Huntman | Deer Management

Deer Management – Deer Protein Requirements

A deer manager should consider deer nutrition on a seasonal basis. Energy and protein needs change based on the season, physical activity, and the age of individual animals. Changes in the nutritional requirements of deer that occur with gestation, lactation, breeding, and antler growth should be coordinated with seasonal changes in nutrient availability from forage plants. Nutritional requirements of deer are generally separated into five categories, which are protein, energy, minerals, vitamins, and water. Research on white-tailed deer has primarily focused on protein, energy, and minerals (phosphorus and calcium). These requirements are most often the ones that limit growth, reproduction, and antler development.

Protein is very important for body growth in deer, especially for fawns and yearlings. Inadequate protein intake in a given year will also reduce antler development in bucks. In fact, a period of inadequate nutrition (low protein) for buck fawns may adversely influence antler development for several succeeding years. A deer must obtain at least a 6-7% crude protein diet to maintain rumen function, but a protein diet in the 14-16% range is required for successful growth, antler development, and reproduction. Continue reading White-tailed Deer Protein Needs

Whether true or false, there are many hunters that believe predators are responsible for eating most of the whitetail fawns born each year. On the other hand, some believe that predators cause only minor losses to fawn crops. However, most hunters fall somewhere in the middle: You will always have predators, but limiting their numbers is not a bad idea.

When talking about deer management, it’s difficult to say whether predator control is warranted on your property because all lands are different. Property differences mean variation in habitat, differences in deer density, and differences in predator density. In addition, research suggest that poor deer habitat allows predators to hunt more efficiently. Whether it does or doesn’t is not the important point, because poor habitat is bad for your deer herd either way. Continue reading Impact of Predators on Deer Populations