we seem to have much more does than bucks--my buddy really does not like us to shoot does--- we can but he thinks if u kill one doe u have lost 17 deer over 6-7 years--does this hold water or is this a bunch of bull--also what should the ratio of bucks to does be ---what do u think--should it be 50-50--or--75-25 or what
1:1 or 1:2 buck:doe ratio is what most wildlife managers/biologists recommend. The land you hunt has a certain carrying capacity for wildlife and if you don't keep them in check, your whole herd will suffer. Having said that, it's easier to control the herd by removing does rather than bucks. You can call the local TP&W biologist in your county for some free advice!
thanks thats what i was woundering--we have seen a bunch of does-- there has only been 2 bucks seen--i have seen tracks of a monster but no sightings of the monster--but i appreciate ur infoemation thank u--:birthday2
rcw said:
1:1 or 1:2 buck:doe ratio is what most wildlife managers/biologists recommend. The land you hunt has a certain carrying capacity for wildlife and if you don't keep them in check, your whole herd will suffer. Having said that, it's easier to control the herd by r emoving does rather than bucks. You can call the local TP&W biologist in your county for some free advice!
my land owner killed 20+ does last year and we have 2 buck to doe and nothing but busted up horns once deers season started , were do you hunt ? as rain fall is a factor
im in marion county near jefferson tx if u know where that is and the rain fall has been no good for the last 3 yrs
pilar said:
my land owner killed 20+ does last year and we have 2 buck to doe and nothing but busted up horns once deers season started , were do you hunt ? as rain fall is a factor
The not killing does is a great argument if you were selling fawns, as in a cattle operation. However, the land will only hold X amount of deer. At X+1 the deer begin to decline. Imagine setting a table with food for 4, then have 16 eat. Do that every day and you begin to get the picture. Since the bucks are bigger and stronger, they will get the best feed. The fawns die. Having excess does at this point will do you no good, if the offsprings die. For low fenced ranches, if you can achieve a 2 does to 1 buck, you have done well. You will have plenty of does to produce fawns. The most important issue is total numbers of deer. There are several ways to count the deer on a place and then adjust the population for a correct winter carry-over population. As someone suggested, TP&W will help you out for free. Hope this helps.
BB
Quote Pilar:my land owner killed 20+ does last year and we have 2 buck to doe and nothing but busted up horns once deers season started , were do you hunt ? as rain fall is a factor
This is always this case when you have two many does and you take at a large number of them out one year the next year most of your bucks will be broken up due to them fighting, but you will see the rewards of that in the next few years due to the mature bucks being the ones that are breeding.
If your buddy is worried about shooting breeder does: then shooting yearly does is a good way to prevent this at the same time keeping your breeding population.. 1.5-2 does per buck would be a good goal to obtain given your situation..G luck..Walker
one thing on managment that has stuck in my mind and this is only a guide. on a low fence operation you should be counting while your in the stand. a good ratio is seeing 1 buck for every 5 does.
If your buddy is worried about shooting breeder does: then shooting yearly does is a good way to prevent this at the same time keeping your breeding population.. 1.5-2 does per buck would be a good goal to obtain given your situation..G luck..Walker
If you are managing bucks as well (just for grins, shooting all mature eights or less), I have read that you should shoot the older does first so that you regularly turn over the doe population so that the breeding does are the offspring of the better bucks that you are leaving and thus carry better genetics. Would you agree?
Note: I realize the question here is a bit different, sorry if this is a hijack.
I think the answer to the original question depends on what population density the pasture can carry with adequate nutrition and what percent is presently in does versus bucks. Absent a recent die off from disease or other factors, most unmanaged Texas pastures can stand to lose quite a few does.
no worries man u did not hyjack--all the input is great from everyone--but in referance to managing bucks boy oh boy i wish there were some to manage we have seen 2---a spike and a leagal shooter 8 pointer--i have seen tracks of a monster but no one has seen him--i think we just need to kill some does and forget the bucks for a couple of years but i think that will be to tough for some of the guys
Charles Helm said:
If you are managing bucks as well (just for grins, shooting all mature eights or less), I have read that you should shoot the older does first so that you regularly turn over the doe population so that the breeding does are the offspring of the better bucks that you are leaving and thus carry better genetics. Would you agree?
Note: I realize the question here is a bit different, sorry if this is a hijack.
I think the answer to the original question depends on what population density the pasture can carry with adequate nutrition and what percent is presently in does versus bucks. Absent a recent die off from disease or other factors, most unmanaged Texas pastures can stand to lose quite a few does.
Might try this suggestion if you own the land. Kill only does for 3 years and no bucks. If you can do that I believe you will be happy with the results, you should start seeing more bucks and the longer you can hold off the bigger they'll get. If your on a small place try talkin to the neighbors to do the same.
Not trying to steal thread but this question got me to thinking about deer management. I manage 1300 acres in east texas piney woods. In fact, it is tember company land that we lease. No game management on adjacent properties and all is hunted. Lots of forage for deer. We also see lot's more doe than bucks. No problem with lack of rain or food brouse. In fact, deer do not touch corn feeders when acrons drop. What can we expect on deer per acre and will killing more does help us see more bucks.
Mudbug,
I have seen no evidence of buck or doe die off in over 20 years on this property. I do not think east texas deer have the die offs that they have in other parts of the state. I could be wrong. I just think east texas has a tremendous amount of hunting pressure. Also, there is so much cover for them to hide in and never be seen. We have taken a few good deer and seen some good ones but you usually only get a glimpse. With only seeing a few each year, there is still this hesitation about killing does. The group we have on the lease now are taking more does but not as many as we could.
Opening day saw 4 does. Next saturday morning saw 3 does. This saturday, skillet head is biting the dust. The portion of the lease I'm hunting on was hunted very lightly last year due to Rita. The rest of the guys don't like to shoot does. To me, nothing eats better than a fat 'ol nanny.
Reduck, the reason I use the term "as to the amount of bucks that die in a given year", is because if you only count the ones killed by hunter, you are not accounting for the ones poached, hit by cars, die from injuries from fights, decease, get hung on fences, there are numerous ways a buck can die in the wild without really being called a die-off.
Thanks for the explaination mudbug. I do feel we lose both does and bucks to poaching and of course the neighbors who seem to shoot all they can carry.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
2 Cool Fishing Forum
7.4M posts
115.9K members
Since 2004
A forum community dedicated to anglers in the Texas area. Come join the discussion about fishing guides, bait, safety, gear, tackle, tips, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more!