Small Acreage Deer Management: Part 2

Small Acreage Management Continued

Part one of this two part series on small acreage deer management discussed how selective harvest on properties less than 500 acres in size is difficult to control. Most deer in an area have home ranges that encompass neighboring ranches. The best remedy for combating the small acreage dilemma is to create cooperative, working with adjacent ranches to increase the quantity, and ideally quality, of land under a common white-tailed deer management program.

Increasing the reach of a small acreage management program is the first priority of any small landowner, or even large landowner for that matter. I also want to touch on the other important deer herd issues that were asked about in the first part of this series—estrus cycles, spikes, and buck to doe ratio.

Deer Management & Herd Parameters

First, with regard to the estrus cycles of deer, whitetail does cycle every 28 days. Late-born fawns result from does that cycle later than normal, or does bred on their second or third estrus cycle into the breeding season. Although born later than usual, late-born whitetail fawns are not genetically inferior to fawns born earlier in the fawning season.

In addition, research has shown that fawning date is not a factor in the antler production of yearling (1 1/2 year old) white-tailed bucks. Genes are genes and can not be changed, but antler production is influenced by environmental conditions. This circles back to the importance of managing for and maintaining high quality white-tailed deer habitat.

Small Acreage Deer Management

Buck Harvest on Small Tracts?

This brings us to the long-debated discussion about spike bucks. Some hunters believe spike must be harvested. Some are adamant that the protection of spike bucks is a necessity. There is no single, correct answer to this debate. The harvest approach depends on a specific deer population and the goals of the small acreage land manager. The thoughtful harvest of deer is important to be successful at managing deer and their habitat.

I mentioned that environmental conditions influence buck antler quality. This is true for all age classes, but some bucks in each age class will be better or poorer than average. Research has found that some yearling (1 1/2 year old) bucks on poor diets (simulating poor habitat conditions) still developed into 5, 6, 7, and 8-point deer. This is interesting from a research perspective. However, harvesting spikes will not change the genetic composition of a deer herd on a large or small property. Why? Females contribute at least on-half of the genes found in every fawn.

Furthermore, bucks must be allowed to age if the land manager’s goal is to grow and produce mature, quality bucks. That means not shooting bucks when they are young during the deer hunting season. There are situations when the harvest of spikes is warranted, however.

Deer Harvest is Essential

There is a time when shooting spikes is a good idea. It’s not a situation that all properties face. Reducing the overall deer population is important when the deer density of an area is extremely high, even on small acreages. Too few acres per deer leads to low quality habitat, smaller deer, smaller antlers and fewer fawns. Too many deer creates a nutritional stress in deer which leads to more 1 1/2 year old bucks showing up as spikes.

It’s a feedback loop that has to be broken. Too many total deer for the habitat means more (higher percentage) yearling spike bucks. In this situation, the selective harvest of bucks throughout the ag classes is recommended. This means shooting spikes on the yearling end so that those bucks with 5, 6, 7 and 8 points get to pass go. A high deer situation also means the selective harvest of does throughout the ag classes. Deer management is not just shooting bucks!

While we are on the topic, the study found  that 95% of spike bucks are yearlings (1 1/2 years old). There is an occasional 2-year old spike out there, but old spikes are very, very rare.

More than Shooting Deer

I understand why managers tend to focus on buck harvest. Love it or hate it, let’s use the commercial deer breeding world as an example. Again, this is just an example. There is not a single deer breeder out there lining up to buy spike-antlered yearling bucks. Why? Because they, like you, know that antler characteristics are highly heritable. The difference is that deer breeding and movement is controlled within a pen.

White-tailed deer management on small acreage is different from management on large acreage. Wild deer move around a lot during the breeding season. There is a good chance that bucks spending a lot of time on your property do not breed the does that spend a lot of time on your property. Furthermore, does can get bred multiple times during an estrus cycle. They can have twin fawns with different sires.

Avoid High Grading Bucks

The standard operating procedure outside of a deer management program is for hunters to shoot the bucks with the most antler points. Under this scenario, these good bucks get harvested early and are not allowed to pass on their much-desired genetics. Under a managed scenario, high-quality young bucks should be protected for later harvest.

Only in high deer density situations should bucks with lower quality antlers be harvested. Again, the objective is not to change the genetics of the deer herd, only to reduce the deer herd and save some young bucks for later harvest. Most small acreage deer management programs will want to protect all young bucks.

Deer Management & Buck:Doe Ratio

I’ve covered t the importance of buck to doe ratio in the past, so review the article for more in-depth information. Buck to doe ratio is very important in determining fawning dates and small acreage managers should shoot for about a 1:2  buck to doe ratio. Larger and/or game-fenced properties can shoot for a more equal buck to doe ratio (1:1), but smaller ranches should carry a few more does than bucks.

In the case of a 1:10 buck to doe ratio, the number of bucks compared to the number of does is not likely not that bad. It’s difficult and rare to have a ratio that skewed. However, do collect deer survey data in late-summer and early-fall. Develop harvest recommendations based on those estimates based on the goals and objectives of the small acreage deer management program. Since it does sound like the land manager has many more does than bucks, it’s high time to trim down the female segment of the deer herd.

Removing excess does (and bucks) will improve fawning dates. The remaining female deer will get bred earlier, during the first estrus cycle. As a result, this will increase fawn survival by providing less competition and more summer food for nursing does. This works perfectly if the property is providing high quality deer habitat. Better fawn survival means more bucks in the future. Better habitat means bigger bucks and a healthy deer herd.

Deer Management on Small Acreage: Part 1

Managing Deer on Small Acreage

Deer management is challenging. Attempting to manage deer on small acreage can be down right frustrating. When I say small acreage, I am referring to properties from 500 acres on down. Simply said, it is very difficult to manage white-tailed deer on small ranches because neighboring properties can influence an area’s deer population. Game-fenced ranches are a different story.

Don’t give up just yet if you own or hunt small acreage. There are still a few things you can do to manage and improve deer in your area. Favorable results can result from a focus on deer habitat improvement and harvest management.

Question: “I am a new hunter who has access to a small (85 acre) piece of property in Edwards County, Texas. I want to improve the quality of deer on the land that I hunt. Due to the very rocky terrain, food plots are out. I also need information on estrus cycles and need to know if the second and third cycle can degrade the quality of offspring. This land has a large number of 2-3 year old spikes and the buck to doe ratio is about 1 to 10. I am seeking any and all information to improve quality of deer.”

Small Acreage Deer Management

Small Acreage Takes Focus

First of all, food plots are fine if the land will support them. However, food plots are not necessary for the management of deer. They are not a cure-all for poor habitat either. Food plots are most important for managers attempting to support deer populations just at or slightly above the carrying capacity of the habitat found on a property. Small food plots are good places to attract deer for harvest., but small plots are not providing supplementation.

Providing supplemental foods will help deer on a ranch, but the first goal of any deer management program is good habitat management. Here is one thing to remember about food plots, especially spring food plots: When deer really need them, they will not grow. When they do grow, the deer do not need them. Small acreage tracts really can not afford to give up space to annual food plots.

Small acreage land managers must focus on good habitat. Manage the plant communities found on the property correctly and then you’ve got native vegetation that produces forage year-round for deer. A white-tailed deer eats about 2,000 pounds of forage annually. Consider managing existing vegetation to improve the growth and quality of foods. This can include brush management, forest thinning, prescribed fire, overseeding of pastures, and the addition of fertilzer. Prescribed harvest will keep deer numbers in line with the habitat, but first you need to know how many deer use the property.

Deer Surveys on Small Acreage

The next objective of a manager is to estimate the current deer population. Deer surveys can estimate the number of acres of habitat available for each deer. After the deer density is estimated, the manager can determine herd composition and harvest objectives. Now, this is where you need to think outside the box, outside property’s boundaries. Habitat management and deer surveys will only get you so far. The next component of a small acreage deer management program is harvest management.

I mentioned earlier that it is very difficult to manage deer on less than 500 acres because of the influence of neighboring properties. Deer have annual home ranges that average about 600 acres or more in size. More often than not, the number one reason management programs fall short is because of heavy harvest pressure on young and middle-aged bucks. The premature harvest of good, young bucks by neighbors is a morale killer of any property’s management program. Just the thought prevents most landowners or lessee from even attempting any type of deer management.

Multiply Deer Management Efforts

We generally discussed what a small ranch can do to benefit white-tailed deer in-house. But what about when deer are not on your property? Another important step outside of providing good habitat and estimating deer numbers is to contact neighboring land managers. This is good for many reasons and may determine if a small acreage property will attempt to manage deer.

First, let surrounding property owners that you are interested in improving the quality of deer. Most landowners are not opposed to better deer. Secondly, ask if they lease out their land or hunt it themselves. If the landowner hunts the property themselves, ask if they would be interested in forming a wildlife cooperative.  Multiple properties could be managed under a single management program.

If the landowner leases out the hunting rights, ask for information so that you can contact the lease coordinator. Most hunters that lease land for deer hunting already have some type of deer harvest rules in place. Simple modifications of harvest strategies may be all that is needed to improve the quality of the area’s deer herd.

Managing More than Deer

Some hunters blame “the neighbors” for shooting everything that walks. In turn, they themselves shoot young bucks believing that if they do not—their neighbors will. This often is not the case, but it likely comes from a place of fear or it’s merely a way to justify their own actions. It’s rarely as bad as one thinks although there are some horror stories out there. Communication can provide you the information you need to make an informed decision. Communication between neighboring properties can get everyone on the same page.

Most landowners want better quality deer and are open to forming a wildlife management cooperative. However, some will have no interest in deer management or simply will not want to be restricted in any way on their property. If this is the case, there is nothing you can do except to continue to contact the owners of the other properties surrounding your property. It only takes one neighbor with similar goals to increase the area under management by 2 to 20 times.

Small Acreage, Huge Potential

Many of the issues facing deer management on small acreage ranches have been addressed above. Although the list of issues and solutions is not all-encompassing, the biggest issue is overcoming the lack of land size. Ideally, the best way to manage deer on small properties is to join with neighboring ranches to form wildlife management cooperatives, also known as wildlife management associations. This groups smaller properties into a larger unit and allows for a single, comprehensive management program.

Although not a perfect system for overall deer herd management, wildlife cooperatives do provide the best avenue for harvest management on small acreage ranches. The remainder of the readers question is addressed in this second article, part two of managing deer on small acreage.