Each landowner or property manager must recognize the habitat needs of white-tailed deer on a continual basis and direct management towards meeting those needs. Since white-tailed deer have a relatively small home range of about ½ to 1-mile in radius over an annual basis, all of their needs for growth, reproduction, and cover must be met within this unit.

Whitetail will seldom move from within their home range to meet their needs, even though better conditions may exists in the surrounding area! Deer are very versatile in their feeding habits and will eat a wide variety of items, including fruits, browse, forbs, agricultural crops, and even small amounts of grass. Deer “perform” best in habitat where a great variety of preferred food items are present. (more…)

Exotic deer were first imported into North America during the 1900’s and are now found throughout most of the white-tailed deer’s range in the United States. The number of exotics increased rapidly in the 1950’s. In Texas alone, the last exotic survey was performed in 1996 — and at that time there were an estimated 190,000 animals and 76 different species. Current estimates put the statewide number of exotic ungulates at 250,000!

Research has examined food habits of axis, sika, fallow, blackbuck antelope, and aoudad sheep — and data conclusively found that most exotics directly compete with white-tailed deer. Exotic deer, like whitetail, either preferred forbs or preferred browse, but could perform well on grass, as well. Regular readers of Buck Manager know that white-tailed deer prefer forbs when they are available, but as forbs become unavailable, they shift their diet to browse. (more…)

Managing for proper nutrition in white-tailed deer is important for good body condition, good fawn production and recruitment, and maximum antler growth. Good nutrition can be accomplished by doing three things that involve proper habitat management, supplemental feeding, and the planting of food plots.

Most everyone is familiar with the benefits of supplemental feeding (high-protein food, often pellets), but it can be expensive and it promotes the urge to artificially maintain excessive numbers of deer. With that said, supplemental feeding is not a bad thing, but it must be combined with other sound deer population management practices. (more…)

One of the questions often asked is, “Can I manage for both livestock and wildlife on a profitable basis?” Well, the answer is “yes” and it’s easy to implement. One of the primary objectives of a sound deer management program is to assure that plants provide for leaving adequate food and cover for deer and other wildlife during a cattle operation.

Often times, brush management — rather brush clearing — is desirable because cattle eat grass. However, one thing to keep in mind is that deer do not eat much grass at all! But if brush clearing is desired, make sure that it is done properly so that deer are not adversely impacted. For example, deer like a open to wooded ratio of about 50:50, so make sure your property is represented with at least 50% brush or woody cover.

However, keep in mind that the west side of your property shouldn’t be the open half and the east side of your property the wooded half if you desire deer across your land! Since whitetail are primarily browsing ruminants, make sure woody patches are distributed throughout your property so that deer can utilize browse and forbs evenly. Make sure travel corridors are available so that deer can securely travel witin your property. Wildlife will only succeed where their basic requirements of food and cover are satisfied. (more…)

Many hunters, land managers, and biologists believe that a 16% protein food source is needed for bucks to achieve maximum antler growth and does to achieve maximum fawn production. And this is true, but it’s not. Protein levels are of most importance during specific times of the year.

For antler growth, that period is from late winter through the end of the antler-growing period. For fawn production, the period when protein levels are most critical to does is during fetal development and lactation. And in general, protein levels are highest in native forage during spring and fall and are lowest during summer and winter. This makes sense.

But what about when protein becomes limited, such as during the summer and winter? Deer can compensate for this seasonal availability of protein through protein recycling, but this means proteins will be used for critical functions first. It’s not a coincidence that antler growth and fetal fawn development coincide with the seasonally high level of proteins during the spring. (more…)

Considering the broad range of habitats occupied by white-tailed deer, it is no wonder managers become confused about the nutritional requirements of deer. In the course of my articles on buck management, I have repeatedly discussed the three factors that influence antler quality in bucks: age, genetics, and nutrition.

Of these factors, nutrition is probably the most easily to control for producing quality bucks with quality antlers. Whitetails are extremely adaptable and food preferences and requirements vary greatly between and even among regions. White-tailed deer are much different than other deer species (which tend to be generalist with regards to forage.) Whitetails are more specialized feeders that select specific foods in order to satisfy their nutritional requirements. (more…)

Prescribed burning can be very effective at maintaining highly-productive white-tailed deer habitat. It is one of the best mangement tools we have. However, many folks get really nervous whenever someone talks about burning their property because there has been so much negative press regarding wildlfires and the “destruction” of wildlife habitat. Truth be known, wildfires are natural and both plants and animals are adapted to the periodic disturbance caused by fire.

Prescribed burns, however, are not and should not be wild. When setting up a prescribed burn, prescribed fire, controlled burn, or whatever you want to call it, the person responsible for the fire basically writes a prescription for the fire. This means that a host of conditions must be met in order to carry out the burn safely and effectively. Fire breaks, fuel loads, sustained wind direction, relative humidty, and safety equipment must all be address for a properly conducted prescribed burn. When all conditions of the burn are met, the prescription is completely achieved, and the area can be burned. (more…)

How much of your property or ranch should you put into food plots? Good question, but the answer depends upon the actual amount of deer habitat you and neighboring properties have, the carrying capacity of the land, and the amount soil you have that is food plot friendly.

Generally, estimates range from 1 to 6 percent in both cool season and warm season food plots, but that wouldn’t make much sense if your property is smaller in size. (more…)