What's your management plan?

[stxhunter]

I've been reading quite a bit about management, specifically on QDMAs website. Most of their articles suggest not culling young bucks based on undesirable traits. Instead they focus on allowing deer to mature, balancing herd ratios (i.e. shooting does over 2.5-3.5yr old "culls), and providing better nutrition. This of course only applies to low fenced completely wild herds.

https://www.qdma.com/cant-manage-deer-genetics/

https://www.qdma.com/pumba-yet-another-inferior-buck-that-wasnt/

I know every property is different, but what is your management plan and how has it affected your herd since you started?

[doghouse]

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.

[txwhitetail]

Qdma is set up for smaller type properties that are normally highly pressured. That seems to be the demographic they cater to. In most of those scenarios the biggest hurdle is getting a deer to 5 years old.

Heck there are a lot of big ranch areas where hunters can’t pass up 4 year olds. Lol

[bphillips]

We will not shoot one under 4.5 except maybe a 3.5 with no brows. Age is number one priority

[TP3]

I go for the ones I can manage to get close enough to.

[Abcdj]

Our plan is shoot the trophy deer that you like. Try your best to not shoot a deer under 4.5. If you do shoot a trophy deer under 4.5 just remember what you might be missing the next 2-3 years. We shoot any 8 point over 3.5. Big older 9 points and non trophy 10 points that are 4.5 usually are for the kids and family members. We have always had a good buck to doe ratio so we don't worry about them to much.

[QDM4fun]

Don’t shoot anything under 5.5. Lots of habitat work. Supplemental free-choice protein. Shoot does. “Culls” don’t get shot for the sake of “improving genetics”. They help buck/doe ratio and they will shot when they pass 5.5.

[B&C]

Our strategy in a nutshell:
Trophies - 7.5+
Management is for population control and we focus on the bottom end of the gene pool
1.5 yo with less than 3" spikes, all spikes in great years like this year
2.5 with less than 6pts
3.5 with less than 8 points
4.5+ based on score vs. peers
big framed deer get a pass until trophy age
1 deer/20 acres
1:1 buck to does (more bucks than does currently)
supplemental feed protein and cottonseed 10+ months per year
Sale hunts for medium class 5.5yo's+ (130"-160") to offset some expenses

[White Falcon]

To keep hunting till I get a shot!

[Encinal]

Be consistent and Roll with the punches.

[elgato]

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.

[TexasTK]

Be consistent and Roll with the punches.

No thy herd is a good one. Found out the hard way on consistency. Changed feeds over previous couple years and the quality of my deer took a nose dive.
Went back to my old feed last December that I had previously been feeding for years. All the deformed antlers on the mature bucks disappeared and saw a big improvement in antler quality. Deer don't like changes. Learned not be so impatient, takes a long time to raise the bar.

[bgleaton]

I think population control, at least for our area (Menard county), is very important behind letting bucks get to around 6.5/7.5yrs and providing nutrition year-round. That being said, we are a small low fenced property, around 400 acres, so our neighbors have a lot to do with our management plan. Hopefully, one day they will shoot the correct # of does and start reducing the deer herd. I would like to get our #’s to around 1 deer/7 acres, but that’s going to take some time. No matter what our neighbors do, We will continue to feed protein year-round, feed cottonseed 8 months a year and plant fall food plots and try to help improve the native habitat by removing cedars to help improve our deer herd. Like el gato said above, NUTRITION is the #1 thing for a deer herd.

[J Wales]

Elgato and those of you with a good handle on your deer herd...what percentage of your herd consists of bucks 5 plus years old? If there were 100 deer in the herd, how many would be that age? I’m trying to figure out what is a reasonable expectation for our herd. I assume the percentage a mature bucks will be lower on most low fence properties.

[lovemylegacy]

Qdma is set up for smaller type properties that are normally highly pressured. That seems to be the demographic they cater to. In most of those scenarios the biggest hurdle is getting a deer to 5 years old.

Heck there are a lot of big ranch areas where hunters can’t pass up 4 year olds. Lol

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