doe harvest | Buck Manager

Deer Density, Buck to Doe Ratio, and Harvest Rates

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the impacts of habitat quantity and quality on white-tailed deer harvest rates. Habitat quantity does not necessarily impact the harvest rate itself, but a property that provides a smaller amount of habitat must harvest fewer deer than a property that provides a larger amount of habitat in order to keep the deer population on the ranch stable. Habitat quality, however, can vary between properties that provide the same quantity (in acreage) of deer habitat, which in turn impacts the health and productivity of the ranch’s deer population.

Habitat quality impacts deer harvest rates because herd productivity will vary between properties. If deer density is held constant, deer on a property that provides good habitat will be in better condition than deer on poor habitat. This superior body condition can be measured through increased body weights in animals and improved antler quality in every age class of bucks. Today, I will discuss how fawn survival, as effected by deer density and the buck to doe ratio, can significantly impact the annual harvest of white-tailed deer populations. Continue reading “Deer Density, Buck to Doe Ratio, and Harvest Rates”

Doe Harvest with Caution?

Not all that many years ago it was considered unsportsman-like to shoot a doe deer. Since then, however, wildlife biologists and hunters have realized that proper doe harvest is an important part of white-tailed deer management, although I suspect there is a small percentage of landowners that still do not allow doe to be harvested on their properties. After all, a landowner has the ability to be more conservative than the law and choose not to harvest antlerless deer, even if hunting regulations permit it.

But is a no doe harvest really justified? Maybe, but then maybe not—particarly if the only reason holding someone back is the “old school” philosophy of not shooting female deer. It is true that the shooting of does may not be justified in some areas. Not every deer whitetail population can sustain regular doe harvest. Some deer herds may allow periodic doe harvest, such as every other year or every third year, for example, while others need regular (annual) doe harvest to thrive. So why does the harvest of whitetail doe vary by area? Continue reading “Doe Harvest with Caution?”

Shooting Does With Fawns

Last week I wrote an article discussing harvesting white-tailed deer early in the season, which I strongly recommend. The article discussed why it is important to remove deer before winter, especially does, and the benefits of having a deer herd at carrying capacity. Well, one reader posed a question that many of you may be interested in:

“What about nursing fawns early in the season? Will taking lactating does hinder growth and development in these young deer?”

Yes and no. To begin, whitetail fawns are usually weaned and become functioning ruminants at eight weeks of age. Most fawns at southern latitudes are born in late May and June, meaning the majority of fawns are weaned by the end of August. And this makes sense from a biological perspective, because as late-summer food sources deplete the doe can then rely on the fawn to nourish itself. This covers the majority of whitetail fawns that hunters will encounter in the field during the fall hunting season. Continue reading “Shooting Does With Fawns”

Harvest Does Early In The Season

Deer hunting season takes place in the fall for one primary reason — to remove excess animals from the landscape prior to winter. When it comes to the deer carrying capacity, winter is THE limiting factor. As a result, proper harvest is essential for the deer herd found on your property, their habitat, and your overall deer management program. With the the onset of winter just around the corner, do not forget to harvest deer, especially does, as early as possible.

I mention this now because as the end of the year approaches, the time that many hunters have to head to the field decreases. The Christmas and New Year’s holidays can take away from your days in the field. It’s hard to harvest deer and reach harvest quotas if hunters can not make it out to the ranch.

With winter officially kicking off on December 21, time is running out to get the deer population on your property down to its winter carrying capacity. If you are not sure what the proper deer carrying capacity for your ranch is, then you first need to contact a wildlife biologist in your area. Carrying capacity refers to the number of deer that a property can over-winter.

Proper Doe Harvest - Remove Does Early In The Season

It varies by ecological region, habitat type, and ranch, but it is the first piece of information you need to properly manage any deer herd. If the proper density for a ranch is 1 deer for every 10 acres, then a 1,000 acre ranch can over-winter 100 white-tailed deer. Excess animals, if they exists, must be removed annually to ensure the health of the remaining deer.

With much of the deer season already gone, why should you always aim to harvest deer as early as possible in the season? Below I have listed three good reasons why early doe harvest is important for your deer management program.

Food — This is the primary reason you need to harvest deer early. Natural food sources will decrease throughout winter. If deer surveys estimate that 20 animals need to be removed from the ranch, why let those animals consume limited food resources for an additional month or two prior to harvesting them? Removing them early leaves the natural foods those “dead deer walking” would have consumed for the remaining animals, which keeps your deer herd healthy and strong. If a supplemental feeding program is in place, the same concept applies and you save money.

Buck to Doe Ratio — Bucks will continue to rut and breed does until all does are covered. If a large number of does must be removed, it is best to remove them early. If most of the does are bred early in the season, then bucks can save valuable energy and body mass. In addition, whitetail bucks become more visible because there are fewer does available in the woods. Maintain your buck to doe ratio and the overall health of your herd.

Fawning Dates — As mentioned above, harvesting excess does early in the season allows bucks to cover the remaining does much quicker. Fewer does per buck results in more does being bred on their first cycle. This, in turn, means more fawns are born earlier in the year. These early-born fawns will be larger before the other stress period for white-tailed deer sets in, summer. Early-born fawns means more food for lactating does, resulting in increased fawn production.

Late Summer: Time for Deer Surveys

Late summer is not just a stress period for wildlife, its also the time of year to survey white-tailed deer! If you regularly perform surveys on your property, you know the importance of conducting annual population estimates. For those of you that do not, surveys allow deer managers to get a snapshot of the local deer population just prior to hunting season. Without this information, it’s difficult to make harvest recommendations that fall in line with your management objectives.

The first piece of data you need going into the fall is a deer density estimate, or how many acres are available for each deer. In central Texas, where I am located, a good rule of thumb is to 8 to 10 acres of good deer habitat per deer. Free-choice supplemental feeding can drop that to about 6 acres per deer, but one thing to keep in mind is that typically as deer density goes up the quality of individual deer goes down.

The best way to estimate deer density is to perform spotlight surveys. The information collected during spotlight surveys not only includes the number of deer spotted during the census, but also the amount of acreage that was actually observed during the survey. For example, if you have a ranch that is 1,000 acres, you can visually see 200 acres during your census, and you count 20 deer, then you have 100 deer on your property. Without good visibility data the spotlight count data will be worthless. Continue reading “Late Summer: Time for Deer Surveys”