Landowners and deer managers want to grow and produce big whitetail bucks—and hunters want to shoot them. If no one wanted to shoot them, then why would we put so much time and effort into deer management operations? The truth is that white-tailed deer represent THE big game animal of the majority of US hunters. But big bucks are not just susceptible to hunters, they can also be affected, even killed, by testosterone poisoning. So what is testosterone poisoning in deer, you ask?
Whitetail bucks go through many changes on an annual basis. Bucks experience antler growth, then those same antlers fall off. Bucks live happily in harmony during the summer, but then they fight to the death in the fall. Most of the major events in a buck’s life occur because of a single hormone, testosterone. For the most part, testosterone simply makes bucks more aggressive. Continue reading Whitetail Deer Rut: Testosterone Poisoning of Bucks
There are many theories when it comes to producing good white-tailed deer year after year, but the common theme among all deer management techniques is to provide good habitat. Habitat plays a critical role in a deer’s life because this is where they find their food. Good nutrition is required for individual deer to be healthy, and a bunch of healthy bucks and does make for a healthy herd. Habitat is the cornerstone of deer management.
Like many states, habitat is in poor condition across much of Texas this year. One of the hardest hit regions is the Texas Hill Country, located in the center of the state. This region has boasted the highest deer densities and hunter numbers for at least the past three decades, and although hunters should not expect a big change this fall, whitetail bucks, does and fawns are having a tough go of it this year. Continue reading Deer Management Techniques: Provide Good Habitat
Interest in white-tailed deer management decades ago spurred all sorts of research on improving deer herds. Since that time, many habitat management practices have been implemented on properties across the whitetail’s range, but none are more popular than providing supplemental foods. Supplemental forages are often presented as food plots or as protein pellets for deer. And no matter how you slice it, there is nothing easier than providing good, stable nutrition to ensure that the whitetail deer on your property meet their genetic potential.
If asked, most managers and hunters would tell you that the foods with the highest percentage protein are best for deer. Although it is true that deer prefer high protein foods, there are no foods occurring in nature that are 100 percent protein. In fact, a whitetail deer would die if all it had to eat was a pure-protein diet. It just would not provide proper nutrition for the animal. Continue reading Protein Pellets for Deer: Feeding Whitetail
Hunters and landowners alike often look for quick-fixes when it comes to white-tailed deer management. However, nothing is better than good old fashioned habitat management for maintaining and enhancing vegetation that is favorable for deer. Of all the possible management activities, one of the most beneficial and most overlooked management practice is prescribed burning.
Often referred to as controlled burning, prescribed burning is almost a one-stop shop for maintaining habitat in areas that already have above average deer vegetation. Burning carried out under a managed situation can eliminate excessive brush, stimulate the growth of beneficial plants, return nutrients tied up in dead material back into the soil, and increase the palatability and protein content of native plants. Below are some tips to think about when you plan on using prescribed burning for wildlife and habitat management. Continue reading Tips for Prescribed Burning for Deer, Wildlife Management
Landowners and hunters wanting to produce bigger and better white-tailed deer through deer management practices are often looking for an economical way to provide supplemental foods. Food plots are a common way to provide additional forage, but often times the most cost is associated with high protein foods. Protein pellets are the most common supplement delivered through feeders, but other options exists, such as roasted soybeans and whole cottonseed. But is feeding cottonseed to deer a good idea, and does it work?
The intensity of deer management across much of the whitetail’s range is high and many managers provide supplements to meet management and deer nutrition goals. Many managers have considered cottonseed as a supplement to pelleted feeds because cottonseed delivers a high amount of protein (23% protein) and it does not easily degrade, even in under moist conditions. In addition, in many areas cottonseed is readily available and much less expensive (half the cost) than formulated pellets. Lastly, cottonseed is not readily eaten by animals other than deer because it contains the chemical gossypol, which protects cotton plants from herbivores. Continue reading Feeding Whole Cottonseed to Whitetail Deer
It goes without saying that white-tailed deer hunters love to see deer when they head out into the woods. But when it comes to deer management and the ability to grow bigger bucks, numbers can work against you and the habitat that your property provides. Deer foods, after all, are in limited supply. There may be times when the food supply far exceeds the demand of hungry deer, but then there are the stress periods where demand exceeds the available food supply.
Few hunters really think about deer being hungry, other than the ones that show up at the feeders or food plots. Research has shown that a gap of just two to three months during the winter period, when deer are having to consume suboptimal food, can have as much as a 20% impact on the size of the antlers those bucks will grow the following year. In short, adequate deer nutrition is a must throughout the year if you want to manage for improved body condition and buck antler quality. Continue reading Deer Management for Growing Quality Bucks
The most wide-scale deer management problem facing whitetail herds in the many parts of the country is competition for available forage by white-tailed deer, other wildlife species, and livestock. Excessive numbers of any of these animals will have detrimental effects upon the others, and the resulting deer habitat. The first step in developing a deer management plan is to identify the “right” number of deer for the habitat found on your property.
The importance of maintaining deer at carrying capacity — the population level that prevents damage to the habitat — by the direct harvest of surplus deer can not be stressed enough. However, livestock and competing wildlife, such as exotic ungulates, also must be maintained within the bounds of the carrying capacity of the habitat. The key to good whitetail deer management is allowing deer to be as healthy as possible, which means that deer on your property are getting all the food they need. You can increase the amount of food per animal by either decreasing the deer herd or improving and enhancing the food supply through habitat management. Continue reading Developing a Deer Management Plan
There are a lot of factors that come into play when one starts talking about whitetail deer management. Though many things can be done to manage a deer herd, there are 3 things that you should know before you start. Every landowner or hunter owner needs to determine the carrying capacity of the property, how many deer actually live on the property, and the buck to doe ratio.
The carrying capacity of a piece of land will vary from property to property. In fact, some properties can be the same size but have completely different deer carrying capacities. The number of deer that a property can support depends on the habitat (plant communities), annual rainfall, livestock stocking rates, and a few other factors. I would suggest contacting a local state biologist in your area. They can meet you on your property and give you an idea of the ideal deer herd size.
The next step will be to estimate the number of deer on the property. This is not an exact science because deer are wild animals that are difficult to count, but you can conduct deer surveys to get a very good estimate of the number of animals using the place. There are different kinds of deer surveys that can be conducted depending on the habitat found on the property, but common methods include helicopter counts, spotlight surveys, and blind counts. Each is better suited to certain situations. Continue reading Deer Management, Herd Size and Sex Ratio
Hunters head to the woods each fall in search of big whitetail bucks. Although luck is one way to bag a big buck, most are the result of active deer management. This takes luck out of the equation and allows you to work with your property and your deer herd to maximize what Mother Nature has given you. The cornerstone of growing and producing big whitetail deer is habitat management.
There are many activities a landowner can implement that would fall under habitat management practices that benefit deer. In general, many of these practices simply involve manipulating the habitat to produce better, more palatable foods for deer. The television shows will tell you to plant food plots, but the most drought-tolerant, longest-lasting food plot consists of native plants. Continue reading General Habitat Recommendations for Whitetail Deer
Deer management can be an exciting and rewarding endeavor, but land managers often find the process daunting, and possibly confusing. This site is dedicated to helping land managers better understand how to manage a white-tailed deer herd. It offers science-based information and techniques that will help you improve deer and their habitat. As deer hunting has grown in popularity across the U.S., both landowners and hunters want to know what they can do to produce quality white-tailed deer.
Image via sfchronicle.com
Although whitetail are found in a variety of habitats, similar management techniques can be used effectively on properties to improve a deer herd. We cover the details of habitat enhancement, white-tailed deer forage requirements, cover types required by deer, deer surveys — anything related to deer herd improvement. The information found within this site will help you develop strategies to move forward with an effective deer management program on your property!
Deer Management Overview
You are here because like most land managers and deer hunters you want a high-quality white-tailed deer herd on your property. The social emphasis on quality deer combined with the economics of hunting have caused a marked increase in the number of individuals interested in deer management. Regardless of why you want to better the deer herd on your property, we will offer you practical ways to do it.
White-tailed deer are amazing creatures because of the diversity of habitats they can survive in, their smarts, and the fact that they also make great table fare. Deer habitat varies greatly across the United States, but the techniques that can be used to improve and manage a deer herd remain the same from area to area. Although each situation is different and requires local considerations, general guidelines can be followed which will lead to a better deer management program — and better deer hunting.
When it comes to deer management, it is really about habitat management. Producing quality deer involves enhancing and maintaining high-quality deer habitat that provides both food and cover. Without adequate escape cover, you will not hold deer on your property. Without proper fawning cover, you will not produce deer. And without proper whitetail food, deer will never achieve the quality of deer you desire.
The total number of deer using a property is critically important. Not only can deer density impact the body condition of individual animals, but even your buck to doe ratio can effect herd dynamics. If this sounds new to you, then you have stumbled into the right place. Again, this site is focused on helping dedicated landowners and sportsmen better manage the deer habitat and deer herds found on their lands. Let’s keep the momentum going!
As you will notice across the top menu, topics on the Deer Management site cover the necessary components for a healthy deer herd that will help you produce and maintain more and better trophy whitetail bucks! You do not need to bring in stocker deer to have bigger bucks. There are no secrets to producing a healthy deer herd and high-quality bucks, but you do have to be committed to:
Maintaining or improving deer cover
Improving deer nutrition
Conducting deer surveys annually
Harvesting deer based on what the data says
Best Option for Deer Management?
Land managers and hunters often want to know what is the best option for deer management on their land? There is no easy answer to this question because each property is different from another. The deer herd that uses a property is different from one another. In addition, the people managing a deer herd do not always have the same goals and objectives.
Articles found on the site cover specific management strategies for deer. Some are very straight forward. However, it’s not always easy. Improving a deer herd requires a good amount of time and a fair amount of work. But if you are dedicated to having a successful deer management program, then installing food plots, performing deer surveys, learning key whitetail plants, enhancing habitat, and selectively harvesting deer will help you achieve your goals.
How do You Manage Deer on a Property
It all starts from the ground up. Actually, it starts below the ground — soils. Soils and precipitation are super important when it comes to the ability of a property to produce forage for deer. You’re thinking, “I can’t change the soils found on my property.” And yes, you are correct. It is important, however, to acknowledge what you can and can not do on different parts of your property. This will relate directly to the habitat and habitat practices that are implemented on certain parts of your property.
White-tailed deer eat a variety of plants, and different plants become important during different times of the year. As for any wildlife species, the most important seasons for deer are the seasons in which they are most stressed —summer and winter. It is during these two periods that whitetail have the least amount of food available to them.
Of course, summer stress is not nearly as hard at northern latitudes (such as the mid-west), just as winter stress is not nearly as tough at southern latitudes (such as Texas). Why do I mention things such as food resources and stress, and how does that relate to deer body condition? Well, as you will learn, body condition of both bucks and does is the most important component of your deer herd. And does are more important than bucks when managing a deer herd!
Image via deerassociation.com
What is Quality Deer Management?
Most land managers and hunters interested in deer are interested in quality deer management. This idea centers around the concept that habitat is enhanced on a property and deer numbers are manipulated so that they are in balance with the natural forage found on the property. It can be taken even further if age-based, selective harvest is implemented to maintain good age structure within the buck segment of the population.
One of the pitfalls of deer management is just addressing habitat or just addressing the deer population. You can’t just shoot “cull bucks” and call it deer management. For real results, it takes healthy plant communities and the right number of deer. Too many deer means not enough food per animal. Too few deer and the overall hunter experience declines with harvest opportunities. Like anything that is to be managed, the goal/s should be determined prior to starting. Then, objectives can be established by the land manager to reach the goal/s.
One objective of a land manager is to find the balance between the natural food supply on the land and the deer using it. The individual body condition of each deer using your property comprises the building blocks of your deer herd. I will not tell you that you need to go out and buy supplemental feed or plant a high-dollar food plot mix (you sure can), but I will tell you that food is what you must ultimately seek to manage for in order to improve your deer herd.
Managing for quality habitat and quality deer means:
Habitat enhancement
Providing plant communities
Maintaining appropriate deer numbers
Maintaining desired buck to doe ratio
Conducting deer surveys annually
Developing harvest recommendations using data
Buck harvest using age-based criteria
To make this happen, sometimes you have to put in work making the property better. At other times, you may have to grab a gun and reduce the number of animals using the property. Realistically, it’s going to take a combination of these actions on an annual basis.
How Many Acres for Deer Management?
White-tailed deer management can take place on any size property. However, a manager must realize that management on a property of 100 acres will be different than a property of 1,000 acres or 10,000 acres. Managing deer on small acreage definitely has some limitations. For example, most deer have ranges 4-10 times larger than 100 acres, so the management, lack of management or mismanagement of neighboring lands is always going to be a factor effecting the deer using your property.
A large acreage property is also difficult to manage because of the scale at which everything takes places. Habitat enhancement is more difficult (and costly), conducting surveys to estimate deer numbers is more challenging, and meeting annual harvest requirements takes more time. It takes a lot of effort to reduce a deer population by 100, 200 or more animals on an annual basis.
I hope that it’s becoming obvious that there are no shortcuts to managing whitetail and their habitat. But as challenging as it can be, it’s also just as rewarding. Land managers experience a great deal of satisfaction by improving the habitat found on a property and the deer herd found there through active management.
There is no one way to improve a deer herd. The practices and strategies necessary will vary by property and situation. Practices and strategies will vary on a property over time. This site covers the numerous options land managers have when it comes to habitat and deer herd improvement. There are several ways to get there and they are discussed in detail, by topic, throughout this site. As I said earlier, there are no secrets to deer management, but it will take time and work. You can do it.
