Buck Manager | Buck Manager

Buck Harvest – How Many?

The harvest rate of bucks will be dependent on the objectives of the land manager. One of the concerns of many first-time and veteran deer managers is the age structure of the buck segment of the population. If one of the deer management objectives is to produce bucks with larger antlers, bucks must be allowed to reach older ages, which means that the harvest of young, immature bucks should be heavily restricted.

Restricting hunters to mature bucks only is a good management strategy to harvest old bucks, but does not address inferior bucks that are young or middle-aged. As a result, these deer must be carefully removed. Deer body characteristics, in addition to antler characteristics, should be used to determine the relative age of bucks “on-the-hoof.” Let’s discuss two different management strategies for the buck segment of your deer population.

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Cover Requirements for Whitetail Deer

The best cover for white-tailed deer is a pattern or mosaic of woody brush and trees interspersed within open areas at an approximate 60 percent open area to 40 percent woody cover. Deer are adaptable so can use habitat with more or less cover, but it’s important that clumps or strips of brush be wide enough so that an observer cannot see through them from one side to the other during the winter months when deciduous species are bare of leaves.

This gives whitetail the security they desire, the screening cover that allows them to use an area as well as hold them there. Keep in mind that cover strips should be as continuous as possible to provide travel lanes throughout the property, otherwise deer do not find them nearly as attractive. These continuous strips are especially important where cover is already limited, such as in grasslands or areas dominated by farmlands.

Deer can easily be displaced by disturbance in areas where the habitat does not provide adequate escape or security cover. The amount and distribution of cover on neighboring lands also needs to be taken into consideration when assessing cover needs of a wide-ranging species such as whitetail deer. For example, a small ranch would need a larger amount of security cover on a percentage basis than would a larger ranch where the vastness of the area provides security.

Remember, promoting ideal cover requirements for white-tailed deer to retreat into when disturbed may keep the animals calmer, less stressed, on your property and ultimately more productive. Landowners interested in managing for deer should aim for a minimum of 25 percent cover and a maximum of 75 percent. Deer will make use of many properties, but it’s hard to manage a deer population if you don’t have one.

Whitetail Deer Harvest and Records Management

The harvest of whitetail deer is serious business on a highly-managed piece of property. As a result, take time to document what’s happening each year to record where your deer management program is heading. Records should be kept to monitor the status of the deer herd and measure the success of management over time. As a minimum, record keeping should include:

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Supplemental Feeding of Whitetail Deer

Managing the habitat for proper nutrition should be the primary management goal. Supplemental feeding and/or planting of food plots are not a substitute for good habitat management. These practices should only be considered as "supplements" to the native habitat, not as "cure-alls" for low quality and/or poorly managed habitats.

To be most beneficial, supplemental feeding in particular needs to be integrated into an overall deer population and habitat management program that maintains the range in good condition. Feeding programs which provide sufficient additional nutrients to be of value to deer are expensive and take a long term commitment.

Although corn is commonly used as a supplemental feed, it is one of the poorest types of deer feed available and it should not be used as the only source of supplemental feed. Its low protein level (7-10%) is not adequate for the development of bone and muscle, especially at times when the protein levels of native forages is also low. The preferred method is to use a 16% to 20% protein pelleted commercial feed, fed free choice, from feeders distributed at the rate of at least one feeder per 300 acres located within or adjacent to adequate escape cover. Continue reading “Supplemental Feeding of Whitetail Deer”

Habitat Management for Deer – Mix it Up!

White-tailed fawn

Range and habitat enhancment may be necessary on properties that have received high livestock grazing pressure in the past or have been degraded by other means. Many herbaceous broadleaf plants, known as forbs (but commonly referred to as weeds and wildflowers), are beneficial to wildlife for forage and/or seed production.

Commonly seen as unwanted plant species by farmers or cattle ranchers, the leaves of many forbs provide excellent forage and the seeds are highly sought by doves, quail, and turkey.

Encourage “weed” and wildflower species by the selective application of chemical, biological (eg. grazing management) and/or mechanical means. Native herbaceous plants (grasses and forbs) that provide food and cover for wildlife should be established where they are limited in the habitat. Plant species selected and methods for establishment should be applicable to the soil type and the area of the country your property is located. Non-native species are generally not recommended, but if required for a specific purpose, non-native species should not exceed approximately 25 percent of a seeding mix.

Seeding mixtures that provide maximum native plant diversity are highly recommended. The conversion of improved grass pastures (such as bermudagrass, kleingrass, buffelgrass), old fields, and croplands back to native vegetation is a desirable practice that will benefit wildlife in many ways. Increased nesting and fawning cover, in addition to increased food availability, will help wildlife on your property. Overseeding these areas with locally adapted legumes (eg. clovers, vetches, peas) may assist with the conversion process while increasing plant diversity and providing supplemental wildlife foods.

Periodic disturbance of the ground through shallow tillage (discing) encourages habitat diversity by stimulating the production of native grasses and forbs and can be used to create bare ground feeding habitat required by some species of wildlife. Discing in the fall will encourage cool season forbs while discing during mid-late spring will encourage more warm season forbs.

Remember, wildlife habitat is not about being a pretty, park-like stand of trees or a beautifully mowed lawn. You can manicure your lawn around your buildings, but wildlife like diversity and areas most people wouldn’t view as beautiful. But as they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.