2009 | Buck Manager

Deer Not Eating Protein Pellets?

Genetics (genes) are the most important factor in determining antler characteristics in whitetail bucks. However, genes are not the only factors that determines a buck’s antler potential. Both age and nutritioninfluence how a deer’s genes are expressed. For example, even a buck with the genetic composition to grow the largest rack in the world was harvested at a young age or was malnourished, then the genes that the buck carried were never fully observed. Because age and nutrition determine how a buck’s genes are expressed, these factors are critical to the success of a sound deer management program that strives to produce high-quality bucks.

Although proper buck harvest is necessary to promote age and antler characteristics, nutrition can be achieved through a combination of habitat management and supplemental feeding. Habitat management is the single best way to provide year-round, high-quality food for deer, but this is typically only a viable option for land owners. Habitat management is not always feasible for hunters that lease land for deer hunting for a variety of reasons. In this case, hunters are limited to providing supplemental food through either food plots or free-choice protein pellets. Continue reading “Deer Not Eating Protein Pellets?”

B&C Scoring: Measuring Common Base Points

Hunters that commonly score white-tailed deer antlers are familiar with the measurements necessary to score most sets of antlers. However, there are special circumstances that scorers will encounter that can make life difficult, particularly when scoring non-typical sets of antlers. One point of confusion with many new Boone and Crockett scorers occurs when they encounter common base points.

Although these types of points can occur on both typical and non-typical sets of antlers, common base points are not always abnormal. Ensure that you accurately measure your buck’s antlers by learning a little more about measuring common base points on antlers. It could make a big difference for you or someone you know!

First, common base points are points that are joined at their bases and share some degree of webbing between them. In the above photo, the drawing on the left (L) illustrates two points that do not have a common base. However, the figure on the right (R) depicts two points that do have a common base. The two points on the right are common base points. The easiest way to distinguish common base points from two points that do not share a common base is to perform an imaginary cross-section at the base of the points where they attach to the main beam.

In the above photo, the cross-section of the base on L looks like an oval, whereas the cross-section of the base on R looks like a peanut or a figure eight. This cross-sectioning process is critical in making the call and establishes that two distinct points do exist. The two points on R are common base points that both extend to the main beam, but they do share some degree of webbing. The two points on L consists of one normal point and one abnormal point.

Now that we established that the points on R are common base points, how do we measure them? Well, it depends on whether the points are matched or unmatched and whether they are normal or abnormal points. This sounds confusing, but lets work through it. Let’s say the points of R are located on the right antler and are the G2 and G3. If the G2 and G3 are also common base points on the left antler, then the points are considered matched because they are in the same place on each side of the antlers. In this case, all points are considered normal, but the points should be measured from the tips to the dashed line as illustrated in the figure on the left below. Measurements are taken this way on matched common base points because an inflated circumference measurement (H3 in this example) will be recorded between the G2s and G3s on both sides.

On the other hand, if common base points are found only on one side (either the left or right side of the antlers; unmatched), then one of the points is likely normal and the other is abnormal because the point spacing is interrupted. Regardless of whether or not one of the points is matched or unmatched, the points should be measured and scored from the tip of the points to an imaginary line along the top of the main beam (as illustrated in the above photo on the right side).

Monster Illinois Buck Found Dead

Big Buck Down in Illinois

Every deer hunter loves a monster buck story, so here is a new one about a big buck found dead in Illinois. Like the world record non-typical white-tailed deer that was found dead in Missouri, two quail hunters found this big non-typical buck dead, but on a property near Petersburg, Illinois. I can imagine there is still quite a bit of heartache within the hunters in this area.

I mean, how would you feel if you caught a glimpse of this big Illinois whitetail while hunting? Or worse, had a picture of this giant buck at your stand while you were at work? Ouch!

Quail Hunters Find BIG Buck!

The hunters that found the big, dead buck had permission to hunt quail following deer hunting season. I think they jumped a few coveys, but the most notable thing they brought home was the head and antlers of this massive buck which unofficially scored 246 Boone and Crockett inches. Now, that is something to write home about!

The white-tailed buck was apparently caught on camera by a hunter’s game camera, but the deer apparently eluded hunters for yet another Illinois deer season. I do not know how old this big deer was, but preliminary reports state that no wounds were found on the deer, although coyotes had eaten on the carcass. An impressive buck, no doubt.

An Illinois Monster

Buck Management: What’s Up with Missing Brow Tines?

The hunting season has just ended for the majority of white-tailed deer hunters. Now, it’s time to reflect, look back over the past season while it’s all fresh in your mind. If you had the opportunity to spend many days in the field hunting, then you should have a good picture of the overall deer herd using the property you hunt.

Better yet, if you recorded deer observations while hunting, then you have the hard data to support what is happening under your property’s current deer management program. These field observations, in addition to game camera photos, will allow a deer manager to track individual bucks from one year to the next. I strongly recommend keeping both photo and stand observations since some bucks always seem to avoid getting caught on camera.

Are missing brow tines caused by genetics?

Missing Brow Tines

With regards to antlered deer, one issue that always seems to arise is the lack of brow tines (G1) on some whitetail bucks. Hunters have often questioned why some middle-aged and mature bucks simply lack brow tines. Is something going on in the deer herd?

Well, yes. Antler characteristics are genetically linked and highly heritable This means a young buck will likely look a whole lot like his daddy. To back up this claim, I will cite some long-term data collected from Kerr Wildlife Management Area (WMA), located in Texas.

From 1974 to 1997, the research facility at the Kerr WMA was involved in a number of studies designed to determine the role of nutrition and genetics in white-tailed deer antler development. During each of various studies that took place over that time, researchers recorded antler information for individual whitetail bucks throughout a 23 year period.

Deer Hunting and Management

Brow Tines on a Buck?

This wealth of antler data allowed wildlife biologists to back-test 217 whitetail bucks from yearlings (1 1/2) to 3 1/2 years of age and 168 bucks until they were 4 1/2 years old. That’s a lot of deer, and from what I can find, represents one of the largest sets of antler data available. So what did they find?

In short, data from 385 bucks found that 90 percent of the bucks without brow tines at 3 1/2 and 4 1/2 years of age were spikes at 1 1/2 years old! All bucks without brow tines at 1 1/2 years old lacked brow tines at 4 1/2 years old. On the other hand, all bucks with 5 or more points as yearlings had both brow tines at maturity. Bucks that had both brow tines as yearlings had both brow tines at 3 1/2 and 4 1/2 years of age.

Missing Brow Tines Starts with Spike Bucks

Incredible Antler Data

The numbers above speak for themselves. In addition, deer researchers know that antler characteristics in white-tailed deer are highly heritable, so the probability of passing on genes for specific antler characteristics (larger or smaller antlers) is a given. The future of the deer herd on a property depends a good amount on the quality of the bucks doing the breeding.

To sum up, a whitetail buck that has spikes as his first set of antlers has a 90 percent chance of developing into a buck with missing brow tines later in life. A buck that has 5 or more points as his first set of antlers is much more likely to have brow tines later in life, at least according to this data set out of Texas.

Deer Management Implications

How does knowing this information affect you and the deer you manage moving forward? It likely depends on the goals you have for the deer that use your property. If one of the goals is to harvest the maximum number of mature bucks on the property annually then you want to allow all bucks to reach maturity.

However, if you are looking to improve buck antler quality, then at least one of the factors you should consider is the quality of the young bucks on your land. Antlers are the result of genetics, but they are also influenced by the environment. Nutrition plays a role in how genes are expressed, how a buck looks.

This phenomenon can be seen is deer herds with suboptimal nutrition as spike bucks tend to comprise a higher percentage of the young bucks, those 1 1/2 years of age with their very first set of hardened antlers. In these types of situations, increasing the available food by reducing the size of the total deer herd or the addition of supplemental foods/forages may be an appropriate step to increase overall deer health, buck quality.

If a property provides ample food and a manager is seeing a high percentage of 1 1/2 year old bucks without brow tines on the property, then you now know it’s all in the genes. The only way to improve antler quality and reverse missing brow tines in older bucks is to put pressure on spikes and bucks without brow tines, regardless of age.

Deer Management for Brow Tines, Better Antlers

In this situation, deer management practices should also include rolling over the doe herd to reduce the number of old does sired by bucks lacking brow tines. This is not a management strategy that plays out overnight, but a practice that must be integrated into the long-term management of a deer herd using a property.

Two Big Whitetails Lock Up and Drowned

As hunters, we hate to see dead deer that are not hunter-killed. This includes deer hit by cars, deer hung in fences by their hind legs, and locked bucks. To non-hunters, it probably does not make sense — because each fall hunters harvest hundreds of thousands of white-tailed deer across the US. The big difference is that most hunters have a good understanding of how wildlife management, specifically deer management, really works and why it is necessary. But there’s much more lost than just hunter satisfaction.

Hunters and non-hunters that see the photos of these two dead bucks will consider it a bad thing. However, deer hunters realize that not only has some excellent table fare been lost, but the satisfaction of two successful harvests has vanished, as well. But nature can be cruel — and a bit ironic. Was each of these bucks fighting for the right to pass on their genes, or simply to prevent the other from passing on his? If it was the former, they both lose. If it’s the latter, they both, unfortunately, win.

These two whitetail bucks were found dead on a ranch near Tilden, Texas. They apparently drowned in a stock tank after getting locked together in a fight that really was a brawl for it all. From the photos, the bucks do not appear to be severely locked, but it only takes about 10 seconds to drown. The larger buck scored 166 Boone and Crockett inches and the 12 point buck went 154. Two good bucks, some happy hunters, hamburger meat and a lot of sausage lost.