Deer Ecology 101

[CastAndBlast]

C&B



I can tell you that in north La. I am involved with an 8000 acre property between the Ms. River levee and the river. Floods every year with times where the entire property goes under water. The deer move to high ground when the floods come and somehow know exactly when they can return. Essentially all the deer return once the water starts subsiding. They even hit the high spots deep in flooded country before all the water is gone. This behavior is fairly common along the islands and numerous properties inside the levee.

Thank you Rusty

That is what I am hoping will happen! Our place hasn't flooded like that in 10+ years that I can remember. I'm hoping a lot of the deer we have been watching will move back in. I'm not very optimistic though, since this isn't a normal occurrence.

[U.S.ArmyRetired]

CastBlast, US A Retired....

Those are pretty site specific questions that would require site specific knowledge to properly address. In general, deer are what's called a mid-successional species. Succession is a term that refers to the natural changes that occur in a plant community. For example, if you took a stand of big, old hardwoods and pines and logged it, you would be taking a late successional community and turning it to an early successional community. So what was big tall trees, now becomes weeds, grass, bushes, vines, and little trees. That community will gradually change back to what it was before it was logged.

So, if you think about what deer need, weeds & browse for food, some thick cover to hide in, and water, then a tornado and logging would most likely improve the habitat for deer. Again, site specific as well as intensity specific (how much and to what degree). Now, to our human eye, which tends to lean on beauty, we'd rather see a big, pretty hardwood stand and not a bunch of slash laying around and grown up weeds and thickets. But to a deer, it's a steak house, Baskin-Robbins, and up scale Hotel, all right there in one spot. So, Retired Army, without seeing it, I would think that nothing is the best thing you could do.

As for flooded bottoms, the floods wash in tons of nutrients, amd combined with the extra moisture, grow fabulous deer food. Yes, they'll come back.

As I've posted several times before in multiple threads, you can get free, expert assistance from your areas TPWD Technical Guidance Biologist who will have site specific knowledge and recommendations.

http://tpwd.texas.gov/landwater/land...ce/biologists/

Thank you. It will take a couple of years but letting it grow is probably best. Thanks again.

[lovemylegacy]

Following. A tornado ripped every hardwood in our hardwood bottom on 40 acres in May. It looks like an atomic bomb exploded and wiped everything out. Following that, a crew came in and thinned out the pines and another guy came in a logged much of the hardwoods that were salvageable. I did not see a deer all season on this property. I truly believed all of this activity pushed any deer off.

My question is with piles of hardwoods lying around should they be burned or can I leave them lay and let them grow up into thickets?

And, how can I try to pull deer back onto this property? I am running a corn feeder and going to try to run it all year. We have much hunting pressure all around us.

Having hunted SWLa and SETx all my life, clear cut and partial cuts are a way of hunting life. You sir are in a wonderful position. The deer will immediately use this area. All sorts of browse will pop up every where and the health of the deer will increase. A place like this will pull in deer from the surrounding areas. The one thing I would do is burn all the downed trees. Predators use downed tree tops to live in. You want to keep this to a minimum. One other thing, if you want to keep this area growing new browse, do a controlled burn every couple of years.
A corn feeder isn't a bad thing, but I would lean toward a protein/supplemental feeder. Corn really has nothing good for the deer except for carbs

[U.S.ArmyRetired]

Having hunted SWLa and SETx all my life, clear cut and partial cuts are a way of hunting life. You sir are in a wonderful position. The deer will immediately use this area. All sorts of browse will pop up every where and the health of the deer will increase. A place like this will pull in deer from the surrounding areas. The one thing I would do is burn all the downed trees. Predators use downed tree tops to live in. You want to keep this to a minimum. One other thing, if you want to keep this area growing new browse, do a controlled burn every couple of years.
A corn feeder isn't a bad thing, but I would lean toward a protein/supplemental feeder. Corn really has nothing good for the deer except for carbs

The only issue I have about burning is the piles are pretty big and I do not want a brush fire to get out on neighboring properties or the Timber company land. I was hoping to let it grow but I know that would cause some terrible thickets. Thank you for the advice.

[lovemylegacy]

Lets revive this thread

[Ten Ring]

Lets revive this thread

Yes, lets...please.

[Cajun shooter]

I could sure use some more!


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[lovemylegacy]

One more time

[SnJGuin]

Top

[Ironman]

Maybe that's all he knows about WT.

[lovemylegacy]

Ok, here goes.

This time of year in SETx/pine farm, where do the deer go? There is a major drop in deer movement. Example, I have a cam on a scrape that is regularly visited by bucks and does alike, then its like a door is shut. Visits go to almost 0

Feel free to elaberate

[Top Of Texas]

I seldom get east of I-45. Claustrophobic in all them woods. Responding just to show I'm not ignoring posts on Hawk's thread.

As for trailcam on scrapes, the rut is over, so they quit.

[CastAndBlast]

Ok, here goes.



This time of year in SETx/pine farm, where do the deer go? There is a major drop in deer movement. Example, I have a cam on a scrape that is regularly visited by bucks and does alike, then its like a door is shut. Visits go to almost 0



Feel free to elaberate

I have tried to figure that out too. Not necessarily on scrapes, but cameras on well traveled trails will all but dry up about this time of the year. I chalk it up to change seasonal patterns, food sources, etc. I just haven't found where they go. I assume they get back in thick cover with a food source and water and just don't travel much.

[lovemylegacy]

I seldom get east of I-45. Claustrophobic in all them woods. Responding just to show I'm not ignoring posts on Hawk's thread.

As for trailcam on scrapes, the rut is over, so they quit.

Well, here is another one of those things that isn't exactly true. I have kept cams on scrapes year round and have pics of deer working scrapes all year, just not to the extent of the Fall.

[lovemylegacy]

I have tried to figure that out too. Not necessarily on scrapes, but cameras on well traveled trails will all but dry up about this time of the year. I chalk it up to change seasonal patterns, food sources, etc. I just haven't found where they go. I assume they get back in thick cover with a food source and water and just don't travel much.

That's what I figure too. We may go weeks without seeing many deer, then overnight you may get a truck load of pics for a day or so, then they gone again.