How Many Deer to Kill on 200 Acres

[TB80]

I know. I know. There are a lot of variables. The place is in Kerr County. We have three feeders going. No protein. No foodplots.

I have only hunted two feeders at opposite ends of the property. Consistently I am seeing around 10-15 deer at both feeders, with about 5-8 doe and the rest spikes/bucks/yearlings. I've seen as many as 10 doe at one feeder and 4-5 bucks at the same time.

How many bucks/does should we take off this place in one year to maintain a healthy herd.

Its also a low fence place. Technically high fenced on two sides but low fenced with two large properties (around 1k acres) on the low fenced side.

[Shane]

They're not going to just stay on 200 acres, so I wouldn't worry too much about a quota. Shoot a mature buck if you see one and he trips your trigger. Kill a doe or two for every buck you kill. If no shooter bucks, let the young ones walk and kill a doe or two to eat.

[kenner27]

May not be the most popular response but Your not going to maintain anything to a noticeable effect with 200 acres. I would just count your blessings on the lands location and enjoy you and your families hunting as it doesn’t look like y’all will shoot them out.

[kenner27]

Double post.

[Clark]

1 trophy buck
5 doe

[kyleseipp]

They're not going to just stay on 200 acres, so I wouldn't worry too much about a quota. Shoot a mature buck if you see one and he trips your trigger. Kill a doe or two for every buck you kill. If no shooter bucks, let the young ones walk and kill a doe or two to eat.

Agreed with Shane.

[TB80]

Thanks. We aren't strictly managing the place. However, we have some young hunters that we want to have a chance to shoot a deer. At the same time, we don't want to kill too many.

[red]

how many hunters?

[TB80]

how many hunters?

Technically 7. But not everyone expects to shoot every year. It is all family and we work closely together. Really there are four kids that hope to shoot a deer, and then out of the three adults at least one "trophy." And we start the kids out small. First deer is a spike/4 point. Second deer is a 6 point. Etc...

[AntlerCollector]

On 200 acres maintaining a healthy herd is irrelevant. Fill your freezer and don’t worry about it. I wouldn’t shoot everything I saw though. If you don’t pressure them too much you will keep deer around. That herd ain’t living on just your land anyway.

[rtp]

On 200 acres maintaining a healthy herd is irrelevant. Fill your freezer and don’t worry about it. I wouldn’t shoot everything I saw though. If you don’t pressure them too much you will keep deer around. That herd ain’t living on just your land anyway.

This right here. I went from having 10,000 acres I was in complete control of where managing was very important to a very small place(400acres) for fun because it is close to home. On the small place I am much more concerned about the pressure I put on it than I am about how many deer get killed. The deer numbers on it are high with tons of immature bucks and good numbers of does and fawns. Your group is pretty large for just 200 acres imo. I have 3 hunters total. Our deer arent high strung and will normally just stand and watch you drive by. However, one of the guys brought 3 others with him for one evening and a follow up morning hunt and the deer responded accordingly from what I saw on the cameras. They became scarce in a hurry. Good luck, small places can be lots of fun if they arent abused.

[Shane]

Technically 7. But not everyone expects to shoot every year. It is all family and we work closely together. Really there are four kids that hope to shoot a deer, and then out of the three adults at least one "trophy." And we start the kids out small. First deer is a spike/4 point. Second deer is a 6 point. Etc...

There won't ever be any trophies if you shoot 4 young bucks every year. Not the end of the world if that's what works for your family situation, of course. But that's a lot of hunters for a small patch of ground if you did want to grow mature bucks (trophy or not, just old).

[S-3 Ranch]

One maybe two bucks, every one else kills a doe ,

[SmTx]

One maybe two bucks, every one else kills a doe ,

Being it's mainly for the kids I'd probably lean this way. Draw straws for a buck and shoot what makes the kid happy versus stair stepping points via young deer . Excluded from buck eligibility the following year.

[walker1983]

I wouldn't shoot anything to control numbers. Hold out for mature shooters and pass everything else.

I would not be killing more than a couple bucks/year on 200 acres...