Buck Manager | Buck Manager

Cold Weather Means Deer are Moving!

The life of a white-tailed deer is highly impacted by the weather. Hunters know that high rainfall years are better than dry ones when it comes to antler growth and the number of fawns produced. Mild weather during the spring and fall is also conducive for plant growth, which in turn is good for deer growth. Everything struggles when it gets really hot or really cold. However, if you’re looking to harvest a deer this season then colder temperatures are exactly what you need. And that’s because whitetail deer move around a heck of a lot more when temperatures drop.

I know what you’re thinking. The rut, right? Cooler temperatures must mean that bucks will be chasing does with reckless abandon. Well, that could be one exciting scenario, but I’m targeting the fact that when the temperatures outside get really, really cold, deer get extremely hungry. This means that they have got to eat something, and soon. It takes a lot of energy to maintain a 104 degree (F) internal body temperature when the mercury starts to plummet. Deer will be looking for fuel, but will you be there?

Deer Hunting Good on Cold, Wet Days

Cold weather is good for getting whitetail deer up and moving. Cold, wet weather is even better! Think of it in terms of a hypothetical “deer misery index.” The more miserable it is out there on the landscape then the tougher it is for deer. It makes it very hard for whitetail (and other animals) to bed up and hold tight all day when their energy needs are spiking through the roof. If your heater is running all day at home then you can bet the caloric needs of a whitetail deer are humming right along.

The one caveat to hunting cold, wet and just plain ole nasty weather is that it’s also going to be tough on the hunter, too. These are the days that separate the men from the boys, those that talk the talk from those that walk the walk. If you want to fill the freezer and the wall then it’s going to take more than a big buck sticker on the back glass of your truck.

Deer Movement and Energy Requirements

The movement of whitetail deer increases as food sources decrease, energy demands increase. Deer hunting extreme cold often means that food sources are limited AND whitetail deer have elevated energy requirements. This puts a lot in favor of the hunter. Find the right place, hold tight and you’re in business. Will it be a well-established winter food plot, a feeder or a travel corridor of woods that connects a bedding area to a feeding area?

It’s important to realize that the term “cold” is relative to the area that you are hunting. There are a variety of subspecies (20+) of whitetail deer in the US. Some can attain the body mass required to endure snow-covered hills and bone-chilling temperatures for weeks. Smaller-bodied whitetail at southern latitudes get hit hard if temperatures simply stay in the 20’s and 30’s for a couple of days. What is considered a cold winter day in one area may just be an average fall day in another place. Hunt when deer are moving, when temps are well below average for your area.

Dark of the Moon Deer Hunts

When colder than normal weather settles into an area for a few days to a week or more, expect the morning and evening movement of deer to increase substantially. And in my experience, the quantity of movement during the morning will be even greater if there is a new moon (i.e. dark of the moon/no moon). Morning hunts are great because dark skies keep deer bedded up all night so that they are more than ready to go chow down when the sun finally breaks the horizon.

With a need for feed, you can also expect the mid-day movement of deer to increase when temperatures plummet, regardless of moon phase. In fact, I’ve seen extended cold weather keep deer out on food plots all day long. On those clear and cold days, exposed feeding areas such as food plots allow deer exposure to the sun as well as an abundance of forage. Feeding areas that allow protection from the wind get another thumbs up as well.

Hunt Hard or Stay Home

There is no doubt that extreme cold gets deer up and moving. It’s especially hard on animals when temps are just above freezing and precipitation is involved or there are periods of prolonged periods of frigid weather, particularly later in the season in areas where the deer are accustomed to mild falls and winters. One of my favorite times to be out deer hunting is when it’s been much, much colder than average for several days running. It all but guarantees that animals will be up and at ’em.

A successful hunt is a big part of whitetail deer management because the end result is always a reduced population. Harsh environmental conditions means that the limited, available foods must be divided up among all of the deer that live in a given area. Less over-wintering deer means more food for the remainder of the herd and better nutrition for each individual animal. This is paramount for growing and producing big, healthy deer. There has been volumes written about hunting the rut to take advantage of increased deer movement, but a strong cold spell that last for several days or more should never be overlooked.

Deer Hunting: Big Nontypical Buck, State Record Tagged in Madison County

Not many hunters are fortunate enough to get a photo of a big, free-ranging white-tailed buck taken in close proximity to their deer lease just days before the hunting season. But if you were that fortunate, can you imagine the excitement leading up to opening day? Now, imagine if that big buck photo was published in the local paper. Buzzkill. That would ensure that LOTS of hunters would be taking to the field for a once-in-a-lifetime kind of buck. That kind of competition did not deter 15-year old deer hunter Makayla Hay.

She had her eye on the deer leading up to the gun season, like every other deer hunter in Madison County, Texas. In October, a photo in the local newspaper (above) featured the nontypical buck swimming across the Trinity River. Makayla and her father, Jim, knew the photograph was taken near their 1,600 acre deer lease, and they joked about the possibility of seeing the buck. Little did they know that opening day of the 2013 gun season would be one for the books, literally! Continue reading “Deer Hunting: Big Nontypical Buck, State Record Tagged in Madison County”

Spike on One Side, Now What? Injury or Deformity?

There are many factors to consider when it comes to management of white-tailed bucks during the deer hunting season. Some of the more popular campfire discussions usually involve talking about antlers, which bucks to shoot or not shoot, and whether or not odd antler configurations on specific deer were caused by poor genetics or by an injury during antler development. Whether you are actively managing the white-tailed deer living on your own property or considering culling some select deer off your hunting lease, it pays to know a little bit about deer antlers and their growth before you pull the trigger.

For whatever reason, this year I have seen more bucks with asymmetrical antlers than ever before. Most of these deer have been bucks with a normal antler on one side and then an unbranched antler (spike) on the other. And I’m not just talking about 1 1/2 year old (yearling) bucks. Of course, some yearling bucks will have unbranched antlers (one side or both), but only very rarely do spike bucks actually remain spikes after their first set of antlers. The bucks I’m talking about are middle-aged deer; 3 and 4 year old bucks with lots of promise on one side and nothing but disappointment on the other.

Whitetail Deer Hunting and Management - Spike on One Side

Broken Bones and Antler Development

The antlers found on the top of a buck’s head are true bone. These bones/antlers are grown every year and like other bones are comprised primarily of minerals. The minerals necessary for a buck’s antler growth are extracted from mineral reserves stored in other parts of the deer’s skeletal system. As a result, any broken bones can potentially disrupt the ability for the body to transfer those minerals from one part of the body to where they are needed, on top of the buck’s head.

Larger (long) bones are more important to antler development because of the amount (percent) of minerals they contribute to a buck’s antler growth. A deer’s leg bones are huge sources of minerals and the hind legs even more so than than the front legs. A fractured leg will often lead to deformed, non-typical antlers, and maybe even result in a buck with a spike on one side. However, a buck’s antlers will often normalize in subsequent years as the fracture heals and the minerals are more effectively mobilized.

Front leg fractures will effect antler development on the same side as the break, whereas hind leg fractures will impact antler growth on the opposite side. Again, an injury to the back legs will be more detrimental to a buck’s antlers in the near term, and depending on how well it heals, could impact antler growth for the remainder of the buck’s life.

Pedicle, Skull Injury and Spike on One Side

A pedicle is the location on top of a buck’s head from which the antlers grow. All normal bucks have two of them, one for each antler. When a buck sheds his antlers in the late winter or early spring the attachment point between the pedicle and the antler is where they detach. This is usually a clean separation, but sometimes it’s not. This “dirty” departure could be the result of either a pedicle injury or perhaps even a skull (cap) injury at some point in the past. Either injury could result from a self-inflicted mishap or from a brawl with another buck prior to or during the breeding season.

Regardless, these injuries may cause permanent antler damage (antler material remains attached to pedicle) for the duration of the buck’s life. So although not a genetic cull buck, a buck with an injured pedicle or injured skull cap may be sentenced to a future of disappointing antler growth, at least on one side if a shed does not drop cleanly.

Recent Antler Research and Deer Management

The social, economic and recreational importance of white-tailed deer hunting over the past few decades has substantially increased deer management programs across the US, particularly with regards to the harvest and management of bucks. The selective harvest of bucks comes in many different flavors with age-based restrictions and/or antler-based restrictions being the most common. Before removing a buck from the herd that has a deformed antler or that is a spike on one side, keep the points listed above in mind and check out what a recent antler research study concluded:

Source: Besides the underlying principle that spike on one side (SOOS) antlers are caused by physical injuries and not genetics, the take home messages of this research are three-fold.

First, the underlying cause (skeletal versus pedicle/skull injury) of SOOS antlers determines whether or not a buck has a decent chance of developing normal antlers in the future.

Second, yearling SOOS bucks stand a chance of developing normal antlers in the future and should be protected from harvest like normal yearlings.

Lastly, adult bucks will probably continue to carry SOOS antler characteristics throughout their lifetime, making them a candidate for harvest if they meet the normal age-based harvest criteria, like any other buck.

Let’s be clear about one thing: Harvesting SOOS bucks does nothing to improve the genetic quality of a deer population. Hopefully, this research will hammer another nail in the coffin of the mythical “genetic cull buck.”

To the third point, I would not necessarily agree with letting a 2 or 3 year old buck that is a spike on one side remain on a property until he is 5 or 6 years old unless the buck has tremendous antler growth on his one good side. Awesome mass, super long main beams or 5+ points on one side would be indicative of a buck with good genetic potential for antler growth, especially since antler characteristics are highly heritable. You would want to leave this guy hanging around if there were a shortage of these types of animals on a property.

On the other hand, if the buck’s “good side” had only 3 to 4 points at 4+ years old then I would not recommend sitting around to take pictures of him, regardless of whether the spike on one side was the result of a dirty pedicle, skull cap injury or a fractured leg (even though he would recover from this in a couple of years). That said, every manager/landowner has different objectives and must consider the harvest of deer accordingly.

Deformed Antlers: Nutrition, Pathogens & Speculation

The number of 3 and 4 year old whitetail bucks that I observed this year with a deformed antler on one side could have just been by chance. Maybe I was just fortunate enough to bump into a number of deer that had a run of bad luck. The majority of these deer where seen from farm to market and county roads spanning hundreds of square miles during the antler growing season and were not concentrated in any particular area. However, I was also contacted by several hunters and managers, most with a single, similarly deformed-antlered buck on their property, so maybe there is something to it.

Nutrition is critically important with regards to antler growth in bucks, but I’m not sure the density of deer in a given area or food availability would be to blame for malformed antlers. Sure, maybe the drought of 2010-2011 caused bucks to grow thinner, weaker antlers and the effect was bucks with below average racks, but I would not expect that to lead to an increase in the incidence of the number of bucks with a spike antler on one side. Nutrition will impact antler size, but frailty, probably not.

A more probable theory would be an impact to antlers from parasites, maybe even from those transmitting a virus. Deer with inadequate nutrition often experience a buildup of parasite levels and tend to show significant signs of poor antler development. This would be likely during a drought, but dry, hot weather also cranks up the potential for EHD in whitetail deer (including bluetongue). EHD can kill off a number of whitetail, but typically less than 20% of a population in a given area. Some deer are completely resistant and others are believed to suffer some consequences, but manage to survive through it. The latter may be bucks that end up with deformed or spike on one side antlers.

EHD causes a whitetail’s head to swell. Deer that contract EHD will often stumble, fall, and will often run into things. This could definitely cause physical injury to the pedicle or skull cap. In addition, older bucks are more susceptible to EHD, which is spread by midges (also referred to as gnats or no-see-ums), because of the quantity of blood-rich velvet. These vascular structures may sustain bites from midges either while growing normally or from a wound during antler development. Could virus-induced trauma lead to enough physical injury to cause subsequent antler growth or could that type of injury only be sustained from running into something or fighting other bucks?

It would seem plausible that the EHD virus could be directly injected into the antler by an insect while it is growing and this, possibly, may impact the pedicle. This could contribute to a dirty shed by directly or indirectly weakening the pedicle. The only way hunters can link EHD to harvested bucks of this type would be to identify other symptoms of the virus, namely badly cracked or peeling hooves.

Deer Management Using Antlers

In closing, an odd-antlered buck should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis considering both the objectives and goals of the deer management program for a property. A buck that is 2 1/2+ years of age that develops a seriously malformed or spike antler on just one side has most likely suffered physical injury to the pedicle and/or skull cap and is unlikely to recover. Bucks that have fractured bones can also develop an odd antler or spike on one side as well, but will typically “grow out of it” within a couple of years.

I also suspect that drought-related pathogens may contribute to the prevalence of bucks that are spikes on one side, but this has yet to be determined. In all cases of abnormal antlers, careful monitoring of bucks is necessary to diagnose the cause and determine the proper course of management. Please send photos if you shoot an odd-antlered buck and have evidence that suggest it survived a bout with EHD.

Deer Hunting, Management and Rattling

White-tailed deer hunting seasons are already going full bore in many states with good bucks already on the ground, but hunting is just beginning to heat up down at southern latitudes. Two things come to mind with the early part of the season upon us: rattling for buck hunting and selective harvest for the purpose of deer management. Both can take place on properties looking to ultimately improve antler quality in bucks, and these two tasks are not necessarily exclusive of one another. Managing a deer herd not only means shooting deer, but removing the right deer and at the right time.

The removal of unwanted bucks prior to the breeding season ensures that those animals do not participate; they no longer have the opportunity to pass on their genes. Earlier is always better when it comes to removing cull bucks. These management bucks, as many hunters so eloquently refer to them, often consist of middle-aged deer that show less promise than the remainder of their cohort (age class). Rattling while in the field prior to the rut ensures an active and hopefully exciting hunt, but also allows landowners and hunters the chance to fulfill management objectives.

Deer Hunting and Management - Rattling for Deer

Best Time to Rattle for Bucks

My experience has lead me to believe that rattling “horns” for deer is most effect earlier in the hunting season rather than later in the year. This may be contrary to what others have witnessed, but I don’t speak for them. My money is on the pre-rut period when it comes to rattling. Hunters can start rattling two to three weeks before the rut typically occurs in an area and have success. Days that have low, but sustained, wind speeds are ideal. Although I prefer to hit horns in the mornings, any time of the day will work.

Jeff M, Site Reader: “… for 2 consecutive seasons I have rattled in 2 shooters just as it was light enough to put my pin on them. One particular 5×5 came in hot looking in a 360 degree area for a fight or a competing alpha buck. Needless to say, his antlers are what I rattle with each season now. Last year, just as the sun was at the top of the lowest tree I rattled about 2 minutes and grunted a few nice tones and a 4×4 came in within 2 to 3 minutes. I wasn’t expecting him so soon, but he was delicious!

I have become paranoid about rattling with my decoy, thinking that once I’m settled in, they could be in range and rattling from a tree confuses them if watching my decoy. I now settle in, listen, and rattle if my buck bomb or decoy doesn’t bring some action first. I am a true believer in rattling. I know it works on the aggressive ones, even interested 1 to 3 year olds.

Use your senses of what deer may already be around before starting your cadence of rattling. Remember that sounds travel early in the AM if it’s still, and bucks will come from everywhere to see just what is up with a good rattling sequence. I start of lightly by tickling them together and then gradually move onto more heavy hitting at the end, followed by a few aggressive grunts.”

Don’t Wait for Deer Management

The management of deer herds varies from property to property. Objectives on one place will be different from another place down the road. Some want to shoot bucks found on their property at 4 1/2 years of age, some at 6 1/2 and so on and so on. There is no single management strategy that can be equated with success; there are many ways to get there, but it all depends on where you start. It’s kind of like all roads can lead to Rome, but your trip will different than mine.

One of the biggest problems that plagues many hunters interested in the management of whitetail deer is that they do not have clear-cut guidelines for buck harvest. What is the criteria on which bucks will be shot? When they are old enough? Only when they are spikes? When they are big enough? When they have missing brow tines? Managers must establish goals and guidelines and put them on paper before the shooting starts. As with everything in life, you’ve got to have a plan. Again, this plan will vary from place to place, but success in deer hunting is measured in a multitude of ways: age of buck harvest, bigger antler size, number of bucks harvested, and buck to doe ratio, for example.

An important thing to remember is that all bucks that you do not want participating in the rut should be removed as soon as possible. If this is done on an annual basis then improvement in the deer herd will be observed sooner rather than later.

Rattling and Hunting

One of the great things about deer hunting is that it can get exciting in a hurry when a big buck steps into the picture. This is especially true when it comes to rattling in bucks. Deer can often appear seemingly out of nowhere and have your heart just about pounding out of your chest. If you’re trying to manage a herd, then this is where a deer management program and a split-second deer hunting decision collide. The ability to age bucks on the hoof becomes increasingly important when time is of the essence, such as when a ornery buck is high-tailing it towards you and looking for a fight or maybe even a girl to steal.

At times like this, there is nothing better than having the skill to size up a deer in the field with regards to age, and maybe even antler score. If you are comfortable doing this then you won’t even think about it. It just takes practice. Also, if you run trail cameras leading up to the hunting season then there is a good chance you will recognize the deer, but there is also the chance that you rattle up something you’ve never seen before. That’s when it really gets exciting!

Just remember this when trying to rattle up a buck: start soft and slow and be patient. Sometimes deer will literally be just out of sight. Also, do not over rattle. On more than one occasion I’ve been “caught” by bucks while reaching for the rattling horns. If I’d waited just a few more minutes those deer would have worked their way in. A good rattling sequence is to rattle for 15 to 60 seconds every 20 minutes, increasing in both duration and intensity over time.

Whitetail Hunting Season in Good Shape

Many bow-carrying deer hunters have already headed to the field, but it’s darn tough out there right now for those than plan on whitetail hunting around a feeder. Much like the rain, food plots seem to be hit or miss depending on which part of Texas your located. Those that have been in the woods lately have no doubt discovered that the acorns have fallen. Last check of the game cameras have demonstrated that deer visitation at the feeders has slowed way, way down. But I’m not worried. They are there. Somewhere.

All in all, things are looking really good for Texas deer hunters this year. I’ve corresponded with quite a few property owners within the past couple of months and the overwhelming majority of them say things are looking pretty darn good. Habitat is decent for the time of year, antler quality is there and good numbers of fawns mean good deer hunting seasons to come. State wildlife officials are echoing what landowners have been saying for some time. This season is going to be a good one.

2013-14 Texas Deer Hunting Season

Source: “Statewide population trends remain stable and hunters should expect good numbers of deer year in and year out,” says Alan Cain, TPWD whitetail deer program leader. “I would predict the statewide deer population to be close to or slightly above the long-term average and hover around that 3.6 million deer mark for 2013.”

“One factor hunters should also keep in mind is the good carryover of deer from the 2012 season as harvest was down resulting from heavy acorn and mast crops in several regions of the state,” Cain notes. “For hunters this translates into plenty of opportunities to harvest a deer.” Though the deer population numbers are expected to be good this year, Cain predicts the recent September rains that resulted in a flush of green vegetation may cause bow hunters to rethink their early season hunting strategies as deer may spend less time visiting feeders. A well-traveled game trail may be more productive than hunting at the deer feeder.

Dry conditions in 2011 resulted in a significant decline in fawn production, down to 29 percent for the statewide estimate, a 24 percent departure from the long term average. Fawn crops bounced back in 2012 at 47 percent and Cain anticipates survey results will show a higher fawn crop this year. In fact, Cain is hearing reports from landowners as well as TPWD biologists of fawn production in the 60 to 80 percent range in the Hill Country and similar reports of good fawn production in other areas of the state.

For hunters fawn crops may not be as meaningful since harvest is generally focused on older age class deer, but remember those fawns this year translate into your adult deer several years into the future.

Environmental conditions can play big part in determining hunting season success on yearly basis, but if the hunting outlook in your area does not seem quite as rosy as you’d like then there may be some other factors at play. Never underestimate habitat when it comes to holding and producing whitetail deer. Deer need it because it provides plants to eat and they need it for screening cover. Fawns need it for thermoregulation as well as for concealment from predators. Of course, hunting pressure both on your property and neighboring properties can play a large role too. Consider active deer management to find out more about what’s happening with the deer population in your area, as well improving the deer hunting on your property.