infamous King Ranch, also yielded some other interesting tidbits. It found that the breeding success of young bucks was primarily restricted to the peak of the breeding season when most does were in estrous. It was believed that young whitetail bucks had the most success during the peak of the rut because mature bucks will often form tending bonds with does, and this means mature bucks are not available to cover the other receptive does. This is where the young bucks step in.

Now you know that all bucks on your property will participate in the rut each year, regardless of age. What’s next, and how does this work into your deer management program? Simply said: Be highly critical of all bucks found on your property, regardless of age, if you are interested in improving the quality of the bucks in the future. Improving any whitetail herd through deer management comes down to controlling age, genetics and nutrition. In the case of bucks that participate during the rut, age may not be important, but quality certainly is.

White-tailed Deer in September

When it comes to deer hunting you just have to love late September in Texas. It is at this time of year that hard-antlered bucks show hunters really what they have to offer, and hunters search the woods for sign left by these pre-rut bucks. As testosterone levels rise, bucks remove the velvet that covered their growing antlers for the past 6 months. The act of a buck rubbing his antlers against a trees not only removes the dead, rotting velvet, but also helps strengthen the deer’s neck, shoulders and body as he prepares to do battle with his summertime friends.

September is rarely a time for hunting deer in Texas, except during those years when the Saturday closest to October 1st happens to be in September. No, most of all this month signals that deer hunters had better get their acts together. It’s time for placing out those last minute stands and deer feeders. It’s time for talking about deer, buying seed, and planting winter food plots. It is during this time of year that the eager hunter anticipates each trip to the game camera, never knowing what he or she may have captured.

Hunting the Rut - Look for Bucks Chasing Does

Most landowners participating in Texas’ Managed Lands Deer Permit deer management program have already wrapped up their deer surveys for the year, have received their harvest recommendations, and are ready to start working on achieving their harvest goals. It Texas, so it seems, a deer managers work is never done.

The recent cool front that pushed through most of the state this past week has really got the deer acting a bit frisky. No, I’m not eluding that the rut is on, at least not in most parts of the state. But believe it or not, research has found that many deer do rut during the month of September. In some instances, fawns are even conceived during late August! This is not the norm for the bulk of the state, but for deer living in the Gulf Prairies and Marshes this is not uncommon. Data from Texas Parks and Wildlife Department found that the peak breeding date for white-tailed deer in the northern portion of the coastal prairies was… September 30.

But just as some does breed early, some deer will breed late. This can cause confusion among hunters because one hunter will proclaim the rut is over in an area while another argues just the opposite. It’s the ole early rut versus the late rut argument. The truth is that deer will be bred throughout the fall and winter. Most of the older does will come into estrus earlier with the younger does following. Fawns born this year can also be bred by bucks in late winter, such as during January and February.

This weekend I plan on heading out to do some bowhunting in Colorado County. From past experience, I fully expect to see some bucks chasing, but I’ve been wrong before. I guess that’s why deer hunting and deer management are two different things. It’s easier to manage a population of deer than it is to hunt a specific deer. But I enjoy the challenge and hope to learn a little more each time I walk into the woods.