Hundreds of thousands of white-tailed deer are killed in Texas each fall and winter, but typically by deer hunters in search of big bucks and those looking to fill their freezers. Automobiles even get a few, but it seems the deer and hunters in Eastland County have something else to look out for now—poison. The Texas Agriculture Extension is advising all area health care providers of a poisoning in Eastland County that occurred approximately two weeks ago.

It seems a ranch south of Carbon, Texas, tried to kill feral hogs by mixing deer corn with a pesticide called Temik, which is a neurotoxin. Apparently, the rancher spread a very large amount of mixed, poisoned corn over their 2,000 acre peanut crop to kill feral hogs, but it turns out that white-tailed deer where also feeding on the same ranch.

BN: “With the opening of deer season this weekend, authorities are asking hunters not to eat ANY venison meat harvested in south Eastland County until further notice. Any deer appearing sick or stumbling should be avoided. Though ingested levels of poisoned corn would have to be high in a deer, waterfowl, and hogs to seriously affect humans, authorities note it is very toxic and possibly fatal.

State and federal investigations are in progress. Further questions and concerns can be directed to Michael Hare with the Texas Agricultural Extension office at 512-475-3305.”

This situation is unfortunate for Eastland County hunters for several reasons. Not only are they just days from the opener of Texas’ General Deer Season, but many non-target animals, including deer, will continue to be exposed to contaminated bait. Not only are hunters warned to not consume venison of harvested animals in the area, but their hunting license fees directly manage for each of the wildlife species impacted by this ignorant action.

It’s unknown how many animals are being directly impacted by the poisoned corn, but it’s even more disturbing to think what some individuals will do without considering the consequences of their actions.

Update: Corn poisoned with Temix and Aldicarb was found in 2 peanut fields and is suspected in 4 more. The location of the 2 confirmed poisoned fields is 9 miles South of Cisco, just West of SH 183, between CR173 on the North and CR170 on the South. The location of the 4 suspected poisoned fields is West of the 2 confirmed poison fields. These 4 fields are near the intersection of SH 206 and CR 218. The poisoned corn is still on the ground in the 2 confirmed poison locations. It is in piles throughout the field.

The dead animals found so far are 3 deer, 6 hogs, 1 red-tailed hawk, and 2 vultures. The poisoned corn was originally found October 7. The investigation has moved slowly because the people responsible have not been cooperative and have withheld information. Investigators are on site today. Several government agencies are involved in this “fluid, on going investigation.” The recommendation is to not eat deer killed in a 5 mile radius of these locations.

Hunters that have been out in the woods early this fall have undoubtedly bumped into some fresh rubs created by white-tailed bucks. Often times, discovering a new buck rub is enough to get my mind thinking about the deer that left the sign. How big is this whitetail? When was the animal here? Does he prefer the habitat found on this part of the property more? Where is the buck now? And, of course, will he return?

The general thinking on deer rubs is that big bucks rub actual trees and small bucks rub on saplings. This line of thinking suggests that the bigger the tree rubbed the bigger the whitetail buck doing the rubbing. Is this true? I would have to say yes, at least most of the time. The majority of bucks rubbing on larger trees are in fact larger antlered bucks. Bucks with large antlers tend to be larger bodied, mature, stronger, and as a result of all these attributes, dominant animals. 

But that does not mean that large bucks will not rub on saplings, or that smaller bucks will not rub on decent-sized trees. In nature anything can happen, but the general rule of thumb is that larger white-tailed bucks will create larger rubs. If you find a rub on a tree greater than 10 inches in diameter, chances are you have a very big buck in the area.   

Although many deer hunters have never really though about it, a buck rub is an interesting sign left by a deer for one of many reasons. As a matter of fact, buck rubs have different meanings at different times of the year, and hormones always play a role. Rubs created in very late summer and early fall are made in order to remove the decaying velvet from their hardened antlers after the completion of antler growth.

In early fall, bucks will continue to rub primarily on saplings and smaller trees  due to increasing levels of testosterone. Elevated levels of this hormore will increase aggression in white-tailed bucks, so the act of antler rubbing not only relieves this stress build up, but prepares the deer for battle by strengthening neck muscles.  

As fall progresses and the whitetail rut nears, bucks will take their workout to the next level by seeking out larger trees for larger, more dominant looking rubs. A large rub then serves as a visual and olfactory (smell) sign to other bucks in the area. In short, if you can’t make a rub as big as the one you see here, then hit the road unless you’re ready to throw down. 

Some bucks make only a few rubs within their home range, while others make numerous rubs within a very small area. It is difficult to estimate the number of bucks using an area by the number of rubs, but rubs are a sure sign that at least one buck is in the area. Additionally, if given the choice between hunting a buck rub or a buck scrape, choose the scrape every time. And remember, healthy deer with big bodies grow larger antlers, not the other way around!

Food plots are commonly used by deer managers to provide supplemental forage for white-tailed deer. Most hunters and deer managers prefer to plant forage species that are easy to maintain, but some plant species are worth the trouble. After all, nothing worth having comes easy and a little extra work can pay off big, especially if you consider alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) as a forage plant. Alfalfa is an excellent spring, summer, and early fall food plot choice for white-tailed deer. Alfalfa is a cool-season perennial legume that contains 16% to 26% of highly digestable protein. Not only will whitetail flock to a well-established alfalfa field, but this perennial can surive for 5 to 10 years, if properly managed.

Since established alfalfa plants can have taproots that extend to a depth of over 5 feet, this forage species makes for a very drought tolerant food plot. And what’s better than a drought tolerant food plot? Well, how about a highly productive food plot that is capable of fixing its own nitrogen? Yes, this forage plant is a legume that does not need the application of nitrogen fertilizer. Although not always easy to establish, alfalfa should be considered a highly effective forage plant for fall and winter food plots.

Despite the fact that alfalfa has many attributes that make it a great choice for forage plots, alfalfa can be difficult for landowners to establish and maintain. Alfalfa is not a plant where you can just disk, throw, and grow with the addition of a little fertilizer like oats or wheat. Alfalfa has low tolerance for moisture and soil acidity and it performs best on well-drained soils (loam to sandy loam) with a pH between 6.5 and 7.5. And even though alfalfa is capbable of fixing its own nitrogen, plots usually requires annual applications of other soil nutrients such as phosphorous, potassium, sulfur, and even boron. Alfalfa must also be inoculated with Rhizobia bacteria (Type A) prior to planting.

Recently-planted and poor (thin) stands of alfalfa are susceptible to heavy competition from weeds and are susceptible to over-grazing by white-tailed deer, especially before establishment or early in the plant’s growing season. For this reason, it is important that proper seedbeds are prepared, competitve plant species are controlled, and that white-tailed deer are not present at a high density. If over-browsing could be an issue early on, then it is recommended that animals be excluded from the food plot until it is established.

Currently, there are over 220 varieties of alfalfa. Alfalfa varieties are rated for fall dormancy and winter hardiness, and these factors should be considered based on the latitude of your property. Fall dormancy relates to how soon an alfalfa variety stops growing in the fall and how early it begins growing again in the spring. Winter hardiness is how well an alfalfa variety will survive over multiple winters. Once established, the dormancy and winter hardiness ratings determine the length of the variety’s annual growing season and the life of the alfalfa food plot. The best way to choose alfalfa varieties that are suitable in your area is to talk directly with local seed dealers, agricultural extension agents, and wildlife biologists.

Alfalfa can be planted in September and October, grow 2 to 3 feet in height, and produce an astounding 3 to 5 tons of high quality forage per acre! It is a cool season species that will start growing in late March, persist through the summer, and grow throughout October at southern latitudes. Planting rates vary by variety, but usually run around 15 to 20 pounds per acre at a cost of $70 per acre. Alfalfa food plots may require some effort and be more costly up front, but the reward is a high quality forage that will benefit your whitetail and deer management program year after year.

Every animal, including white-tailed deer, has an area that they call home. In the wildlife world this area is know as home range. The home range of an individual white-tailed buck, however, varies by season. One would expect that the range of a buck would be fairly stable for much of the year, only to increase in size during the breeding season. This increase in range would be the result of the buck’s behavior and increased movement in his search for receptive does. Although thought to be true, does this phenomenon really happen? 

Summer is a good time to be a whitetail buck. Not only do male deer get along, but packs of bucks run together in beloved bachelor groups. Hunters and managers alike get a thrill every time they stumble across a fraternity of whitetail. These observations often serve as confirmation that their harvest stategies or deer management programs are effective. We all like to see healthy bucks. Bachelor groups, by the way, can range in size from 2 to 3 deer up to as many as 28 bucks. At least that is the largest number of free-ranging bucks seen together that anyone has ever reported to me.

It is also during the summer that bucks move around a fair amount, but not as much as during the rut. As summer draws to an end, most bucks become less mobile and highly patternable. It is the time immediately after bucks shed their velvet that they become aggressive towards one another and a bit more territorial. By September, hunters at southern latitudes will start to see individual bucks visiting the same feeding areas again and again.

This is especially true for hunters that use game cameras to monitor their feeders, ag fields, and food plots. That is, if there is a spring food plot left to monitor after summer and the local deer have their way with it. During much of the summer, bucks will be picked up here and there on game cameras as they travel around the countryside eating where they may, but after developing hardened antlers it is a whole other story. A buck’s antlers are quite tender while covered in velvet. Not the case once they harden.

Changes is hormone levels in addition to physical changes cause bachelor groups to disband. Bucks flying solo will hone in on stable food sources and form a core area until the rut. During the breeding season, whitetail bucks will, for the most part, expand upon their summer range in search of receptive does. Following the rut, bucks will sink back into their core range.

A buck’s seasonal range increases and decreases based on many factors, but bucks fall into a very repetitive routine between the loss of velvet and the start of the rut. Year-in and year-out, white-tailed deer have a fairly predictable home range that will vary between seasons. Much a whitetail buck’s movements are determined by environmental conditions, food availability, and the breeding season. Whether you are a hunter looking to bag a buck this year or a landowner interested in better deer management, pay attention to the areas that whitetail bucks are using and use it to your advantage.

The importance of estimating a white-tailed deer herd on an annual basis is critical to any ranch interested in deer management. And although several survey types (methods) should be combined to get the most accurate deer population estimate, I prefer to use spotlight surveys to estimate the deer density on any given ranch. With that said, deer spotlight surveys on properties less than 400 acres in size become less reliable. The smaller the ranch, the more I shy away from using spotlight routes. This is not necessarily because the methodology is bad, but because smaller ranches have fewer roads. Fewer roads equates to shorter spotlight survey routes and data that is less reliable.

But it can get even worse, especially if a property owner tries to create more survey length by looping around in a smaller area. Surveying smaller properties increases the potential of counting deer in one area, then looping around and counting them again in another area. To accurately estimate deer density on any ranch, animals can not be repeatedly counted along the route. I refer to the importance of maintaining and recording data on individual deer herds all of the time, but I’ve never mentioned exactly how a spotlight survey should be conducted. We are going to fix that today. If you are interested in getting the best white-tailed deer density estimate possible, then this is how a spotlight survey should be performed. 

Set Up the Best Deer Survey Route Possible

First, rarely is it possible to survey a ranch perfectly. A perfect spotlight route would go through the wooded and open portions of a property at proportion which those areas occur on the ranch. This rarely happens because surveys are usually restricted to the roadways that exists on the property. I recommend getting an aerial photo as a map, highlighting the roads, and then determining the best possible route. By looking at the map you can determine the longest (and/or best) route possible using the available roads, but you can also readily see potential problems. Keep in mind that you do not have to use all roadways.

Avoid areas where you may re-count deer, such as driving tight loops or driving along narrow, wooded areas where you count deer on one side and then eventually drive around the other side and count them again. Do your best to cover the ranch as thoroughly as possible, and do not go out of your way to drive by every single feeder or food plot. A big assumption of the spotlight survey is that deer are evenly distributed on the property, so do not bait the line in an attempt to attract deer for counting. This will cause an over-estimate.      

Determine the Acreage Surveyed

Surveying whitetail is fun, and yearly counts can give you trend information about the deer herd, but without determining the amount of acreage surveyed, it is impossible to estimate the number of deer on your ranch. It is not difficult to calculate the acreage surveyed, but you should do this prior to conducting the survey. To do this, go to the starting point of the route and set your trip meter to zero. Record the distance, in yards, up to 300 yards, that you can see a deer to the left and to the right. This is typically the distance to the brush or tree line, but also take grass taller than 3 1/2 feet high into account. Next, drive one-tenth (1/10) of  a mile and record the distance that you can see, on average, to the left and to the right again. Do this every one-tenth of a mile until you get to the end, and take the distances there, too. Record the length of the route.  

It is now possible to calculate the area surveyed because we know the length of the line and the width of the survey route was recorded every one-tenth of a mile. We are going to go through an example now, so hold on. Let’s say the spotlight route is 2.0 miles in length. Left and right distances would be recorded at the starting point and then to the left and right every one-tenth of a mile for 2.0 miles. This would result in 21 distances to the left and 21 distances to the right. Add all 42 of these numbers together and divide by 21. This will give you the average width (W) of the survey route, in yards.

Next, multiply the length of the route in miles by 1,760 to convert the length to yards. In this case, it would be 2.0 miles x 1,760 yards for a length (L) of 3,520 yards. Now, let’s say the average width (W) is 75 yards. Using the formula Area (A) = L x W, then 3,520 yards (L) x 75 yards (W) would be 264,000 square yards (A). And since there are 4,840 square yards in an acre, if we divide 264,000 by 4,840 then we find that the survey actually covered 54.5 acres. Here comes the cool part. If 8 deer are counted on the survey, then the deer density is 1 deer for every 6.8 acres (54.5 acres/8 deer). If the entire ranch is 500 acres, then 500/6.8 acres per deer means the property has an estimated deer population of about 73 deer.   

Conduct the Deer Survey at the Right Time

The best time to count deer is in late summer and early fall. At southern latitudes, say from Texas across the Southeastern United States, August through early September is the very best time to conduct deer surveys. Why count deer during this period, you ask? Well, deer are actively feeding at night (to avoid late summer heat) and are not skittish. After all, it’s been many months since deer hunters have been running around in the woods. In addition, it is at this time of year that antlered bucks are easily identified from does and most of the years’ fawns are up, about, and able to be counted, too.

Spotlight surveys should be started approximately one hour after official sunset. This gives deer time to get to where they are going. You will be surprised by some of the areas deer use after the sun goes down. To increase your reliability in the data, conduct at least three spotight surveys during this period. The more the better, but a minimum of three highly recommended.

Count and Record Deer Sightings Correctly

To conduct a spotlight deer survey correctly, a minimum of 3 people are needed. Do not try to do this yourself–you will miss deer! In most cases, surveys are condcuted from trucks, jeeps, or some other vehicle that can navigate the ranch roads and hold a driver and at least two observers. The driver is responsible for staying on route while one observer spotlights and counts the left side and the other spotlights and counts the right side. Survey routes should be driven at 5 to 8 miles per hour, depending upon terrain. Any spotlight greater than 100,000 candle power (CP) will work. If you want to bulk up you  use one of those gigantic 5 million CP spotlights, but you will not count any more deer than you would have using a 400,000 CP light. 

Spotlight surveys are simple in method, but the data can be easily botched by novices. First, observers should make no assumptions. Any deer observed should be put into one of four categories: bucks, does, fawns, and unidentified deer. You will likely have a good number of unidentified deer. Repeated guessing by observers/recorders can skew both fawn production and buck to doe ratios. Spotlight surveys are best suited to estimating deer density. The number one goal during a spotlight survey is to record the number of deer observed. If the observer can clearly see that a deer is a buck, doe, or fawn, then the information should be recorded as such. Otherwise, record the animal as an unidentified deer. Also, binoculars can be carried by observers and to accurately identify deer. 

Use Additional Deer Survey Techniques

The spotlight survey method is a good way to estimate the number of deer on your ranch, but it is not the only survey technique you need for your deer management program. Daylight incidental surveys should also be conducted during the August and early September time period. The data collected while conducting daylight surveys will compliment spotlight survey data. Spotlight surveys are best suited for estimating deer density. Daylight deer surveys are best suited for estimating herd composition numbers, such as buck to doe ratio and estimating fawn production. And lastly, camera surveys can be used to compliment spotlight data when properly conducted, particularly on high-fenced ranches.