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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.

Expanding Deer Hunting Opportunities in Grayson County

Deer Hunting in Grayson County

With an estimated statewide deer population of 4 million animals, many Texas hunters take white-tailed deer hunting for granted. However, there are still parts of the state where gun-hunting seasons does not exist. For example, the use of firearms for deer hunting in Grayson County is not allowed. That regulation may change soon.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is considering a proposal to open a general firearms deer season in Grayson County. A public scoping meeting to gather additional landowner and hunter feedback is scheduled in Grayson County on Thursday, January 8, 2009.

Grayson County Judge Drue Bynum has been invited to open the meeting. TPWD Executive Director Carter Smith will facilitate the remainder of the meeting, which will include a short presentation on TPWD’s regulations process. In addition, TPWD will explain the rationale for contemplating a gun deer season in Grayson County.

The Grayson County general firearms deer season issue is part of an extensive suite of potential regulation changes in deer harvest TPWD is considering throughout much of the state. Like many state wildlife departments, TPWD uses hunting regulations to manage hunter harvest on a county level to achieve statewide deer management goals.

Due to increases in deer numbers across the state, and the continuous decline in the average number of animals harvested per hunter, TPWD has proposed more liberal hunting regulations for white-tailed deer over the past few years.

The meeting will take place at Grayson County College’s Center for Work Place Learning Auditorium near Sherman. The auditorium will open at 6 p.m. and the public meeting will begin at 7 p.m. All comments will be recorded and used for the final decision, which will take place at a public commission meeting at TPWD Austin headquarters on March 25-26, 2009. By the next season, those deer hunting in Grayson County may have another option soon.

The Reason You are Not Seeing Bucks

There are numerous reasons hunters fail to see bucks. But simply stated, if a hunter is doing everything right then the lack of buck sightings is simply because there are no bucks to be seen. This can be for several reasons, including extreme hunting pressure on young bucks, a lack of fawn production because of poor habitat, low recruitment of young animals into the population because of high predation rates, or simply because the bucks in your area are doing this. I am not sure where this game camera photo was taken, but if these two white-tailed bucks get a little closer together, you could get both deer with one shot! Continue reading “The Reason You are Not Seeing Bucks”

Deer Trappers Arrested in Texas

White-tailed deer breeding is a big business in the United States. As with any business that garners big money, people look to cash in on it, both legally and illegally . Game wardens in the Special Operations Unit of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s (TPWD) Law Enforcement Division arrested six men and executed two search warrants as part of Operation Texas Shuffle, a year-long investigation into the black market deer trade in Texas.

All six suspects are alleged to have trapped, purchased or sold wild native white-tail deer. Some are believed to have laundered wild deer into permitted breeding facilities, and one serves as an agent for multiple licensed deer breeders. TPWD Law Enforcement Director Pete Flores said in a news release:

“Our focus here is stopping two main areas of criminal activity: deer being brought illegally across state lines, and wild deer being illegally laundered into deer breeding facilities.”

In one of the illegal deer cases, a permitted deer breeding facility operator allegedly darted wild deer and put them illegally into his facility. That’s what I call making a quick buck. Although the breeder can profit by selling wild-caught deer as a genetically superior animals, it is against the law. It is illegal to capture or obtain wild deer and place them into breeding facilities. Breeders must obtain captive, pen-raised deer from other permitted breeders.

In addition, interstate deer smuggling is illegal because it poses a threat to native white-tailed deer from diseases such as Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). CWD has not been detected in Texas, but it has cost tens of millions of dollars in other states because of it’s impact on native deer populations. Texas borders essentially remain closed to the importation of whitetail and mule deer because of disease concerns. Captain Greg Williford told the press:

“Money is driving the illegal trade in wild native deer. A captive-raised breeder buck can sell for tens of thousands of dollars. So, catching deer in the wild seems a lot less expensive, until you get caught.”

Deer breeding is a legal and growing business in Texas, estimated to be worth about $650 million per year for the state economy. There are currently 1,099 permitted deer breeders in Texas, holding 86,989 deer in 1,161 facilities.

Hunting Post Rut Whitetail

Hunting Post Rut Whitetail Deer

At this point in the season, most of the whitetail are on the tail-end of the rut. There are a few areas of the state that are notable exceptions. For example, the breeding season and deer hunting in South Texas rut just warming up. However, deer in most parts of the state have finished the first and most important part of the breeding cycle. Successfully hunting post rut whitetail deer generally means shifting strategies.

The “post rut” does necessarily mean ALL breeding activity is over. In fact, does that were not bred during will come back into heat 28 days later. This cycle continues until all does are bred. Bucks will continue to look for these ladies even though two to three breeding cycles have passed. However, with receptive does waning, bucks switch gears. You need to switch gears, too. This article provides still some tactics you can use to be successful at hunting post rut whitetail deer during the late season.

Hunting Post Rut Whitetail Deer

Why Hunting Post Rut Whitetail Deer is Different?

Once the primary rut is over, does will search out winter food sources and start to regroup. Early season deer hunting strategy usually calls for hunters setting up along scrapes or even rub lines. However, the success rate of this technique drops off rapidly after the majority of the rut as occurred.

Rather than looking for buck sign, turn your attention to looking for signs of does. Find the area of the property where you hunt that has the highest concentration of does. Go there. This may not be the place where you normally hunt deer. In fact, that’s a good thing! Deer can pattern hunters just as easy, if not easier, than hunters can pattern deer. After all, the deer are out there all of the time.

Doe, Doe, Doe… Buck!

If there is a single un-bred doe on your hunting property, the odds of you seeing that deer are better where you have the most deer. This should make a lot of sense. However, you would be surprised at the number of hunters that always see deer in one particular area, but never hunt that location. Instead, they continue to drive to their stand and wait it out, hoping that something changes.

Whitetail deer are wise late in the season. Of course, the deer are still out there but they know the score by the time the late season rolls around. Hunting post rut whitetail deer means knowing and adapting to changes in deer behavior. In many cases, deer will not readily approach your food plot or feeder because of recent hunting pressure. Your job is to find out where those deer can be found after the sun comes up and the sun goes down.

Remember, although you are looking for late rut does, you are really only using them to attract a lonely buck to you. Once feeding areas have been identified, it will pay to find bedding areas. The value of bedding areas has been stressed in the literature so much that we are all blue in the face, but it is very important.

Get Cooking with Post Pressure Hunting

Let’s say you are hunting a food plot, a feeder, or an area where deer come to feed on native plants. It doesn’t matter. When deer have been hunted by you, your hunting buddies, and your neighbors, deer get smart. Searching for whitetail does can be the most difficult task, but your post rut success hinges on finding them. Any doe coming into a second or third estrus cycle will leave her scent, but where is she?

In many parts of the country, the doe segment of a deer population has a better age structure than the buck segment. In short, this means unless you are hunting a property that has a good deer management program in place, there are more old does running around than there are old bucks. We all know how this occurs. So yes, many of the does are actually smarter than the bucks we hunt because they have been through hunting season after hunting season after hunting season. And guess what? They are still there.

So what’s next? Simply said, evening feeding patterns are easier to predict than morning feeding patterns. This is because deer know they will bed up nearby after dark, especially during the dark of the moon. A common occurrence is for is for evening-feeding deer to “hang up” in nearby cover before heading out to feed just before sunset. So if you are hunting an evening food source, rest assured that deer are not far away. The trick to is to get to them before your hunting light is gone.

Where to Find Success With Post Rut Deer?

I mentioned deer bedding areas above because they are important. Post rut bucks spend more time resting during the day to recuperate. In addition, they will stay there to avoid all the hunting pressure. Identify thick cover or secluded bedding areas where deer feel safe. Bucks often bed close to both food and water sources. So, what’s the move here?

Set up near well-used trails leading from these bedding areas to potential feeding areas. Hunting post rut whitetail deer is about knowing where a buck will fill his belly.

Hunting Post Rut Whitetail Deer in the Late Season

Best Strategy for Hunting Food Sources Post Rut?

Hunting post rut whitetail deer and food sources go hand-in-hand. This is where hunting setup is important. Let’s say you have identified the highest density of deer the food source these animals are using. In addition, you know where the deer in your area are bedding up after dark.

Hunting between a feeding and bedding area may not payoff on late-feeding deer at this point in the season. However, the trick is to hunt near the food source, but between the food source and the direction the deer are coming from. That’s right, you are going to have to get out of your tripod or box blind and catch them in staging areas.

Once the feeding route is determined, back off the food source by about 100 to 150 yards and set up shop. Make either a small inconspicuous brush blind or use a climbing stand. Make sure you get there before the deer, and watch the wind. At this point, keep an eye out for either a hungry buck or one looking for a needle in a haystack, an unbred doe!

Weather and Hunting Post Rut Whitetail

Weather is the most important factor is late season success. Why? Deer activity increases with cold fronts, snow, or after a storm as they feed to stay warm. Deer need to eat when it gets cold. With this in mind, pay attention to the weather forecast and hunt when weather conditions are in your favor.

The best time for hunting post rut whitetail is immediately before or after weather changes. These changes are when deer are most likely to move. Cold weather gets deer on their feet. Unfortunately, extremely cold weather is also tough on hunters. Be prepared for long sits in colder conditions and dress accordingly.