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What's your management plan?

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    #16
    Shoot a legal deer.

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      #17
      Originally posted by doghouse View Post
      We have bigger bucks than ever. Try not to take anything less than 5.5 except for a few older culls. By culls I mean pencil horn 4.5 are no are small browtines at 4.5 are older. If a deer is 4.5 are older with no brows my Grand kids are after him, providing he is wider than his ears. I do not feed protein, but do not over graze my deer pastures.
      Same with us.

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        #18
        Originally posted by elgato View Post
        I own both high fence and low fenced properties managed for deer. After years of personal experience working and managing both I have come to the conclusion that the primary difference between the two is the 'opportunity' to control age. Game fences do not grow big deer. It is what is done inside the fence that determines results...same as low fence. Regarding " completely wild herds", having game fenced pasture next to low fenced pastures I see NO difference in deer behavior.

        Thus my management plan for both is identical.
        I focus on NUTRITION, NUTRITION, NUTRITION!!! I believe there are very few deer herds anywhere that are on 100% peak nutrition 365 days a yr every year for generations . Until nutrition is in place everything else is compromised. It is impossible to understand the genetic potential. Nutrition makes all the deer better and the benefits continue to accrue over time.

        We don't harvest any deer before 4.5. From there we do begin removing the smaller end of the buck herd. This is viewed only as a herd population control; Nothing to do with genetic manipulation. I would also offer that after a couple of decades of peak nutrition our entire bell curve of quality has improved and even the smaller end of the spectrum, once allowed to mature excite most hunters.

        We start focusing on trophies in La. at 6 yrs old and in Mexico at 7 yrs old though down there I think 7-10 is the sweet spot depending on the deer.

        Beyond that our plan is simply an emphasis on the basics. Balanced herd population to the habitat, balanced buck/doe ratio, encourage high recruitment, enhance the habitat every way possible and know thy herd.

        Couple of thoughts:
        Bucks go up AND down from year to year...sometimes a lot. Better know your deer really well before you pull the trigger. That buck you thought needed removal may have just had a bad yr. and could bounce back a lot given another yr. 20" , 30" and greater swings in antler quality are not uncommon.

        A dictatorship is a powerful management tool. By knowing your deer well you can control which deer to remove and which to leave.

        Best of the holidays to all.
        Trail cameras are the best management tool of this century. Knowing your deer from yr to yr is critical. We've seen 60" swings from year to year. We have 2 this year dropped 50+" and would have been shot if we didn't know them.

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          #19
          Originally posted by BrandonA View Post
          Same with us.


          X3


          Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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            #20
            Originally posted by lovemylegacy View Post
            I have never heard this before, there are some awfully big properties that adhere to QDMA principles.

            It really shines when local properties form a co-op...which is kinda what you are talking about, I guess
            QDMA is deer management training wheels.

            It would be impossible to do the more advanced stuff without what they teach, but there really isn’t a handbook out there to tell you how to manage your deer herd, deer by deer.

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              #21
              Originally posted by Encinal View Post
              QDMA is deer management training wheels.

              It would be impossible to do the more advanced stuff without what they teach, but there really isn’t a handbook out there to tell you how to manage your deer herd, deer by deer.
              Deer by deer. It really boils down to that.

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                #22
                The primary place we “manage” is our deer camp. Around ~800 acres. We average 8-9 bucks and 12-15 does, per year. We plant 30 or so acres of plots at camp depending on the year. All the hay meadows are seeded with clover and the woods are 100% hardwoods that we thin & burn for optimal wildlife value. We don’t put any feed out, but the deer & turkey are fat and happy.

                Our rule on bucks is outside the ears (15”) and 8 points or better. This has worked out pretty good for us, almost ensuring any buck killed is at least a 3 year old. It’s not a “big buck” area, but there are a lot of deer and they can get decent sized at 3.5 and up. Probably a 115-120” average on the bucks we kill at camp, with a really nice one or two a year in the 140 range.

                We’re a little more selective around the house. Even though it’s onlt 25 miles from camp, there’s better dirt and much bigger deer. Our neighbors are pretty selective on their farms (for the most part), so we are as well. The average “good” buck killed around here is probably 4 and most likely in the 135 range. There’s usually at least a couple 160s killed within a few miles. One neighbor got two big ones, last year. Most people put in plots and minerals, and it shows. We have 17 acres of plots at our house. Lots of good ones on camera, but not as many deer as we have at camp.

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                  #23
                  What's your management plan?

                  Originally posted by elgato View Post
                  Deer by deer. It really boils down to that.


                  We took our place over from 3 guys who leased it about 8 years ago(family property). I went out and killed 2 young bucks which were the best deer I saw and they broke 100 inches maybe 105 to 110 at most. Years 3 and 4 I killed a 4.5 year six point and does. Year 5 I killed a 154, year six a 148 8 Point, and this year we killed a 144 10 and a 146 10. After I killed my second buck in the 100 inch range I joined TBH and learned about managing deer. Since then we don’t cull but will let a guest shoot a 4.5 year or older buck that doesn’t meet our criteria.

                  The 154 inch buck I killed was going to be my biggest buck I have ever killed but I passed on him for 2 years and killed him at 5.5 or 6.5 and he put on 30 inches.


                  Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
                  Last edited by Black Ice; 12-24-2017, 11:48 PM.

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                    #24
                    Culls on our place are any buck that is 7 points or less and at least 3.5 years or older.
                    Main frame 8pts can be taken at 4.5 or older. Any main frame 9pt or greater must be 5.5 or older.
                    Does we try and take early before they are bred.

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                      #25
                      We can only take one buck so its not easy to manage for culls, etc. we try not to shoot them unless they are 5.5 or older. this is the first year we have taken a doe. I tries like heck to put my kid on a mature 8 pt this year. would have been a trophy cull and her first. Northern Collin County

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                        #26
                        Originally posted by Encinal View Post
                        QDMA is deer management training wheels.

                        It would be impossible to do the more advanced stuff without what they teach, but there really isn’t a handbook out there to tell you how to manage your deer herd, deer by deer.
                        Well, thats an impossibility

                        If you manage the property, wont everything else fall in line?

                        Would you care to elaborate on "more advanced" stuff?
                        Last edited by lovemylegacy; 12-25-2017, 12:24 PM.

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                          #27
                          Our plan is do not shoot any bucks under 5.5 years old unless they are an obvious cull/ bullies (they control the pen and do not let other deer eat). Then we try to only shoot bigger does with no yearlings. We are working with 2000 acres low fenced in the hill country and try to feed as much protein as we can.

                          Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

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                            #28
                            Feed em a bunch, give em something to drink and let em get old!

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                              #29
                              Our doe to buck ratio is off. So our top priority is taking does. Beyond that we focus on letting our bucks get at least 4.5 but preferably 5.5 or older. We do a lot of habitat work/management and try to provide high protein food sources and corn year around. We also attempt predator control to help the fawn crops every year.

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                                #30
                                Originally posted by lovemylegacy View Post
                                Well, thats an impossibility

                                If you manage the property, wont everything else fall in line?

                                Would you care to elaborate on "more advanced" stuff?
                                If you manage for the macro stuff well, you are going to be dealing with very important micro questions... ie... what to shoot and what to leave...

                                When the macro stuff is done... those questions get tougher and tougher... you are choosing between 5 year olds... or you are choosing to not kill as many Does this year not because of your fawn crop this year... but because of your lack of fawn crop last year... simple things... but hard to write about from a macro perspective...

                                Every manager so far that gets to the point of consistent quality has just had to figure those those things out for themselves.

                                There are guidelines but I don’t know that anyone has written many of them down.

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