white-tailed deer | Buck Manager

Bottomlands are Important White-tailed Deer Habitat

Creeks, streams, rivers, and all riparian areas are important habitat for white-tailed deer. Not only do these areas typically provide access to water and good bedding cover, but they also serve as great travel corridors and have the most fertile soils in most any area. Great bottomland or riparian soil is typically clay and silt-rich and full of nutrients and natural fertilizers.

So why do riparian soils (those found along drainages) serve as outstanding areas of food production areas for whitetail? Well, we know the soil is nutrient rich and this happens over time from flooding and drying and the decay of organic matter. But in addition to being rich in organic matter, riparian soils have a high water-holding capacity. In fact, any soil rich in clay and silt has this ability, but let’s not forget that bottomland soils are also adjacent a seasonal or permanent waterway.

Even without rainfall, many of the plants adjacent a creek or river can simply extract water from the soil below like any other plant, but there is a lot more water. Thus, the amount of forage produced in bottomland areas is often 3 to 5 times that on upland soils during the same year. This soil provides for an abundance of a very lush and diverse plant community. And remember, deer like diversity especially when it comes in the form of forbs and browse!

So what should you do with bottomland areas on your property? As important as they are for deer habitat and the health of the overall wildlife community, I recommend protecting them and revegetating them if necessary. Many bottomland floodplains are cleared and become prime farming and grazing land. If you are serious about deer management, encourage native vegetation to retake these areas, saving some portions for great food plot areas.

This ag field has a filter strip – but to benefit deer, it needs to be “let go” into native weeds, grass, and brushy plant species

In addition, permanently vegetated areas along creeks, streams, and wetlands reduce erosion and sedimentation, stabilize streambanks, improve plant diversity, and improve wildlife value of these sensitive areas. I also recommend establishing vegetative buffers or filter strips along water courses or runoff areas to trap valuable bottomland soil in the event of heavy rainfall and or channel flooding.

So here’s the bottom line: White-tailed deer and other wildlife love bottomland areas. Not only do these areas attract big bucks, but because of the quality and diversity of habitat, it attracts lots of does. And to a big mature buck, that’s a good thing!

White-tailed Deer – A Success Story in Texas

At one point in the late 19th century, white-tailed deer nearly disappeared from the Texas landscape. Over harvest and alteration of natural plant communities had reduced or eliminated deer numbers across much of Texas. Protective measures were taken, including the first deer seasons, harvest limits, and the establishment of the state game warden service.

This protection from exploitation was accompanied by adaptation of deer to altered landscapes and widespread restocking by the state wildlife department. From their near disappearance over 100-years ago, white-tailed deer have been restored to most areas they previously occupied and have even expanded their range into historically unoccupied areas of the state. The restoration of the whitetail is a wildlife management success story in Texas and many other states that went through similar transitions.

The current status of white-tailed deer populations nationally is also a testament to the resiliency and adaptability of this species. White-tailed deer can thrive side-by-side with human populations through urban and suburban areas throughout the United States. The adaptability of white-tailed deer and the desire of people to live and work in areas that retain green spaces have resulted in deer overabundance in many areas.

Not only do deer represent a success story for the species, but they represent part of the culture in many rural areas. White-tailed deer now account for a significant portion of local economies in Texas and much of small-town America. With significant biological, economic, and social importance, hopefully the white-tailed deer will always have a place to call home.

Antler Restrictions on Deer: They Work!

If you’re not familiar with antler restrictions, let me just say that they do work! In Texas, certain counties have restrictions on white-tailed bucks, meaning only bucks with inside spreads equal to or greater than 13 inches OR bucks with at least one unbranched antler (i.e. spike on at least on one side) can be harvested. Growing up, I spent a considerable amount of time hunting a parcel of land located in Colorado County.

From the time I was old enough to hunt up until 2000, the county bag limit was 1 buck per hunter. After that time, antler restrictions were implemented. Why, you ask? Well, under a 1 buck bag limit apparently only the best young bucks were harvested each deer hunting season and the cull (inferior) bucks were left on the range.

With legal bucks now limited to unbranched antlered bucks and those with an inside spread exceeding 13-inches, many young bucks now enter older age classes and inferior spikes are harvested. Of all those years I spent hunting that tract of land in Colorado County, rarely did I see a buck over 2 1/2 years old. Now, to see several high quality, young bucks in a hunt is common place. In fact, the hunter pictured above was lucky enough to harvest the 4 1/2 year old 9-point buck on that same parcel of land.

All About Antler Restrictions Regulations in Texas

Deer Management: What a Difference a Year Makes

What a difference a year can make! In my neck of the woods, last year was dry, deer forage was low, and deer were in “average” condition. But this year, abundant rains provided a plethora of white-tailed deer food and put individual deer and the deer herd as a whole in great condition. Here is another example of how a year can make a difference – in the life of a buck. Last year (2006), I took pictures of a 3 1/2 year old 8-point buck while hunting one morning. The white-tailed buck wasn’t exactly what I was looking for, so I let the deer go in hopes of seeing something even larger. As it turns out, I only saw the buck that one time, but managed “shoot” him several times and got some great photos as seen below. But guess what? He’s back!

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Rutting in Whitetail Deer – Early vs. Late

What about the early and late ruts? Hunters often talk about the rut being early or late. In much of Texas at least, the breeding season for white-tailed deer is fairly predictable each year. This is the case just about everywhere there are deer, but it can vary a little. Within a specific area, habitat conditions not only affect fawn survival but can affect the timing of breeding, as well. For example, a doe in poor condition, i.e. not enough deer food, or a young doe may not enter estrus/breed until later in the season when her physical condition improves.

Additionally, a whitetail doe may be found “attractive” by bucks for about five days, but may be willing to breed for a period of only about 24 hours. In areas where there are a low number of bucks compared to does, a doe may not encounter a buck when she is first receptive to breeding so may not be bred until one of her later cycles. If a doe is not bred during her first cycle then she will come into estrus again about 28 days later.

A hunter who sees the late breeding activity may be convinced that there was a late rut. On the other hand, those who see does attended by bucks in the early part of the season believe there was an early rut. This biological reasoning helps explain the wide variety of opinions on the timing of the whitetail rut during a particular year. Although there is typically a peak, it can be ongoing. Continue reading “Rutting in Whitetail Deer – Early vs. Late”