Buck Manager | Buck Manager

Killing Mature Bucks Means Not Shooting Them Young

Hunting Mature Deer

The secret to killing mature bucks during hunting season means implementing harvest management: Don’t shoot them. Well, at least not while they are young. If bucks are protected when they are young and allowed to age then they will become mature. Makes sense, right?

Shooting mature bucks down the road means not filling your tag/s with young and middle-aged bucks this year, or maybe even next year. More and more deer hunters are subscribing to this deer management philosophy. But at some point, young bucks grow up to be old bucks. And shooting older bucks is exactly what US hunters did during the 2014-15 deer season.

The deer harvest data we are discussing today is from the season prior. It takes some time to compile the information from each state and put it into a cohesive report. It will be equally interesting to see how the 2015-16 whitetail season shakes out.

You have to have mature bucks in order to hunt them. — Image pureairnatives.com

Deer Management Practiced, Bucks Mature

According to harvest data compiled by the Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA) in its 2016 Whitetail Report, deer hunters in the United States tagged more mature white-tailed bucks than 1 1/2 year old (yearling) bucks for the first time in recent history. Yearling bucks comprised 33 percent of the buck harvest, continuing the steady decline since 1989 when yearling bucks made up 62 percent of the buck harvest.

Source: “Since QDMA was founded in 1988, we’ve watched the harvest pressure on yearling bucks decline steadily from the extremes seen after restoration, and this resulted in climbing rates of mature-buck harvest as more older bucks became available. However, the 2014-15 season will be remembered as the first where the two trends intersected and hunters took more mature bucks than yearlings.

“The ongoing decline in harvest pressure on yearling bucks means that more and more hunters are enjoying an opportunity to see and kill mature bucks. They’re also enjoying other benefits of hunting deer populations with healthy numbers of older bucks, like intensified rut activity, more rubs and scrapes, and better success with rattling and grunt calls. This is good for hunter retention and participation, which is good for ensuring the future of deer hunting.”

Top States for Mature Whitetail Bucks

According to the 2016 Whitetail Report, the top state that killed the most mature bucks during the 2014-15 season was Mississippi, where 74 percent of bucks killed were 3 1/2 years old or older, followed by Arkansas and Louisiana at 67 percent, Texas at 62 percent and Oklahoma at 60 percent. The 5 states also had low harvest rates for yearling bucks.

Hunting Mature Bucks is Not Easy — Image druryoutdoors.com

Complete state-by-state estimates of total buck harvest, buck age structure, and other harvest data are available in the full Whitetail Report. This document is chock-full of deer data for the 26 reporting states, which includes most of the white-tailed deer’s range. I recommend checking it out for some interesting and eye-opening reading.

Will the trend of killing more mature bucks continue in your neck of the woods? That’s to be determined, but the trend is definitely our friend in this case. Harvest data suggests that whitetail hunters are increasingly passing on young bucks during the hunting season so we should all be very optimistic about the deer hunting seasons ahead!

Managing for Maturity

Passing on young bucks is easier said than done. We are all human, so we all have a desire for immediate gratification. Deer hunting is no different. Besides, there are ways to avoid eating tag soup over winter. First, start out with a plan. A deer management plan is a great first-step towards putting population management and a harvest strategy into action on a property.

The initial steps will involve figuring out what you have to work with, taking inventory of both plant communities and the deer found on a property. Next, it will be a matter of identifying your goals and establishing objectives so that you can get there. If one of the goals is to kill mature bucks, then it’s going to take hold off on younger bucks during the hunting season. Again, it’s not easy. Having a plan that can serve as a roadmap, however, will help tremendously.

Corn Toxicity: Acidosis in White-tailed Deer

Corn and Deer

The disease termed acidosis can occur anywhere when wild or domestic white-tailed deer, cervids or ruminants ingest large quantities of readily digestible carbohydrates. Often times, these food are grains such corn but acidosis in deer can also be caused by beets, apples and any other high carb, highly fermentable food. Acidosis is whitetail is characterized by indigestion, a static rumen, dehydration, diarrhea, toxins in the blood, a lack of coordination and death.

Acidosis can occur relatively quickly in whitetail whenever there is a SUDDEN and SUBSTANTIAL increase in carbohyrates in the animal’s diet. Within 24 hours of grain ingestion deer may be recumbent (down), staggering or standing quietly. Death from corn toxicity can occur within 24 to 72 hours. The rumen is usually static accompanied by diarrhea. The deer is essentially “poisoned” and dehydrated.

Corn and Acidosis

Corn is readily available and commonly fed to deer by hunters and non-hunters alike. Where legal, corn is the most widespread bait during the hunting season and there is no doubt that deer will eat it readily. Corn is high in carbohydrates and this is attractive to deer, especially during very cold periods when the seek out high energy foods. Corn consumption by deer is not necessary a bad thing. They can handle it. It’s only when they eat too much of it, when it suddenly becomes a major component of their diet.

Source: Corn causes problems in the deer’s digestive system because of characteristics of both corn and the deer. Corn is composed primarily of starch, which is meant to serve as an energy source for the corn seedling after germination. The starch intended for use by the growing corn plant is also readily available to the deer, which is why deer crave corn. Although starch is an important source of energy, it may be a problem for deer because deer are ruminants.

The Pathology of Acidosis

So how do corn or other high carb/starch foods cause problems for deer? Well, a shift from a natural diet of high fiber woody browse to low fiber, high carb foods is what starts the illness known as acidosis. The severity of the disease in deer depends on the type of grain, previous exposure of the animal to the grain, the amount consumed, the animal’s nutritional state and physical condition, and the microflora present in the animal’s digestive system.

The rapid intake of high carb foods can cause problems in deer almost immediately. Ingestion of toxic amounts of corn and other starches are followed within 2 to 6 hours by a change in the microbial population in the rumen of the deer. The number of Streptococcus sp. bacteria increase dramatically and replace the normally abundant, “good” bacteria.

This sudden increase in Streptococcus sp. bacteria produces large quantities of lactic acid. This results in the rumen pH falling to or below 5, destroying protozoa, cellulolytic organisms, and lactate utilizing organisms, and reduces rumen mobility. Suddenly, the digestion and movement of food within the deer stops. Chemical rumenitis and absorption result in lactic acidosis.

The lactic acid and lactate build-up cause excessive quantities of fluid to move into the deer’s rumen, causing dehydration.

How to Identify Corn Toxicity in Deer

Acidosis is diagnosed when deer in otherwise good physical condition are found to have died quickly and there are large quantities of corn in the stomachs. A common way to diagnose acidosis is by checking for dark colored lesions (eroded areas) on the lining of the stomach. These lesions are typically located on the folds but can be observed anywhere in the stomach.

There is no treatment for rumen acidosis in white-tailed deer and other wild ruminants because they usually found dead. A deer can survive if the high carb food is no longer available (removed, completely consumed). However, the animal will likely have a permanently damaged rumen lining.

Deer Management: Preventing Acidosis

Many people feed deer, although most of the time it is hunters that feed deer regularly and in volume through supplemental feeding programs. Some suburban homeowners feed deer with regularity too. Corn is commonly consumed by deer without issue. It’s also commonly used by hunters as bait prior and during the hunting seasons.

Corn and other high carb foods are not a problem for deer as long as they are introduced gradually into the diet and as long as they do not comprise the MAJORITY of the animal’s food intake. As such, acidosis can occur during the summer, but is more likely to occur during the winter when leafy forage is lacking. This is because without other available foods and a high need for energy, deer will readily consume any food available to them during this period.

The supplemental feeding of whitetail deer and other wild ruminants (mule deer, elk) is often the cause of corn toxcity/acidosis. The free-choice feeding of high carb foods is not recommended. Most hunters that feed corn by hand or use spin feeders to attract deer to an area for hunting do not distribute enough for it to comprise a substantial part of a single deer’s diet. This is baiting deer, not supplementing them. Baiting in this manner should not cause corn toxicity in deer.

A doe and fawn wait to be fed. — Free-ranging white-tailed deer wait for food.

Homeowners should not SUDDENLY pour a 50 pound sack of feed behind their house to feed cold, hungry deer that have not been exposed to corn. On the same note, hunters should not dump a pile of corn into the field since this could SUBSTANTIALLY alter a deer’s diet. Both of these scenarios end bad for the deer.

Digestive problems from the excessive intake of grain and resulting acidosis can lead to laminitis in white-tailed deer. Laminitis is caused by inadequate blood flow in the hoof which results in unusual foot growth and/or permanent lameness. Animals often die before the feet become involved. Avoid the disease of acidosis and corn toxicity in deer by NOT suddenly and substantially adding foods high in carbohydrates to their diets.

How to Hunt Deer from the Ground: 8 Tips for Success

Ground Hunting for Whitetail

When it comes to whitetail deer hunting the number one way to go is, well, up. Most hunters hunt from elevated positions, whether it be some type of ladder stand or climbing stand. This is one of the most effective ways to get close to deer, but sometimes it’s not the best way.

In areas where trees are small or in large open expanses (where the ability to see is your friend) then sitting up in the canopy of a tree may not be the best way to go. Get down out of that tree, monkey! Below are 8 tips on how to hunt deer from the ground.

Successful Deer Hunting Takes Planning — Image wildlifedepartment.com

1. Keep the Wind & Deer in Your Face

This is always the first rule of deer hunting. Read it, learn it, know it. You can do a lot of things less than perfect and get away with a lot more while hunting deer if you heed this ground hunting tip. Although whitetail deer have great vision, most of the time it’s their nose that stops hunters from tagging them, putting them in the freezer. And since your reading this, I know you want to put venison in the freezer.

Here’s the breakdown: If the wind is blowing in your face and the deer are upwind of you then they have zero chance of smelling you. This is especially important for hunting from the ground since your scent will be at ground level. Position yourself downwind of where you think the deer will be moving/coming from and you will up your chances of success dramatically.

2. Scent free: The Way to Be

An important deer hunting rule is to stay scent free. Don’t stink. It sounds easy in principle but it’s not always easy to do. Sure, if you are going to prep at your vehicle and then walk 100 yards it may not be too tough. But what about someone that has to hoof it 2 miles on a mild day. A long walk is enough to get any hunter stinking, even on a cold day. Do your best of keep your scent level down.

A hunter does not have to be completely scent free, but you want to give off as little human odor as possible. You do not have to worry about the deer upwind; they will not smell you. But the deer downwind, whether you can see them or not, will scare everything off. Smell like dirt, leaves or nothing at all.

3. Hunting from the Ground: No Movement Allowed

Other than scent, the quickest way to get busted by whitetail deer is to be moving around. When you hunt from the ground you are at the deer’s level. This is where they live. They know this is where most of their predators live. Deer watch the ground very closely. One of the best hunting tips I can offer is to stay motionless when on the ground. It’s also a fairly good idea when you’re up in a tree, but not as big of a deal.

The thing with deer hunting is that you can probably move a lot of the time. But the kicker is that you have to see the deer before the deer see you. This is impossible to pull of when hunting from the ground unless you have 360 degree vision. Fail. Stay still and kill deer.

4. Camo Up for Ground Level Success

Whitetail deer can not see the entire color spectrum, but they can see in the blue-green range. One of the best ways to ruin your chances of tagging a buck or doe from the ground is for them to notice you, to stick out. Most hunters have camouflage clothing. Make sure to use it as well as well as a face mask while positioned on the ground. I don’t wear a face mask when hunting from an elevated position because from my experience deer just do not pick me up. This is most likely because I’m not moving around either.

However, hunting from the ground is a whole new ball game. Your face will look like one big, solid color to a deer. One that they rarely encounter except when they see… people! If a deer looks you in the eyes you will want to make sure you have your face mask on. Go camo. Even your gloves. Everywhere.

5. Ground Hunting Means No Silhouette

This falls into the same camp as wearing camo, but instead of trying to mask your head, arms and legs, you are trying to mask the shape of your body. Here is how you do not want to hunt from the ground: sit in sparse vegetation when you expect to shoot deer relatively close to you. Any “blob” sitting on the ground gets noticed by whitetail. Quickly. Do not sit against a fence post unless you are hunting with a rifle and you expect your target to be at least 100 yards out.

Instead, increase your chances of success while deer hunting by sitting at the base of a tree, stump,rock or even a small dirt pile/hill that is at least as tall as the top of your head while sitting and at least as wide as your shoulders. This completely breaks down your silhouette and makes you disappear into the object you are sitting in front of, especially since you will have your camo clothes, gloves and face mask on.

6. See a Long Ways

Sit where you can cover some country, where you can see a long ways. This is not as effective for hunters using archery equipment, although it still helps to pick up an approaching deer as soon as possible. Deer hunting from the ground can vary because vegetation and terrain can vary, but allowing yourself to see maximum area will offer you the opportunity to see the maximum number of animals.

Keep in mind that you do not want to hunt some place that does not look “deery” just because you can see 500 acres. You see everything in a plowed field, which may or may not have deer. If deer are crossing it or foraging on forbs/weeds growing in it, then by all means get out there. Otherwise, go someplace else. Just make sure you hunt someplace where you can see, whether that be a field or a long right of way.

7. Hunt Deer Travel Corridors

Mention travel corridors and deer hunting and most think of a strip of woodlands surrounded by open grasslands. Yes, this is a corridor, but the corridors that deer use can be more than just wooded areas. Often times, deer will use a fence line with very little brush as a travel corridor across open country. Sometimes they use a county or field road with a narrow strip of grass 2-4 feet tall. Deer are only about 3 feet tall when standing, by the way.

In addition, a travel “corridor” could be a grassy waterway in the middle of a cultivate field. It could just be a low saddle in a grassland. Either way, check out your hunting grounds and look for travel corridors. Set up downwind of one of these and you will be successful. This is often how I hunt deer from the ground. Find their travelway and you will see them, tag them. It may not happen on the first day but it will happen.

Deer Hunting is All About TIming — Image pureairnatives.com

8. Hunt at the Right Time

This is the last tip I have for deer hunting from the ground but it’s just as important as the others, maybe more so. That’s because the best way to increase the odds of you seeing deer is to hunt when deer are moving. Sure, the first 2 hours and last 2 hours of the day are when deer move the most. Both are great times to be hunting, no doubt. However, there is more to productive deer hunting than just getting out there early and staying late.

Hunting during the whitetail breeding season is always good. It is during the rut that bucks are moving more than normal. This increases the odds of him crossing your path. Find out when the rut happens in your area and hunt during that time. And during the rut it does not hurt to hunt all day since bucks will be constantly moving about.

The rut is awesome, but hunting at the right time even has more to do with the weather than anything else. From my experience, nothing gets deer on their feet more than cold weather. And I’m not just talking about winter time in general. What really makes deer move is when the mercury drops down low. The very best time to hunt deer is when deer must move. When it’s warm deer are content to sit under a tree somewhere back in the woods. When it gets below 30, 20, 10 degrees… that’s when their warm blooded engines kick into high gear. It takes ENERGY to stay warm. Time to move and eat. Time to hunt!

Headed Deer Hunting: Watch Out for Deer!

A Million+ Deer Hit Each Year

Hunters are constantly on the lookout for animals while deer hunting, but this is not always the case while we’re driving. Most accidents, auto or otherwise, happen when we are not fully engaged in what we are doing. An accident is typically a result of being complacent or preoccupied with other stuff in our lives. Doing something successfully takes focus.

There are a multitude of things to distract us when driving on “down time” (ie. not hunting) as well as while we are heading to and from our favorite deer hunting grounds. We are even more prone to an automobile accident while conducting our normal activities , such as commuting to and from work, running to the grocery store or just picking up the kids after school.

Hunters are especially busy navigating winding roads, trying to keep at least one eye on the vehicle in front of us, evaluating podcast, and checking our hunting packs to make sure we didn’t forget our grunt call, rattling horns, and the like. There are also those occasional text messages, even though we know we should be focused on the road in front of us… as well as the deer!

Don’t get distracted while driving, just pull over and do what you need to do. Easy to say, more difficult to actually put into practice.

We often know which stretches of road are the “hot spots,” the places were deer typically cross back and forth across public roadways. State highway department’s have even marked many of them for automobile drivers using the readily-identifiable deer crossing sign, but it’s the places where we don’t expect deer that can get us into trouble.

The Experts on Deer-Auto Collisions

Source: U.S. drivers are just as likely to have a claim involving a collision with deer, elk or moose than they were last year, according to new claims data from State Farm. The odds drivers will have a claim from hitting one of those animals is 1 out of 169, the same as it was in 2014. That likelihood more than doubles during October, November and December, when deer collisions are most prevalent.

Update: Data for Deer-Auto Accidents for 2017-18

For the ninth year in a row, West Virginia tops the list of states where an auto insurance claim is most likely to occur because of a collision involving a deer. The odds that a driver in the Mountain State will have a claim actually improved to 1 in 44, up from 1 in 39 in 2014, an 11.4% decrease. Hawaii rounds out the bottom of the list also for the ninth year in a row with odds of 1 in 8,765.

Peak Times for Deer Accidents

“Periods of daily high-deer movement around dawn and dusk as well as seasonal behavior patterns, such as during the October-December breeding season, increase the risk for auto-deer collisions,” said Ron Regan, executive director for the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies.

“Changes in collision rates from year to year are a reflection of changing deer densities or population levels – more deer in a given area increases the potential for collision and other costs associated with whitetail. Deer populations are also affected by conditions such as new or improved roads with higher speeds near deer habitat, winter conditions, and other related factors.”

So, whether you’re just running some errands or heading out to hopefully bag a deer, make certain to keep an eye out for those four-legged critters. The is especially important to remember during the whitetail breeding season since bucks increase their movements substantially. Deer can show up in some very unusual places, and one of those places does not need to be your radiator.

It’s much better to bag a deer with your bow or gun rather than your vehicle, and it’s a lot less costly. Deer-auto collisions can equate to big costs in terms of property damage, but an accident could also cost someone’s life. It really does not matter how many deer are hit by automobiles each year in the area where you live, as long as you are not the one hitting, or alternatively, being hit. Slow your ride down, be careful and good luck out there, whether hunting or driving.

Texas Whitetail Population Up: Deer Hunting Good

Texas Whitetail Hunting

It’s been a good fall for deer hunting in Texas and the month of November is not yet over. There have been numerous reports of really nice whitetail bucks being harvested all across the state, as well as Oklahoma, with everyone indicating above average body weights and antler growth in deer. Sounds like a lot of full freezers for deer hunters.

Nothing grows more muscle, fat and antler than good habitat that is is good condition. Fortunately for both deer and hunters, that is mostly what we had this past year. We were flush with new-growth throughout the growing season. As they, say, it’s better to be lucky than good. Having a deer management plan in place on your property will help you be both.

“We saw a diverse buffet of whitetail deer foods this spring where vegetation growth was measured in feet rather than inches this year,” said Alan Cain, TPWD white-tailed deer program leader. “Meeting nutritional demands of antler growth, raising fawns and building up body fat reserves for the rigors of breeding as well as the winter should be an easy venture for white-tailed deer this year.”

Unlike in recent years, whitetail did not have to look far to find a highly-nutritious diet of native weeds and browse plants. White-tailed deer are quite selective and prefer native forbs and browse high in protein and energy that are easily digestible. Forbs, a biologist term for weeds, fit that bill, and there were in abundance this year. The can have protein levels ranging from 20 to 35 percent!

Source: Buck antler growth should be well above average, predicts Cain. Exceptions to this overall excellent outlook may be in areas of East Texas where unusually wet years can result in lower-than-normal fawn recruitment. But overall, deer hunting will be good.

“I have no reservations suggesting antler quality will be above average this year, and with a good number of bucks in the 5-year-old age class I expect a number of hunters to harvest some exceptional bucks this year,” Cain said. “The habitat conditions statewide are much better than we’ve seen in years, and the abundance of native forage will help bucks maximize antler growth this year.”

So what can hunters expect with regards to deer numbers and quality. For starters the 2014 statewide deer population estimate was 3.95 million deer, the highest estimated population since 2005. Statewide whitetail population trends indicate a slow but steady growth in the deer population during the last 10 years.

Good rainfall helped produce a lot of fawns, which added to the deer herd this year. It also means that that more deer should be considered for harvest, at least in most parts of Texas.

“Although these numbers are from 2014 I would predict the deer population to be about the same if not break the 4 million deer mark for 2015, so hunters should experience a quarry-rich hunting environment this year,” Cain predicted, citing above average fawn production this year.

He also suggests hunters take advantage of opportunities to harvest antlerless deer this season, too, in order to offset high fawn production. “Hunters need to keep deer numbers at a level the habitat can sustain during lean years,” said Cain. If next year ends up being a poor rainfall year, then a smaller deer herd is more likely to have a better fawn crop, as available food is divided up among fewer mouths.

The key to producing good white-tailed deer year-in and year-out is to maintain the proper deer carrying capacity for the habitat. There really is no substitute for population control and habitat enhancement. Of course, it helps when ample rain falls because then every property produces good deer, even in areas with fair habitat for whitetail.

In Texas, dry or low rainfall years seem to be more common than wet ones. It’s best to plan on every year being a tough year. Then, on those years when it does rain you can reap the benefits in terms of both habitat and deer conditions.

Rainfall equates to forbs and those forbs translate into healthy deer, good fawn production and big bucks, even in areas where deer numbers are higher than what would be considered optimal. Again, shooting (literally) for a lower deer herd helps make every year a good year.

Chances are the next spring will not be as good for whitetail as the last one, so do your part for local deer management and take a doe or two if there is a need to do so. Improving the whitetail hunting in your part of Texas means taking inventory of what you have, then making a plan and taking the steps to make it even better.