Is your management plan really working?

[AntlerCollector]

Smart, doe yall "cull" does also or just bucks?

Do you? Based on what criteria?

We have a rule that if you shoot a buck you must shoot a doe.

[Maxlab]

Were a low fence property. These are the main goals we try to use Age, Nutrition, Habitat Management. We don’t cull bucks since were low fence and we never shoot a spike. We do try to remove as many does as we can every year. Trying to get the numbers in line. We have seen major improvements in the10 years we started doing this.

[mastercraftka]

That would be population control, genetic culling does absolutely nothing in a low fence environment. You don't have to believe me do a little research.

I have done it on our place and we do cull(reduce numbers) whatever you want to call it, but we have proof that some of the inferior traits don't exist anymore. Antler size, etc.

To make a blanket statement that it does absolutely nothing is just wrong. Maybe on your place but not on ours.

[8pointer]

I think our management plan is working. Are we where we want to be and completely satisfied? Absolutely not. But we sure are having fun trying. Our deer herd as a whole is getting better as we start our 5th year, so I know we are on the right track. I've concluded with all the feeding that we are doing (The most that we can afford without getting too crazy), my goal is to keep increasing body weights on our deer for each age class. If we can do that, I think the antlers will eventually come with it. Either way, my deer lease members are having fun doing it and it has been a TEAM effort.

[oldtestamentman]

According to CKWRI, after 10 years it might make a 10%-20% difference. Best case. Throw in small acreage and low fence and the numbers go down.

[txwhitetail]

That would be population control, genetic culling does absolutely nothing in a low fence environment. You don't have to believe me do a little research.

"Absolutely nothing" would definitely be an exaggeration.

I guess genetics just don't play a role? lol

You cant have it both ways. Genetics either play a role or they don't. Saying that taking out lessor genetics does "absolutely nothing" to the gene pool is pretty near sighted. Sure we don't control the influx of new genetics but taking out genetics you don't want will have some impact. Whether or not you think the impact is negligible or not is irrelevant.

[Smart]

With what you have stated Jason and you did not specify this in the above answer. Would you say that out of the 14 members on your lease 7 or 50% of the group are shooting bigger, better bucks, does? Where as the other 7 are not??

I am curious. I will be on a lease with 5 others. They do NOT supplement feed but corn feed year round. If I kick it up a notch would I possibly shoot better deer?

Our deer move all over for a good part of the year (especially during rut ,of course but even during the offseason)so trying to keep up with something like that would be futile. We do have some homebodies (my avatar buck being a good example) but it is nothing for the same deer to be seen at 5-6 different feedpens throughout the season and we are pretty spread out.

I will say that the folks that do feed something extra and have water at their pens seem to be a tad bit more successful in filling their "trophy" lease tag. That being said the biggest buck on the place could get killed by a July-January only corn feeder too. But we are not on a "we measure the success of our hunt by the inch" mgmt plan like some on here. We just do the basics so that we can have some good deer and have a good time.

[Smart]

Smart, doe yall "cull" does also or just bucks?

Yes....We cull, kill, whack, zip, stick, smoke, manage 'em out and/or let the air out of does but we absolutely do not "harvest" them....

[ByronB]

Yes....We cull, kill, whack, zip, stick, smoke, manage 'em out and/or let the air out of does but we absolutely do not "harvest" them....

That should just about cover it.

[PVDT]

I have done it on our place and we do cull(reduce numbers) whatever you want to call it, but we have proof that some of the inferior traits don't exist anymore. Antler size, etc.

To make a blanket statement that it does absolutely nothing is just wrong. Maybe on your place but not on ours.

I somewhat agree. The "absolutely nothing" phrasing regarding culling on low fence properties is a little too restrictive imo. For example, if a property has an over abundance of deer exhibiting an inferior trait of no brow tines, doesn't it make sense to cull as many of those deer so there aren't as many breeding. Will it make a huge difference...not earth shattering no. But there will obviously not be as many offspring from the bucks exhibiting the undesirable inferior trait of no brows. So to say that it does absolutely nothing is not exactly correct. Regardless of the size or type of property, any management plan takes years to be successful.

[MQ32Shooter]

I know mine plan doesn't work. 10 acres of food plots, supplemental protein feeding, good water and no legal bucks for the last 12 years.

[mastercraftka]

I somewhat agree. The "absolutely nothing" phrasing regarding culling on low fence properties is a little too restrictive imo. For example, if a property has an over abundance of deer exhibiting an inferior trait of no brow tines, doesn't it make sense to cull as many of those deer so there aren't as many breeding. Will it make a huge difference...not earth shattering no. But there will obviously not be as many offspring from the bucks exhibiting the undesirable inferior trait of no brows. So to say that it does absolutely nothing is not exactly correct. Regardless of the size or type of property, any management plan takes years to be successful.

agreed! funny you say no brow tines that is one trait we do not see anymore and several years back we decided that all had to go, I haven't seen one in a long time. We are 300 acres low fenced.

In the past 3 years we have shot a 182" a 143" and several 130" deer

[mastercraftka]

I know mine plan doesn't work. 10 acres of food plots, supplemental protein feeding, good water and no legal bucks for the last 12 years.

Where you are at has ALOT do with any plan or expectations.

[2coolforschool]

Why does no one make reference to frame size when these culling threads get started? Who cares if a buck doesn’t have brow tines if his frame is significantly larger than others in his cohort?

We have quite a bit of surrounding pressure and relatively small acreage, so we don’t “cull” anything younger than 4 1/2 and let our trophies reach 5 1/2. We manage for numbers of bucks, knowing that a majority of them will never see 5 1/2 due to surrounding pressure. A less desirable 4 1/2 year old cull shot by a neighbor is one less tag he can use on a nice 3 1/2 year old. The more bucks we can recruit to maturity, the more pressure we can take off our nicer 3 1/2 year olds, and the greater our chances are of a few nice ones slipping through the cracks and reaching 5 1/2.

Feed and water will keep them around in the summer. All bets are off when the rut kicks in. A significant portion of our good deer are never seen again after thanksgiving weekend, but we do get some decent newcomers each year that help replace some of the losses of bucks we had on camera all summer.

[Smart]

Why does no one make reference to frame size when these culling threads get started? Who cares if a buck doesn’t have brow tines if his frame is significantly larger than others in his cohort?

.

I don't make reference to it in my posts but that is certainly the #1 common sense characteristic in what we look for in favorable antler traits for deer that get a pass at age 4. It's probably not referenced much because it is what gets 95% of deer a pass.....maybe even 98% with the 2% coming from kickers, drops, oversized brows, non-typical stuff etc..