One of the questions often asked is, “Can I manage for both livestock and wildlife on a profitable basis?” Well, the answer is “yes” and it’s easy to implement. One of the primary objectives of a sound deer management program is to assure that plants provide for leaving adequate food and cover for deer and other wildlife during a cattle operation.
Often times, brush management — rather brush clearing — is desirable because cattle eat grass. However, one thing to keep in mind is that deer do not eat much grass at all! But if brush clearing is desired, make sure that it is done properly so that deer are not adversely impacted. For example, deer like a open to wooded ratio of about 50:50, so make sure your property is represented with at least 50% brush or woody cover.
However, keep in mind that the west side of your property shouldn’t be the open half and the east side of your property the wooded half if you desire deer across your land! Since whitetail are primarily browsing ruminants, make sure woody patches are distributed throughout your property so that deer can utilize browse and forbs evenly. Make sure travel corridors are available so that deer can securely travel witin your property. Wildlife will only succeed where their basic requirements of food and cover are satisfied. Continue reading “Can I Manage for Livestock and White-tailed Deer?”
A number of hunters, land managers as well as biologists believe that a diet comprised of at least 16 percent protein is needed for white-tailed bucks to achieve maximum antler growth and for does to achieve maximum fawn production. This is true for the most part, but deer can do well during times when natural protein levels are relatively low as well.
Dietary Requirements Vary by Season
Protein levels are always important for white-tailed deer, but protein intake is of most importance to deer during specific times of the year. Those “important periods” differ between bucks and does and coincide with important physiological processes in each.
For antler growth, that important period spans from late winter through the end of the antler-growing season. For fawn production in doe deer, the period when protein levels are most critical is during fetal development and subsequent lactation. Antler growth and fawn survival rates are correlated with protein levels; so more protein means more antler material and higher survival rates.
In general, protein levels are highest in native forage during the spring and fall, the time when plants are actively growing, and are lowest during summer and winter. A dry summer, however, can leave deer at a deficit, somewhat. White-tailed deer, however, can survive consuming low (quality) protein foods, but they do better when dietary protein levels are kept at a higher nutritional plane.
White-tailed Deer Protein Requirements
So the optimal diet for white-tailed deer is one that contains 16 percent protein, but what about the times when protein becomes limited in native plants, such as during the summer and winter months? White-tailed deer can compensate for this seasonal availability of protein through protein recycling, but this means proteins will be used for only the most critical functions first.
Protein recycling allows deer to use sub-16-percent protein food items, such as those in the 8-10 percent range, but their body can break them down and re-combine them, more or less. This process takes additional energy however, so although deer are surviving they are not thriving. This will keep them alive and breathing, but do not expect a bumper crop of antlers, fawns and otherwise healthy deer.
Timing Seasonal Protein Needs
It’s not by coincidence that buck antler growth and fetal fawn development with doe deer coincides with the seasonally-high level of protein found in native vegetation during the spring growing season. Nature has a way of figuring things out and in whitetail the processes that demand the most protein happen during the spring (although it helps to have protein levels stay high into the summer, but that does not always happen).
Dietary requirements change throughout the year. Protein is king during the first half of the year, while energy becomes the coveted calories during the fall. This equates to foods high in carbohydrates and/or fats. It’s during this time of the year that acorns fall, which happen to be high on both counts.
Protein Needed for Antler Growth
Although white-tailed deer can survive a dry spring, bucks will produce antlers that are smaller than their potential (for antler growth) and does may abort fawns prior to birth or abandon them shortly thereafter. High protein levels are not critical for deer survival, but additional protein can definitely increase antler size, as well as fawning rates, in many cases.
However, I’ve seen properties that feed free-choice protein to their deer year-round fall victim to low fawn recruitment. Why? Because deer will eat from a feeder, but they still pick up environmental cues that tell them how they should act. If habitat is in poor condition from too many deer or drought conditions, deer pick up on the environment — and that dictates their behavior.
Meeting the Dietary Needs of Deer
If interested in supplementing white-tailed deer remember that summer and winter are the critical times with regards to protein availability. It is typically during these times that protein levels are low. Providing additional foods high in protein during the spring and fall will enhance the body condition of the deer on using your property.
Deer herds in better physical condition grow larger antlers and raise more fawns than they otherwise would. White-tailed deer managers will get the most bang for their buck if they have high protein foods (at least 16 percent) available during the late winter (post rut) through green-up and then again during the late summer until acorn drop.
Considering the broad range of habitats occupied by white-tailed deer, it is no wonder managers become confused about the nutritional requirements of deer. In the course of my articles on buck management, I have repeatedly discussed the three factors that influence antler quality in bucks: age, genetics, and nutrition.
Of these factors, nutrition is probably the most easily to control for producing quality bucks with quality antlers. Whitetails are extremely adaptable and food preferences and requirements vary greatly between and even among regions. White-tailed deer are much different than other deer species (which tend to be generalist with regards to forage.) Whitetails are more specialized feeders that select specific foods in order to satisfy their nutritional requirements. Continue reading “Nutrition and Feeding Habits of White-tailed Deer”
Prescribed burning is very effective at maintaining highly-productive white-tailed deer habitat. It is one of the best management tools that we land managers have in our toolbox. However, many folks get real nervous whenever someone talks about burning their property. Over the past several decades, there has been a lot of negative press regarding wildfires and the “destruction” of wildlife habitat. Truth be known, (wild) fires are a natural part of the system. In fact, plants and animals are adapted to the periodic disturbance caused by fire.
Prescribed burns, however, are not and should not be wild. When setting up a prescribed burn, prescribed fire, controlled burn, or whatever you want to call it, the person responsible for the fire basically writes a prescription for the fire. This means that a host of conditions must be met in order to carry out the burn safely and effectively.
Planning a Prescribed Burn
Fire breaks, fuel loads, sustained wind direction, relative humidity, and safety equipment must all be address for a properly conducted prescribed burn. When all conditions of the burn are met, the prescription is completely achieved, and the area can be burned. When used correctly, fire is quite inexpensive on a per acre basis and it’s one of the best management practices for native plants and wildlife.
Burning habitat is a great management tool, but to really appreciate what the process accomplishes, it takes more in-depth research on the topic. However, I will let you know that burning an area provides an increase in the food value of regenerated plant growth. In addition, it keeps plants, primarily browse plants, at a manageable level for white-tailed deer.
Remember, deer can only use plant material they can reach, and this is only about 5-foot in height. If it’s higher than 5-foot, it’s out of a deer’s reach. Browse and forbs provide the bulk of a whitetail’s diet and burning helps both of these plant communities.
Habitat Management & Prescribed Burns
Just about every type of “brush” will root-sprout after a fire, except blueberry cedar which is good for blueberry cedar control (Ashe juniper). This is a key point to keep in mind. Once browse plants grow too high, much of the production is not within the reach of a deer. Burning an area and top-killing these plants will top-kill browse plants and promote root-sprouting, low-level regrowth, and more energy-packed forage.
Forbs in the area will also benefit from prescribed burning, but the time during which a burn is conducted can have varying impacts on both forbs and grasses. We will talk more about this later.
How much of your property or ranch should you put into food plots? Good question, but the answer depends upon the actual amount of deer habitat you and neighboring properties have, the carrying capacity of the land, and the amount soil you have that is food plot friendly.
