Herd management example and strategies

[rtp]

Im with Happy on the doe fawns, but Kyle this made me chuckle aloud.

I understand what Encinal and FC are saying and believe it but I just couldnt pull the trigger on a doe fawn. Maybe one day I will be able to.

Rolled through this old thread and saw this comment I made back them. I did indeed change my mind about it....and let me tell you the taste awesome.

[Daddy D]

It is probably slightly off-topic from the thread but I am curious to hear what everyone thinks is the average live weight of the mature deer on their property?

[kyle1974]

Depends if you're using double down protein or not.

[bgleaton]

I hear a lot of good things about roller chopping. Is this something that is normally only done in S. Texas? I was curious if this is something we could do to help stimulate browse/forbs on our place in Menard County, but we have quite a few cedars and rocks in some places. Are there only certain areas you want to roller chop?

[HappyM]

Well and oldie but goodie. Thanks for resurrecting Richard.

I am still not shooting fawns on purpose but my hunters kill a few each year. I still subscribe to the theory that your most recent managmnet practices ( and hopefully your best) are expressed in your fawns. Me no shooty fawns

I have experimented with mulchers to open my place up some and I am over the moon with early results. We are in oak country with lots of youpons , kidney wood, Anerican beauty berry, thistles, vines ETC. We left the big oaks and the kidney wood and pretty much mulched everything else out. Took a dozer in and cleaned up afterwards and have great response from bunch grasses and forbes. The deer are in there all the time and we had more turkey on the place last spring than I have ever seen. I am planning on doing another few weeks of mulching this winter after season. I like the look and the disturbance seems to be very beneficial. Now contemplating how to maintain it over time.

We now have had our first real big jump from 6 to 7 year old on one of our bucks. Search Happy M successs for thread. Buck went from 163 from sheds to 189. I am letting a few more go this year just to test again. If one of them comes up dead from fighting I will need therapy.

Also planting some chestnut trees in February as well as trying a burn thru the oaks on one section of the ranch if we get the green light from the VFD.

Headed hunting tomorrow after watching my nephew graduate from A&M. Merry Christmas and all the best.

[HappyM]

It is probably slightly off-topic from the thread but I am curious to hear what everyone thinks is the average live weight of the mature deer on their property?

We have huge deer or a bad scale. Most of our mature deer are right around 200 lbs. we have had a few at 230 early in the season before they start running.