This is my second year on our property which is 296 acres. We acquired these grounds last year just mid-September so last fall was my first. We quickly discovered that we have way to many does with each sit seeing anywhere from 12-16 deer ! We did observe some decent bucks, with some that were good shooters. This year my goal was 4 acres of food plots (which was met) and taking of 10-15 does annually for the next 3 years. Next year I want to add another 4 acres of food plots bringing the total to 8.....oh yea, the most important, let the smaller bucks get bigger... I also believe that I have some yotes to thin down... Just curious as to how many practice something similar ??
I pointlessly try. I shoot mature does and hopefully at least a 3.5 year old buck or better. Unfortunately my grounds are small, the herd isn't a "stay on the grounds" herd and I have zero control what the orange army does. I do my part for herd in general even though I know it's pointless.
Something close to what you do. I'm hoping to get 10% of my land into food plots by 2012. I'm about 1/2 way there.When I started I didn't shoot a buck on it for 4 years. I shot a butt load of does over those years. It has seemed to help but it's hard to tell. It takes at least 10 years to truely see results longer if you can onlty do a little at a time.
I do not do any food plots or any sort of management such as "buck culling" or excessive doe hunting. I just work with what the property dealt me.
Very similar to you, elk. We have 265+- acres and have been shooting does and letting younger bucks walk for about three years. This year we will become slightly more aggressive with our doe harvest (6-8) in the past we shot (pun not intended) for 3-5. I will not knowingly shoot anyting less than a 3.5 year old buck. I say knowingly cause it's possible on our grounds to have a a stud of a 2 year old, we have decent genetics. And we have roughly 2% of our property in food plots. I would like have 4-5% but we just don't have the equipment to construct any larger food plots. We do, however, implement a summer feeding program with protein pellets and mineral supplements and this has been a pleasant surprise to the health of our deer herd.
Interesting for those to read.. A study conducted by Dr. Chris Rosenberry and others in Maryland provided some interesting findings. During this study, they captured and radio-collared 75 male whitetails ranging from six to 18 months of age. Of these, 51 were followed until death or the end of the study. Of these, 70 percent dispersed from the 3,300-acre study area with half dispersing more than 3.7 miles. Dispersal distance varied greatly from 1.2 to 36 miles. A couple of these young bucks even swam a mile-wide river during dispersal. A similar study conducted by Dr. Harry Jacobson and others in Mississippi reported that 42 percent of the 52 male whitetails captured as fawns died in excess of three miles from their original capture site. A Florida study by John Kilgo and others reported that all seven male fawns captured and followed in their study dispersed from their original capture area by 18 months of age. Interestingly, the Jacobson study found that once the young bucks had dispersed, they generally remained within their new home range until death. In their study, 60 percent of bucks captured at two years of age or older died within one mile of their capture site and none died more than three miles from their original capture site. Collectively, these studies show that a majority of bucks between 6-18 months of age will disperse some distance from their birth area before establishing a new home range. But, once their new home range is established, they will generally remain in this area until death
My family takes any doe that we can, for food, and because we like to harvest deer. Our ration isnt bad here, but the closer to 3/1 we can get, the better...not sure how much good were actually doing though, with neighbors and all.
Been practicing QDM since I was 16 years old. Doe's get taken out the best I can do and no bucks get shot usually If there under 4.5 years of age. Many times In the pass the gun hunters In the area benefit off of my hard work. To be honest I wish my neighbors would shoot more 4.5 year old bucks that I've let go at younger ages (2.5 and 3.5) Instead of shooting the young bucks. One more thing, my neighbors need to start shooting doe's and doe fawns.
we have some rules of thumb on our property... an "order of operations" if you will... 1. bad rack bucks (mgmt bucks some people call 'em) 2. does 3. no bucks taken if the rack doesn't go out past the ears this coming year we are considering instating an Earn-a-Buck type thing on our property... but this is a self imposed thing... with my oldest hitting the stand this year with both Bow and Gun we are allowing him to take any deer that comes out, he's going to hold for a buck though since he passed on a couple last season with his rifle
I take does and a lot of em, the problem is not everyone else does. I also wait on the larger bucks that are more mature
Of coarse I do, I've said It numerous times. How many times have you heard me say, "I can't do this alone"??
I pointlessly try too....our main goal at our cabin is to make sure we try to take mature bucks and keep the doe count in check. For us up there, it means not slaughtering every doe we see at this point. A few have to be taken each year, but if we have a few down, then we try not to shoot more. Most guys have other "doe" killing options to hunt.
My brother and my goals are usually pretty close when It comes to bucks. I hold out for 130" class bucks he holds out for 120" class bucks. Doesn't hardly ever happen though so doe's are always shot year after year by the 2 of us. I know what your getting at Jeff. Tell me why I should quit hunting for 130" bucks? I could shoot a doe every year for the rest of my life and It won't do a bit of good until the neighbors start doing It along with me. If nothing changes with the quality of the deer herd In my area doe's will be the only thing I'll get a shot at anyway.
I do what I can with does. Other than that it's a crap shoot since the properties I hunt are anywhere from 6 to 120 acres. It's difficult to manage such small properties especially with other hunters involved who have 0 interest in management.
I'm not part of the problem, I've taking as many doe's as the state will let me here. If my brother didn't own some of this land I'd be Inviting a **** ton of people In to shoot doe's but I know for a fact he won't go for It. I'm plain and simple In a bad situation, not much I can do about It but pray the Mn DNR gives out extra management anterless tags In the zone I hunt In or that my neighbors wake the heck up. It Is what It Is though, I'm sick of talking about It and I'm just going to have to deal with It.
I had a friend who once invited me to hunt with him as this being the rule. I valued our friendship enough to say no, as had "the Buck" shown himself.... him and I would not have been friends. Personally I think this makes sense, but doubt you'll get many takers for obvious reasons.....as it needs to be done more than just one year
Not a whole lot Dan. There's a total of 120 acres I think give or take, 70 of which Is farm land and the other 50 Is woods and some swamp. I don't own any of It, my dad owns all the wooded land and my brother owns the farm land. One of these days I'll get a picture on here of the land I hunt.
We have 120 acres with 25 acres in food plots, 40acres in spruce swamp and the rest is mixed oak flats with popple and other mixed hard and soft woods. I also planted over 30 apple trees over the years. When it comes to QDM we try to shoot at least 10 doe's every year and we won't shoot a buck under 4 1/2 years , unless it is a childs first buck. All my neighbors say they practice QDM but when asked every year how they did and how many doe's they got their answer is always maybe 1 or none because they don't want to scare the bucks away. I just can't win. deerman
