I grow some great deer and know several on here that grow bucks that blow away most herds in the state free range
East Texas biggest problems that keep it from exploding:
Land fragment is largest. In the 90’s everything was 200 acres and a father, son and cheap skate uncle. Now that same 200 is busted into 40-50 acre tracks and each 50 has…. A father son and cheap skate uncle
Then add ALL want to shoot biggest on camera reguardless if it’s mature. Leases are the same. They kill waaaayyyyy too many young deer
Take a place that has the habitat and limit it to 1 hunter per 300-400 acres reguardless of cost and it’s a different world.
Yep. Our 3000ac East Texas place is part of a 30,000 ranch and the landowner limits the number of hunters. We see as many deer per hunt as I have experienced anywhere in the state.
Well once again I will disagree. Ragweed both common and giant, Goldenrod, Smylax, Black and Dewberry vines, American Beauty bush, Arrowwood and many other plants are more than available for consumption. Several mentioned above are over 20 percent protein, high in Phosphorous, Calcium, Selenium and many more trace minerals.
It sounds as if both regions are proliferate in nutritious browse. I would like to hear from the EP boys about what browse is a available there.
Agree with the pressure aspect. Our lease is 1500 acres/11 hunters, all bowhunters. So the hunter density is high, but we bowhunt and are picky. Only 3 deer taken last season. Members saw plenty, just wanting a wall hanger.
Calvin if I remember right the soil health/PH have to be in line for those numbers to be attainable. I'm sure y'all all have listened to Dr Harper, Bronson Strickland, and Marcus lashley on the MSU deer study videos. It's amazing what sunlight can do and TSI can do.
Well I’m betraying Pat by doing this cause he made me promise not to show any of the deer pictures that he sends me. This is one of his 5 year olds that is expected to explode any year now. Most hunters would have already shot him before he reached his full potential. I’m sorry Pat but I just got tired of seeing em rag on ya.
I grow some great deer and know several on here that grow bucks that blow away most herds in the state free range
East Texas biggest problems that keep it from exploding:
Land fragment is largest. In the 90’s everything was 200 acres and a father, son and cheap skate uncle. Now that same 200 is busted into 40-50 acre tracks and each 50 has…. A father son and cheap skate uncle
Then add ALL want to shoot biggest on camera reguardless if it’s mature. Leases are the same. They kill waaaayyyyy too many young deer
Take a place that has the habitat and limit it to 1 hunter per 300-400 acres reguardless of cost and it’s a different world.
East Texas herds blowing away most free range herds? King Kennedy and several other free range herds down south? Multiple 200s 170s 180s all over.
Panhandle the pitchfork 4 6s and several others are the same.
We run 1 hunter per 1000 acres and it could still be a little more. Biggest bodied buck I've killed in Texas was in Williamson Co and was 223 pounds. We regularly kill 200 plus pounders on our place in the panhandle.
Well I’m betraying Pat by doing this cause he made me promise not to show any of the deer pictures that he sends me. This is one of his 5 year olds that is expected to explode any year now. Most hunters would have already shot him before he reached his full potential. I’m sorry Pat but I just got tired of seeing em rag on ya.
If the hill country didn't have much food it wouldn't be able to support the populations. If what you say was the case, the deer would all be walking around like mini deer skeletons....and it dang sure wouldn't be able to support all the wild free range exotics. Have you seen an axis buck on the hoof in the hill country? They don't get to looking like a spotted volkswagen because there is nothing to eat and they are starving. ...Red deer?.....Fallow?.....
Yeah I get that Smart, so why are the Whitetails small vs a large Axis eating the same stuff. Different subspecies of Whitetail? I have hunted the EP and shot full grown doe and they may be 80lbs live weight. Friends of mine hunt there, they experience the same thing. Not knocking them, just what I have seen. The cattle are butterball fat.
Yeah I get that Smart, so why are the Whitetails small vs a large Axis eating the same stuff. Different subspecies of Whitetail? I have hunted the EP and shot full grown doe and they may be 80lbs live weight. Friends of mine hunt there, they experience the same thing. Not knocking them, just what I have seen. The cattle are butterball fat.
I'm no biologist. Genetics and nutrition/protein levels in actual food available is my guess.... when say compared to SoTx.
We have two distinct size deer on our place. Deer that max out weight wise (with age) like a hill country deer and deer more like west Texas deer that push 185-190lbs . Luckily they both can throw solid horns....on the flip side they both can throw trash.
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