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Culling doesn’t work
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Originally posted by Smart View Post"Shooting bucks makes no impact on long-term herd numbers."........
Population growth potential, thus herd numbers, are managed through doe harvest and only doe harvest. Because does have babies, bucks don't. There are no ifs, maybes, woulda, coulda, shoulda's about it.
The "mouth off the range" justification for harvesting bucks less than 6 years old on open range is the last dieing grasps of the culling fad. A ranch could target 30% of the buck herd and few doe, and herd numbers will continue to increase. That is taking place all over Texas.
Where the doe population is being managed to ensure a surplus supply of healthy and reproductive quality browse, thus below carrying capacity, the additional harvest of bucks is ineffective in habitat management because a surplus of forage already exists.
There are a plethora of real-life examples across Texas that demonstrate the sex ratio doesn't become skewed toward bucks when doe harvest maintains herd numbers below carrying capacity and buck harvest is mature only (6 years and up). In open range, there is not a reason anyone should HAVE to kill a buck in the name of habitat management.
Those who feed protein hold on to the last justification for killing immature bucks, but has nothing to do with habitat. Just finances.
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Originally posted by El General View PostIt was an oversimplified example. Plug 50% and the end number is different but the math is the same.
The one benefit your plan has is that low fence, your bucks will disperse, and your does will not, so if you knock the doe numbers down, you will probably work the problem from both ends by just doing one thing.Last edited by Encinal; 10-23-2019, 08:06 PM.
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Originally posted by Encinal View PostAnd if you do what you said, your fawn crops will go down.
The one benefit your plan has is that low fence, your bucks will disperse, and your does will not, so if you knock the doe numbers down, you will probably work the problem from both ends by just doing one thing.
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Originally posted by Mexico View PostHave we changed each others minds yet or we roll'n another 6 pages? Asking for a frie..... eeerrr I mean ALL of TBH.
I'm just a backyard hack....who just likes to use cull because it rolls off the tongue so well....
Don't listen to me...I'm no expert....armchair internet reader, papered or long time ranch owner.......Skim might be my new favorite deer word though..
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