Buck Manager | Buck Manager

Deer Antlers as a Management Tool for Whitetail Bucks

The idea that the genetic composition of a deer herd can be improved through selective harvest is not a new one to white-tailed deer management, but it is a tough goal to achieve. This is especially true when dealing with free-ranging deer herds on small to mid-sized properties, which covers most of the land found within the whitetail’s range. Selective deer harvest, or “culling” if you’re talking deer out on the ranch, is not always an option for every hunter on every property. This management practice, however, should not be overlooked by land owners and hunters looking to improve the quality of deer herd found on their property.

The idea of culling deer is to remove bucks with inferior genes for antler growth and leave the genetically better bucks to do the breeding, thereby passing on those better genes to their offspring. It’s a simple concept and it works. Cattlemen figured this out a long time ago; put a really good bull in the pasture and you’ll have better calves. The thing that makes it difficult to implement with deer is that there are often many, many bulls.

Believe it or not, genes are not all that difficult to see in animals. Well, you can’t see the genes per se, but you can see how they are physically expressed. For example, it’s not all that difficult to find a good bull if you know what you’re looking for. The same can be said of a buck. Ranches can identify a good bull by age, so a deer manager should be able to identify a good buck by age. The difficult part is that all those deer are running loose on your property and you can’t get them sort themselves out by age and line up from most inferior to most superior while you’re out deer hunting.

If you are interested in learning more about using what’s on a buck’s head to manage the deer found on your property, then check out the webinar being offered later this week that features Dr. David Hewitt, Stuart Stedman Chair for White-tailed Deer Research at the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute. There is no cost and you can watch from your home or office computer, just don’t let the boss catch you!

When: Thursday, September 19th, 2013, from noon to 1:00 pm CST

Topic: “Deer antlers as a Management Tool: The Role of Culling” Dr. Hewitt will be speaking on Deer antlers as a Management Tool: The Role of Culling. He will cover deer management objectives and the role of culling, reasons managers may wish to cull bucks, relationship between antler size at one age and antler size at a later age and the ability to change genetic potential for antler size in a free-ranging deer herd.

How to sign on: Simply point your browser to Texas Wildlife Association web site on the day of the webinar and click to join the Wildlife for Lunch webinar. By the way, WebEx webinars are not supported on handheld devices such as iPads or iPhones. Each web based seminar is fully interactive and allows you to engage the experts, make comments, and ask questions during the course of the presentation.

Deer Breeding, Hunting: Debated in the News

There is a gradient of acceptance when it comes to white-tailed deer hunting and the commercial deer breeding business. In many states across the US — where maintaining penned deer is legal — the whitetail hunting tradition has hybridized with deer farming to deliver a product that some hunters seem willing to buy. But it’s not for everyone. Literally on the other side of fence are hunters that do not want to accept farm-raised “wildlife.” They just do not agree with the raising or hunting of pen-raised deer.

I can see both sides. For one, the laws are law. It is completely legal to hold, breed and sell deer. In Texas alone there are approximately 1,200 permitted facilities that can help provide ranches with bucks, does and fawns that have the genetics to produce gargantuan antlers. But is deer hunting all about shooting bucks with big antlers? Traditional hunters say no, hell no. They will tell you that hunting is less about the kill and more about the experience, more about spending time with family and friends while hunting free-ranging deer.

Deer Breeding and Hunting Debate Continues

There is no doubt that every hunter has an opinion on the issue. And since opinions are rooted in personal beliefs they are not often swayed by facts. Each camp can come up with supporting facts to debate their side of the issue, but where you stand on the issue of hunting line-bred, pen-raised deer likely depends on which side of the fence you sit. Either way, the topic remains in the news.

Source: “The quest for better deer — specifically bucks with antlers as freakishly big as possible — has created a rift among deer hunters.

Prize bucks are measured on a complicated scale that involves measurements between antlers, but suffice to say the more and bigger the antlers, the more valued the animal in deer hunting circles. But hunters who stalk deer through the woods and take them down the old-fashioned way are seeing their records obliterated by bucks created by deer breeders and set free in enclosed areas for weekend warriors to bring down – and mount in mancaves back home.

“They’ve now created deer that are beyond human belief in terms of their antler size,” said Brian Murphy, CEO of the Quality Deer Management Association. “[The deer] staggers around under the weight of those antlers.” Murphy said some some breeder deer are released into 10,000 acres of land, while others, in the most egregious cases, are released into three to five acres before they are shot down. “Most hunters find great disdain in a known outcome,” he told FoxNews.com. “That is not hunting. There has to be a high degree of not being successful. The deer has to have a fair chance to escape.”

People who kill deer in that fashion follow “a code of ethics that is beyond reproach,” he said.

The race for bigger deer has prompted some to fear that cloning methods, first pioneered at Texas A&M laboratories in order to protect the species, could soon be used to accelerate the race for bigger antlers. In an investigative article written for Outdoor Life magazine, Chris Dougherty describes what he called “Frankenstein Bucks.”

“One look at this pen-reared buck tells you there is something wrong, something terribly wrong. His obscenely disfigured antlers look more like something you would find growing on a coral reef or in a post nuclear war sci-fi thriller,” Dougherty wrote. “They twist and turn and droop and bulge and fork and then fork again.”

But other deer breeding groups, like Michigan-based Whitehouse Whitetails, said there’s no difference between killing deer in the wild and killing them in an enclosed space.

“They have the right to do that because it isn’t to hunt. They just want the head to mount on their wall,” said Laura Caroll, who, along with her husband, owns the deer breeding company. “They [critics] are saying that one way of killing them is different from another way of killing them,” she said. “But the end result is that they kill them. It’s no different than raising cattle that’s going to go on people’s tables,” Caroll said.

It’s true, a dead deer is dead deer. The race to grow bigger and bigger bucks is no different than anything else humans try to take to the next level: the fastest car, the highest building, the meatiest cow, the biggest ear of corn. I’m not even sure how many hunters and non-hunters are really against deer in pens, but it seems like a good percentage of people take issue with calling the shooting of released deer a “hunt.” To me, that decision is best left up to the person who decides to pull or not pull the trigger.

Deer Hunting Small Properties for Success

It was a perfect morning for deer hunting. It was late October, 53 degrees and a 5-7 mile per hour wind was blowing out of the northeast. Directly in front of me, standing at 10 yards, was a 10 point buck that I recognized from game camera photos. The deer was walking quartering away and stopped right on cue. The arrow rocketed through him and hit the ground before he even flinched.

I could immediately see blood. He lurched forward and hit high gear in only a few steps. A few seconds later I heard him crash. It was quiet again. Just to be safe, I waited 15 minutes before walking to the end of a 45 yard long blood trail that culminated with my bow buck.

Deer Hunting and Management on Small Property

I dragged the deer back to the truck, which was parked less than 60 yards away. You see, I was deer hunting a pint-sized property in Central Texas that consisted of a mere 7 acres. It was the second time that I had hunted the small tract in 6 years. Three years earlier had resulted in a mature, heavy-bodied 9 point whitetail buck.

My latest deer, why far from a “book” buck, was the product of only one deer management practice—harvest management. Not shooting him years earlier when he was younger was the strategy, just letting him go so he could grow into something more substantial. Deer hunting small properties can work, but you have to do it right from the start.

Deer Hunting Small Property 101

Keep it quiet. There is no real secret to this one, but it does mean allowing deer to be content using and traveling through a property. Larger properties afford protection to whitetail by the shear amount of space they put between them and any disturbances. Not the case when talking about a small property.

Tips for Deer Hunting a Small Property

Small acreages do not have the kind of built in buffer that distances deer from disturband, so it’s much more important that deer are not continually pushed off of the property, especially as the hunting season approaches. As a note, whitetail can deal with regular disturbances, but it’s different come hunting season once hunters take to the woods.

Mature deer, both bucks and does, become well aware of the sounds and smells that are out of the ordinary for the places they call home.

Help Their Diet

Just like the way to man’s heart is through his stomach, the best way to put an arrow or bullet in a buck’s heart is to keep him coming back for more—keep him well fed. Dominant bucks do not look for the poorest or even the most mediocre meal on the landscape as a part of their diet. They look for the best grub and they keep it to themselves.

If a big ole buck finds high quality forage on the small property you plan to deer hunt this fall then so much the better. A deer has got to eat, right?

The largest antlered bucks in an area will typically have the biggest bodies and that’s because they eat well. Give them something good on your property that is not found anywhere else in the area. Then you have a shot at making your small acreage property part of a dominant buck’s core area.

Deer Hunting Small Properties

It’s always a good idea to choose something that is highly tasty or high in protein. This could be anything from pelleted protein to cottonseed to other types of manufactured foods/baits that attract deer, including well-prepared food plots. The bow buck above had a taste for the Nut ‘N More Drop Block by InSights Nutrition. It’s actually a block that I believe was developed for deer breeders but I’ve found that free-ranging deer really go for this sweet, peanut-based product. Water can also be a great attractant in arid areas.

Know Your Small Tract

Not all small properties provide deer habitat. Smaller properties do not need an abundance of cover, but whitetail will avoid areas that do not have enough suitable screening cover to even provide for perceived safe travel. If you want whitetail deer to use a property it will at least need to have cover comprised of brush, grass, or small trees that are at least 3-4 feet in height in or near potential travel ways.

Deer Hunting Small Tracts

Some of the best small acreage deer hunting can be found on tracts of land that provide good travel corridors. In these cases, providing food or water may just be the icing of the cake for deer that are already traveling through a property. A creek, natural funnel or pinch-point can be a regular deer producer, even if it’s located on just a small tract of land. This is also something to consider when evaluating a hunting lease or when looking for property to purchase.

Timing is Everything

Like life, timing is everything when it comes to deer hunting. Time it just right. Use game cameras to keep informed of when animals are visiting your feed stations or traveling through the area. Most bucks will stick to well-defined feeding patterns before the breeding season turns them into nomads. If you don’t have the opportunity to hunt the pre-breeding season then the rut is, of course, a great time to hunt.

This is can bucks will longer distances in search of hot does. Know when the rut takes place in your hunting area, know the weather and get out there to take advantage of what’s going on. Deer will move throughout the day when the time is right.

Another option is to try rattling. Bucks will readily respond to rattling antlers a couple of weeks before the breeding season kicks into high gear. You may also have a shot a drawing them onto your small hunting tract after the rut as tapered off. A buck may cruise by to take a look if he thinks there is one last shot at breeding success.

Hunt Deer, Don’t Scare Them

Hunt only when the wind is right. This idea is so simple in theory, but it had been one of the most difficult things for me to put into practice during the hunting season. The problem had always been that I wanted to be in the field regardless of whether or not the weather was right. After years, however, I’ve learned that not only is hunting bad wind not effective, it can can run a buck out of the area for good.

Deer Hunting Tips for Small Acreage

I had one buck wind me several years ago and he never showed back up, at least not on game camera, for almost 5 weeks. Mature deer learn real quick when an area is not safe. That’s how they got old.

Hunting Small Acreage Successfully

These tips are a good place to start when deer hunting smaller tracts or any property for that matter. Whitetail are smart animals and that makes them challenging to hunt. It also makes it that much more rewarding when we’re lucky enough to bag a good one, especially on small acreage.

There is something about hunting these mini properties that makes deer hunting even more challenging. It’s good to shoot deer, but keep always remember that deer harvest management is even more important on small tracts. Do not over hunt them.

Predators and Deer Management: Bobcat Kills Fawn

Predator control can be an integral part of a white-tailed deer management. Regulating predators should be a year-round activity on properties that are serious about the task, but it’s usually right about the time fawns start hitting the ground that hunters think about doing it. Limiting predators can work well when used hand-in-hand with other practices such as habitat management and supplemental feeding. Though there are many things looking to chow down on a deer, the “whitetail killer” that gets most of the attention is the cunning coyote.

They are smart. They do get a lot of attention from hunters, and for good reason. The coyote is the most abundant predator on the landscape with the ability to take whitetail, especially when they pack hunt. Case in point: Recall the article where a group of coyotes kill a whitetail buck on game camera? But as much attention as song dogs get, they aren’t the only game in town. Bobcats can also do a number on deer, especially when it comes to fawns.

Bobcat Kills Deer Fawn on Game Camera

Bobcat Goes for the Kill

The game camera photo below shows a whitetail fawn being attacked by a bobcat while near a deer feeder. The photo was taken in Central Texas within the last month. And yes, the date and time on the camera are wrong because apparently the hunter did not set them.

That’s not uncommon — and neither are fawns in the bobcat diet when recently-born whitetail fawns are available. Research conducted in Texas found that the bobcat diet contains more deer during the month of June than any other time of the year. Coincidence? No.

It is, however, believed that bobcats have a more limited impact on adult deer than coyotes despite the fact that bobcat attacks on adult deer have also been photo-documented. I would imagine that the majority of adult deer killed by bobcats are already either sick or injured. I also suspect there are individual cats that operate as exceptions to this rule.

It’s unlikely that predator control as a component of a deer management program would have a “bobcat-only” control aspect, but rather their numbers would be reduced through general predator control tactics that target coyotes, bobcats and feral hogs. Bobcats, though shy like other felid species, are susceptible to snares, #3 leg-hold traps, and calling and shooting, with the latter being the most targeted method. Like anything, it takes experience with predator control to become proficient at it.

Predator Control and Deer Management

Should intensive predator control be a part of your deer management program? Maybe. Maybe not. It all depends on the characteristics of the deer herd in question as well as the potential for the habitat found on the property to provide the protection that deer need. Quality habitat will alleviate a lot of predator issues. On the other hand, poor deer habitat will likely compound them. An absence of grass and tall forbs makes fawns really easy to find. A lack of screening cover (trees, shrubs, tall grass) makes every deer easy to find.

Controlling predators is a management tool that must be evaluated on a property by property basis. Predators are a part of the natural system, but the impact they have on a specific property may not fit into your deer management plan. High fenced properties, specifically smaller ones, should consider predator management for the sake of the deer herd. I’ve seen several situations where coyotes in particular have drastically reduced deer populations.

Before declaring all-out-war on predator populations it is important to consider a few things. Are predators such as coyotes, bobcats or even feral hogs limiting the deer population on the property you hunt or manage? If predators are controlled, can the property support more deer without a decline in habitat quality? Are you prepared for more time spent deer hunting, increased harvest and the removal of surplus deer, and will those animals be used?

Determining Carrying Capacity for Deer Management

Question: “Hi, I’m not into deer hunting but I need to learn something about whitetail deer management. I live on an island in Puget Sound, human population 20, deer population 15 to 30 depending on who you talk to. The environment is lush and the deer lack nothing. They don’t even have ticks, apparently. There are more bucks than does, and this year there were at least 3 fawns that I know of. I recently read that whitetail deer could double in population in just two years. The island is only about 200 acres total. So how does one calculate the carrying capacity of the island? At what point do the deer need to be thinned to keep everything healthy? Thanks.”

Response: First, good call in gathering information on deer management for your island. It does not sound like you have a deer overpopulation dilemma on your hands just yet, so hopefully I can offer some pointers on what to look for to manage the deer and habitat found in your area. Deer, like most animals, are self-limiting. When deer numbers get high and food availability gets low, individual deer start to lose body mass, become weak and ultimately die. When a bunch of individual animals die the population crashes. Wildlife management at its very essence is designed to harvest, to utilize those excess animals well before malnutrition brings down an entire population. Continue reading “Determining Carrying Capacity for Deer Management”