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.

Winter food plots, which are typically the most reliable plots, found themselves high and dry at this time last year. But not this fall. Anyone that stuck a seed in the ground is now the beneficiary of a lush food plot, regardless of what was planted. Recently, however, not all food plots were being hit hard. I suspect that many hunters that were reporting low food plot use by deer up until now should find that cooler temperatures will move more deer onto those plots, and earlier in the day.

More deer is a good thing, especially during the rut! I’ve received reports from throughout much of the state, except South Texas, of bucks following does for the past couple of weeks, but I’ve seen a marked increase in chasing activity over the past four to five days. Central Texas hunters heading to the field over the next week should expect to see good action. If you can find the does you will find the bucks, and deer should be hitting food sources well thanks to cool, brisk weather over much of the state.

As always, make sure to keep the deer population in check with available habitat. On average, the body condition of deer has increased greatly going into the fall thanks to a solid acorn crop and additional forage provided by much-needed precipitation. Antler quality has not improved; lower than average antler growth was a result of the tough winter, spring, and summer we experience through most of Texas. However, keeping proper deer numbers where you hunt is an important component of deer and habitat management.

Too many deer means less food per mouth, and if the rain turns off, next year could be particularly tough since we are still way behind on total rainfall. In short, don’t hesitate to harvest deer where needed. Get out and enjoy the cooler weather and put yourself in posititon to take advantage of increased white-tailed deer rutting activity. And remember, squeeze the trigger!

As hunters prepare to head to the field this weekend for the opening of Texas’ general deer hunting season, white-tailed deer in the central part of the state have already begun their rutting activity. Cooler weather combined with the last week in October is a recipe to kick off the deer breeding season in the Hill Country and, yes, bucks are already chasing does!

As a matter of fact, I received a report from Coryell County late last week that several bucks were following does closely. In addition to decreasing photoperiod, the cold front that rolled through the central Texas on Sunday night really put the bucks on the move, so we know does are cycling into estrous. A number of biological and behavioural changes are dependent on photoperiod, but cooler weather always seems to put bucks on the move.

Over the last week, I’ve seen several white-tailed bucks that were road-killed — a sure sign that bucks are not thinking straight. Then Monday morning, I spotted two different bucks chasing does in Burnet County where I typically do not see deer. If you are planning on heading to the field this week to bag your buck be prepared to see some rutting activity and stay a little longer – because rutting deer can move anytime. But if you don’t bag your buck during the early rut this weekend, don’t worry. The rut peaks on the eastern part of the Hill Country around November 10 and the central and western parts near November 30.      

I’ve discussed buck to doe ratio more than once, but today we are going to talk about how buck to doe ratios impact subsequent fawning dates and recruitment of fawns into your white-tailed deer herd. Many factors can impact rutting or breeding activity, but most of the breeding takes place over a relatively short time in healthy deer herds. Timing, of course, depends on latitude, local conditions, and a host of other factors, but year-in and year-out most of the rut takes place more or less over the same time each year in a given area. Though often overlooked, buck to doe ratio should be an important deer management consideration on your ranch. 

In the previous sentences, I was talking about a “healthy” deer herd and said “most” of the breeding takes place at the same time, but what exactly does that mean. Well, a healthy deer herd would be one that is at carrying capacity for the habitat, has a buck to doe ratio of no fewer than 1 buck per 3 does, and all animals are in good body condition. With that said, most of the breeding would happen over the course of a 10-day period or less.

Why? Well as deer have evolved, the timing of deer breeding/rutting as become more constricted. A properly timed rut results in a high fawn survival rate and ultimately in the survival of the species. In some areas at northern latitudes, climate conditions can be extreme — so deer have adapted to a narrow fawning window. If fawns are born too early, it can still be too cold. If too late, they may not have enough time to build up the needed body mass and energy needed to get through the winter. At southern latitudes, temperature is not as much of a factor, but it still plays a role on those born way too early or late.

So without getting into all the factors that can impact fawning dates today, let’s talk about buck to doe ratios and how that effects the fawning season. White-tailed does come into estrus for only a day or two — usually in high numbers as if someone hit a switch. If they are not bred within that time, they will come back into estrus 28 days later. If there are not enough bucks to service all the does in an area, those does will not get bred until about a month later. If they aren’t bred then, it’s another 28 days. This explains what some people refer to as the “late rut.”

At this point you may be asking yourself “what’s the problem?” Well, it’s true that deer populations with a high number of does per buck still have high breeding success (number or percent of does bred), but those deer herds don’t necessarily have good recruitment of fawns into the adult population. One reason can simply be because of habitat conditions. If it turns out to be a dry spring, being born just one month later may have serious consequences with regards to the food sources available for a doe to maintain herself and raise fawns. If that’s two months later, that may be well into the summer season.

In short, make sure you have a proper buck to doe ratio in your area and it will most likely increase both breeding and fawning success. In the future we will discuss some of the other factors that impact fawn survival and recruitment.

If you’re like most deer hunters, you spend the majority of your time in the woods during the fall and winter of each year. However, the habitat that deer live in, just like the animals themselves, are found there year-round — so get out and explore it, learn more about it, and find some shed antlers!

With spring just around the corner and whitetail bucks starting to shed antlers, there is a good opportunity to learn more about your hunting area and the deer that live there. Most hunters get excited when bucks start growing their antlers each year — it’s a chance to witness the impact of past management and look forward to future harvests. It really is something to get pumped up about.

But on the other hand, there are those hunters that get excited as the hunting season ends. It marks the fact that soon bucks will be dropping their coveted antlers. You know, there are ways to get a huge set of antlers on your wall other than shooting the big boy. He may have eluded you during the season, but you can still find his shed antlers!

Click to enlarge.

Finding shed deer antlers not only ends with great rewards you get to take home, but also with some valuable information you can tuck away in your back pocket for next season. Information such as the quality of bucks that made it through the last hunting season, the number of different bucks that were in the area, and specific areas that these bucks used while in your area.

Shed antlers also allow you to physically track bucks that you may have been keeping a close eye on. Measurements that can be taken from year to year include common measurements such as beam length, tine length, and mass measurements.

A few tips to increase your chances of finding deer sheds:

• Look in and around late-season food plots.
• Examine travel corridors and water sources.
• Use a game camera to ensure most bucks have shed.
• Don’t wait too long. Rodents will eat and destroy antlers due to the coveted minerals they contain. In addition, warming weather will spur grass growth and make finding antlers more difficult.
• Keep an eye out for new hunting locations.

White-tailed doe fawns can become capable of breeding at six to seven months of age and approximately 70-pounds, but this varies a bit depending upon latitude and individual body condition. In northern states, whitetail fawns may achieve adequate size, but because of their bodies need for energy for survival, reproductive development will be delayed.

In addition, shorter days and cooler temperatures provide environmental cues that limit both sexual maturity and the breeding season in does. In southern parts of the United States, doe fawns can achieve puberty toward the end of the rut (January and early February) and be bred during that period. Often times, big whitetail bucks observed chasing doe fawns that have come into estrus are blamed for the “late rut.”

Doe fawns with excellent nutritional levels have greater incidence of ovulation and puberty than fawns with inadequate levels of nutrition. With this in mind, in areas with very poor habitat, even yearling does (1.5-year old) can remain sexually immature! In one research study in the mid-west, approximately one-third of doe fawns examined were reproductively fertile in December.