Buck Manager | Buck Manager

Best Time to Deer Hunt: Early in the Season

Best Time for Hunting Whitetail?

After each season, we as hunters must wait the better part of a year before we can head back out deer hunting. This built up anticipation, fueled by a treasure trove of game camera photos, drives optimistic hunters to the woods in mass, each in search of a heavy-horned buck.

As it turns out, deer respond to that increase in hunter activity by changing their behavior and movement patterns. To seasoned hunters this does not come as a complete surprise, but there are management implications that impact local whitetail populations. So hunter activity not only affects our hunting efforts, but also our effort to management deer.

Anyone that has ineffectively attempted to hunt a specific buck knows what pressure does to a deer. After getting bumped from a bedding area, detecting a strange smell around a feeding area, or noticing anything abnormal in its core area, a seasoned buck will immediately change when and where it moves.

This change may be short-lived or long-lasting. It really depends on the level of intrusion and the demeanor of each individual buck on the response, but we know there is a response. Behavioral changes caused by hunters/hunting pressure also decreases your chance for success, and it goes for does, too.

Early Season Deer Hunting is Tops

Source: “Deer season is upon us. Surveys are being conducted. Deer cameras are being set. Managers are making harvest recommendations from these data. But let’s be honest, hunters across the country are more eager to hit the woods in search of that trophy buck than to spend time on reviewing harvest recommendations.

As part of most management programs, doe harvest is an important component that needs just as much attention as trophy bucks. Hunters see doe harvest as an inconvenience. Therefore, most hunters put off doe harvest until late in the season after they have had sufficient time to fill their buck tag. This, however, could cause hunters to fall short of their overall harvest goals.

Researchers from the Noble Foundation and Mississippi State University designed a study to address many aspects of deer behavior as it relates to hunting pressure. During the 2008 and 2009 deer rifle season, landowners and volunteer hunters from the community were invited to participate in a two-year study to determine how hunting pressure affects observability and harvest susceptibility of white-tailed deer.

No archery or primitive rifle hunting was allowed prior to the study. Thirty-seven adult bucks (≥2.5 years of age) were equipped with GPS collars across the Noble Foundation Oswalt Road Ranch. Hunters were assigned to compartments at a high hunter density (one hunter per 75 acres) or a low hunter density (one hunter per 250 acres).

From this study design, researchers determined how hunter density and duration of the hunting season influenced observation rates of white-tailed deer.

Hunter observation rates of collared bucks were highest during the first weekend of the deer-gun season in both the low and high hunter density areas, but as the hunting season progressed, observation rates declined along with the movement of deer. The number of observations of collared bucks in both the low and high hunter density areas declined by greater than 60 percent across the 16-day deer-gun season.But what about does?

Hunters also collected observation data on does throughout the season and found similar trends. Observation rates were greatest the first weekend of hunting and declined across the low and high hunter density areas as the hunting season progressed.

Overall, deer modified their behavior to avoid hunters by moving less and using security cover, which made observation by hunters more difficult. Early in the season, hunters had greater success observing deer at higher elevations on the ranch where vegetation was relatively short and woody cover was sparse. Late in the season, deer chose areas that were more densely vegetated – areas with greater woody cover or along riparian corridors.

On properties with similar hunter densities, these results might explain decreased observation rates to hunters, and illustrate why it is important to adjust timing and intensity of harvest to help achieve population management goals. If you are like most hunters and feel that meeting population management goals is an inconvenience, consider harvesting does earlier during the season. And the more time you spend in the field, the greater your overall chances of meeting population management goals.”

Best Time to Deer Hunt: Start Early

In short, it’s best if a hunter has access to a really large parcel of land with no other hunting pressure. Since this is rarely the case, the take home message for hunters is to take advantage of your hunting time early during the deer season. Research has found that early in the season is the best time to hunt deer. White-tailed deer will be much more visible. If you need to reduce the doe herd, do so early and avoid the urge to wait.

Deer hunting during the early season allows hunters an opportunity to achieve harvest and deer management objectives, with time on your side. An early start also gives you a great shot at your “hit list” buck. Otherwise, the animals you are hunting will be even more difficult to find as the season progresses.

Deer Hunting and Management is Conservation for All

Benefit of Hunting for Conservation

The benefits of managing habitat for white-tailed deer have been well documented. Decades of anecdotal accounts by land managers substantiate the widespread benefit of deer management, and published research by academics serve as documented proof. Managing deer is good. Taking a hands-off approach is bad for deer, native plants and other wildlife.

I believe the best way to grow bigger and healthier deer is give them exactly what they want: high-quality natural foods. To paraphrase, if you build it they will come. If you make whitetail habitat better they will be healthier, at the very least. The truth is that nothing is as good as the food found in prime habitat under good environmental conditions, neither pelleted protein feed nor food plots even come close.

Albeit, supplemental forages can have their place in a well-rounded management program, since they help maintain a constant nutritional plane for a deer herd during tough times. Even good habitat can find itself in poor condition during drought conditions, which is especially true here in Texas.

However, when you as a hunter or landowner are doing it right there should not be many tough times. Lands managed for deer typically anticipate the worst by keeping the right number of deer.

Working for Deer, Wildlife

It takes hard work to manage deer and the habitat that they need on private lands, so why do we do it? Mostly because we simply love doing it. We enjoy taking care of the natural resources that we love. We like watching wildlife and white-tailed deer. We want to give something back to the sport that we love, deer hunting. We want to give something back to the animal we love, white-tailed deer.

We also realize that deer must be controlled. Wildlife conservation is different that wildlife preservation. Whitetail populations have the ability to increase rapidly. Habitat deteriorates when that happens and we know that negatively affects local deer herds, but also native plant communities and all the other animals that live there. The fallout of having too many deer has numerous, negative impacts, from soil erosion to native plant regeneration to commercial ag production.

It boils down to conservation, taking care of what we as people have. It also comes from an understanding that deer are a renewable natural resource. Management is the price we are willing to pay for the tangible and intangible things that we get from stepping into the woods each and every time we go hunting.

Some people will never understand that. And I’m okay with that, because I don’t understand all of them either.

Deer Hunting is Necessary

Every plant and animal has a place in the wildlife world. It’s paramount to realize that although we have allegedly “progressed” as a society, the important things in life will always remain the same: family, friends, good times and proper stewardship of the bountiful natural resources that we’ve been given.

It will not make a hill of beans how fast our phones download data or how many movies we can stream if the environment becomes unsuitable for life. Humans are smart as whole, but as a group we don’t always make wise decisions.

Habitat-based white-tailed deer management has fueled better deer hunting across the US, without a doubt. But all of the combined management effort has not just benefited deer and the people that hunt them; deer population and habitat management has helped most all other plants and animals that call those places home, too. Deer hunting and management has help fund, directly and indirectly, many forms of habitat management. That benefits everyone.

Leopold and Deer Management

Aldo Leopold: “… I have lived to see state after state extirpate its wolves. I have watched the face of many a newly wolfless mountain, and seen the south-facing slopes wrinkle with a maze of new deer trails. I have seen every edible bush and seedling browsed, first to anaemic desuetude, and then to death. I have seen every edible tree defoliated to the height of a saddlehorn.

Such a mountain looks as if someone had given God a new pruning shears, and forbidden Him all other exercise. In the end the starved bones of the hoped-for deer herd, dead of its own too-much, bleach with the bones of the dead sage, or molder under the high-lined junipers.

I now suspect that just as a deer herd lives in mortal fear of its wolves, so does a mountain live in mortal fear of its deer. And perhaps with better cause, for while a buck pulled down by wolves can be replaced in two or three years, a range pulled down by too many deer may fail of replacement in as many decades. So also with cows.

The cowman who cleans his range of wolves does not realize that he is taking over the wolf’s job of trimming the herd to fit the range. He has not learned to think like a mountain. Hence we have dustbowls, and rivers washing the future into the sea.”

5 Survey Methods for Deer Management

It’s nearly impossible to manage a deer population without having some estimate of the number of deer in the area. Annual population estimates can provide valuable information such as herd composition, density and total estimated population. Information gathered from standardized survey techniques can help shape management actions for a property. Even something as basic as annual recruitment (fawn production) varies annually and recruitment is a direct measure of habitat and deer health. This can be measured with a minimal amount of survey effort.

Managing deer herd size alone can be a substantial part of habitat management on any property. After all, too many deer means increased browse utilization, decreased plant diversity, smaller-bodied deer, lower fawn survival and bucks that never reach their full potential for antler growth. In short, the plants and animals found on your hunting property can benefit greatly from you conducting annual surveys.

1. Spotlight Surveys – This is the most commonly used method for estimating deer populations. Specifically, this survey technique works best for estimating deer density. It’s best applied to properties larger than 500 acres. It involves setting up a survey route that is (ideally) representative of the property, then conducting night counts at least 3 times prior to the hunting season and recording what you see. Get additional details about using spotlight surveys for deer.

2. Mobile Daylight Surveys – This survey method is often used in conjunction with the spotlight method to supplement herd composition estimates. During spotlight counts, deer are recorded as bucks, does fawns and unidentified deer. As it turns out, many of the deer seen at night are difficult to accurately identify. So although spotlight counts are good for estimating density, they can come up short for estimating the composition of the deer herd if only a small number of animals are identified. Mobile daylight surveys simply involve driving (truck/jeep/UTV) the property during daylight hours with a good pair of binoculars and recording the number of bucks, does and fawns that you see. This will supplement spotlight data (which estimates population size) with the composition of the herd.

3. Stand Counts – This method falls along the same idea as mobile daylight surveys and can be used to supplement spotlight counts, but may be used as a stand-alone technique on smaller properties. Stand count surveys will not estimate deer density, but this method can result in good herd composition estimates prior to or even during the deer hunting season. A lot of data about the deer population can be collected quickly when all stands on a property are filled. Find out more about using stand count surveys for estimating the composition of a deer herd.

4. Camera Surveys – Motion-activated game cameras are very handy devices. Because they work 24-7 they can collect a ton of remote data (photos) that can be used for a variety of things. The only caveat is that you must set the cameras to collect the data you want or you’ll just end up with a ton of pictures. Properly-used cameras provide herd composition estimates and can also estimate deer density. Find out more about using cameras for deer management and how to perform camera surveys for deer.

5. Aerial Surveys – This survey method is not practical for most hunters and land managers, but it makes sense for those managing large blocks of land upwards of 7,500 acres. It does not work well in heavily-forested areas because of limited visibility. Aerial surveys for deer are best performed over more open areas such as grassland-dominated habitats or those comprised of low-shrublands. Helicopters are typically used but small, fixed-winged planes are the right choice for really large properties since they are less expensive. I imagine unmanned drones will be another, less-expensive alternative for deer surveys shortly.

Using Survey Data

It’s important to understand your management goals so that surveys can be used to reach annual objectives. Although each method outlined can provide useful information for making decisions about harvest management, it’s imperative that managers understand the limitations of each. Some techniques can be used to estimate deer density and population size while others will provide composition data only.

Additionally, if surveys are used to estimate density/deer population then the manager needs to have some idea of the deer carrying capacity of the property before knowing whether to decrease or increase fall harvest based on survey results.

Surveys for herd composition estimate buck to doe ratio and fawn to doe ratio. Though this will not estimate total population size, this is information can be used for structuring annual harvest goals. If the buck to doe ratio is estimated to be 1:3 and the goal is 1:2 then more antlerless deer need to be removed. Also, if the habitat and deer herd appears healthy based on body weights then the number of adult deer harvested each year needs to roughly equal the number of fawns recruited into the population each year to keep the population stable. A high number of fawns means a more liberal fall harvest while fewer fawns equates to a more conservative one.

Buck Antler Growth: Management Options

Question: “I have a 5 1/2 year old buck that is a 9 point. Do you think there is a possibility that he may become a 10 point for this hunting season or do you think he will stay a 9 point buck? He has been a 9 point the last 3 years and I’ve been hoping for him to grow that 10th point, but no luck yet. Of course, I love having him pass on his genes.”

Response: Whether your buck grows into a typical 10 point frame buck depends on a number of variables. He very well could, but if I had to bet money one way or the other then I would bet that he comes up short, yet again, this year. For the most part, antler growth in white-tailed bucks is fairly predictable. The 3 major factors that impact antler development consist of age, genetics and nutrition. That will never change, but many other variables that comprise each of these categories may. Let’s talk about how each of these factors could impact your buck.

Deer Management for Big-Antlered, Mature Bucks

Age and Antler Size

Whitetail bucks will often increase antler points as they get older, but their antlers will peak and begin to decline if the buck is allowed to get really old, becomes ill, gets injured or if nutrition falls off. It is important to note that an increase in antler points is relative to the number of points a buck had to start with as a yearling, as a 1 1/2 year old deer.

As a rule of thumb, a buck that starts with fewer points, say 2-4, will have fewer antler points at maturity (5 1/2) than one that has 6-8 as a yearling. Bucks that are allowed to age will have antler spreads that are wider and most notably, heavier “horns.” Antler mass (circumference) can be another good physical characteristic to hone in on when aging bucks in the field. An older buck equals heavier antlers, but not always additional points.

From my experience, the overwhelming odds are that a whitetail buck that does not have a 10 point main-frame by 4 1/2 years of age will not develop one in subsequent years. Yes, it CAN happen.

Antler Development in White-tailed Bucks

Genetics and Antler Potential

Genes are the underlying factors that determine the potential for antler growth in any buck. Growing older along with good nutrition will allow a buck to physically express those underlying genes, but no amount of age or food can “fill the gap” where a buck may naturally lack. If you know the deer on your hunting grounds have access to high quality foods, then all you can do is let them get older and, if possible, practice selective buck harvest to remove those with less potential for antler growth and leave those with more potential.

Selective harvest (i.e. culling) works. It’s not so much about changing the gene composition of a local deer herd, which can happen in intensive situations over years, but rather about allowing those great 3-4 year old bucks to get older and removing the lesser ones so they don’t.

Buck Nutrition

Removing deer from a whitetail herd is the most important aspect of deer management. Whitetail management is a numbers game, which is why I mentioned (above) removing those low-end, middle-aged bucks and leaving the better ones. Selective harvest removes deer from the herd, but it also decreases competition for resources, which affects food and nutrition! It’s also important to shoot does, which can influence (or not) the number of animals in a population annually.

Large numbers of does, as compared to bucks, lengthens the breeding season and will physically run down bucks. They WILL have smaller antlers the following year if they do not have adequate post-rut nutrition.

More deer means less food per mouth, while fewer deer means more food per mouth. A buck’s diet and overall level of nutrition impacts his annual antler growth. This is most notable during years when habitat is really great or when habitat is really poor. However, tough years are harder on 1-3 year old bucks than those that are 4+ years old.

Older, bigger bucks have more resources for antler growth to pull from within their bodies (bones) and they also have access to the highest quality foods within an area. Skeletal growth continues until age 3, so mature bucks do not have to worry about that either.

Managing for Buck Antler Growth

Deer Management Considerations: Your 9 Point

Based on the number of antler points your buck has a 5 1/2 years of age, my guess is that this buck is destined to be just that, a 9 point. If you were waiting on him to be a 10 point then you did the right thing, you were patient. However, at 5 1/2 years this buck has age on his side and still no dice. I suspect that the genes for a 10+ point frame just are not there, so no amount of age will get him over the hump.

Remember, there is no deer management without deer hunting and harvest. If you are fortunate enough to see this mature buck this deer hunting season then my recommendation would be to take him. The odds of him surviving to the next season are decreasing rapidly with every year, and he’s competing with some (hopefully) better bucks for both food and breeding rights. Every deer is a good one, but especially when it’s a mature buck. Best of luck!

Public Hunting in Texas: Draw Hunts Going Online

Texas is well-known for white-tailed deer hunting, but it’s also known as a state that is overwhelmingly privately owned. That means finding low cost and/or quality public hunting opportunities can be few a far between. However, with a little luck you could be hunting smack-dab in the middle of some well-managed lands. That’s because Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) offers some really good draw hunts on public hunting lands across the state.

We took advantage of these draw hunts growing up, specifically for deer, and it did allow us to see some beautiful parts of the state as well as meet some other awfully nice hunters. The TPWD draw hunt system is basically a lotto system with an entry fee that puts hunters in areas where animals need to be removed. It was an annual, late-summer ritual to sit down with their printed draw booklet and “map out” the areas where we would enter, hopefully hunt.

It was never a sure thing since the odds of getting drawn were low, but more years than not we were fortunate enough to get to go hunting somewhere. Most of the these public hunts take place at TPWD’s wildlife management areas, but they also hunt state parks and some state and national forest. Now the whole draw system is going online, so although it will make it easier for hunters to apply, it may very well increase the competition.

Source: Effective with this summer’s applications, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s popular Public Hunt Drawing System will be online-only. The Public Hunt Drawing System offers affordable hunting experiences in more than two dozen different hunt categories, including eight specifically for youth only. Applications will only be accepted online — no “Applications for Drawings on Public Hunting Lands” booklets or application forms will be printed and mailed out.

With the new paperless system, hunters will be able to browse the drawn hunt catalog by hunt category and location using interactive maps, as well as complete the application and pay online. Selected applicants will be notified by email and can accept permits and pay any fees online. Permits will be issued by email and can be printed at home or stored on a mobile device. Those applicants who are not selected may still be eligible through a secondary drawing if any permits are unclaimed by the payment deadline. There may still be opportunities for traditional standby hunts at some locations.

In addition to now being able to apply for multiple hunt areas within the same hunt category (i.e. apply for a Gun Deer — Either Sex hunt on more than one hunt area), the online system will give hunters more time to apply. Application deadlines start in August and wrap up in January. Applicants will have until midnight on the day of the deadline to apply.

Non-refundable application fees for drawn Special Permit hunts range between $3-10 for each adult applicant 17 years of age or older. Selected adult hunters pay an additional permit fee of $80 for regular hunts and $130 for extended hunts. There are no application fees or drawn hunt permit fees for youth age 8 to 16. There are no application fees for the e-postcard hunt or the U.S. Forest Service Antlerless Deer permits.

Applicants will also retain and continue to accrue Preference Points, now called Loyalty Points, as in the past. Points will stay with the category and be applied to each application equally.

The new online-only system will begin accepting electronic applications in July for 2014-15 Drawn Hunts, including Special Permit hunts, E-Postcard hunts, and US Forest Service Antlerless Deer Permits.

More information about the new online draw hunt system can be found on their web site.