A year in the life of a farm

[perfectstorm]

Rusty, I apologize if this has already been asked (as Im still reading up on the thread) but on average how big were the deer when you started 35 years ago? Have you seen a growth in both antler & body size over the years or just antlers?

[Hillary]

You sir, are doing it right.
Thank you for sharing! I am totally in awe of your operation.

[elgato]

Rusty, I apologize if this has already been asked (as Im still reading up on the thread) but on average how big were the deer when you started 35 years ago? Have you seen a growth in both antler & body size over the years or just antlers?

Apologies unnecessary.

When I first started on the farm I was a 20 yr old outdoor addict. I loved everything outdoors! { Still do } The place was raw and undeveloped. I saw occasional deer tracks but it was several yrs. before I saw the first deer. Development of the deer herd was very slow for a long time for a lot of reasons not the least being rampant poaching and frankly being mostly forested the carrying capacity was not high.

To get to your question once we started seeing bucks they were much like most experience in East Tx. or this part of La. Young deer on inadequate nutrition growing small racks. About 15 yrs ago I started amping up the nutrition with some food plots and deer sightings became more common. Still though quality was 'normal' for our area with a 140" buck creating a stir.

It was about 5 yrs ago that things started changing significantly. We had doubled down on agriculture, started intensively feeding pellets during the antler growing season, and had enough deer getting to the mature age classes to get interesting. We had also sculpted the habitat with openings and timber mgt. which greatly enhanced carrying capacity.

Comparing this yrs deer herd to the deer herd 10 yrs ago might look like this. Using a bell curve: 10 yrs ago the majority of the deer in the peak of the bell might have scored 120-130. Outliers on the positive side might have reached 150. harder to remember body weights since we removed so few deer but figure 180-200 as average.

Today using the same bell curve our herd looks more like this: Bucks in the peak of the bell probably average ~135-150. Outliers on the positive side are 220+ This year on my farm alone I think there are 8 bucks over 170.

Body weights are still harder to figure because the bucks run down so fast. My buck weighed 245. The average buck killed this time of year is more like 200 and skinny.

There is no doubt in my mind that we have increased the 'average ' buck on the farm by 15-20" and the top side off the charts. The increase has come from increasing the nutritional plane year round for a few generations of deer and of course letting them get old enough to show off. { We don't cull young deer!!!}

[TradAg02]

When removing does, do you shoot based on opportunity or target a specific age class?

[elgato]

This photo from this morning might help explain our approach to doe harvest. For the most part we shoot based on opportunity to reach a number. With less experienced hunters I make sure several females are out before they shoot so the can pick out the biggest one. This helps avoid shooting male fawns.

I have no problem shooting female fawns and in fact make sure that some are taken. The older does make better mothers with higher fawn survival thus better recruitment.

Lastly we try to take as many of the does as early in the season a possible to decrease pressure on the habitat and tighten the rut.

[BIG BONE]

Nice doe patrol

[hardtner]

Stacking them up. Nice!

[BolilloLoco]

Meat haul !!!!!

[Mexico]

Gotta do it! Management 101! Looks like full freezers!

[elgato]

Been a good weekend on the farm. We thinned the does out as seen with the earlier post. Also had a buddy get the deer of his life. I bartered with him on the construction of our new shop office and processing room. We traded his labor for a buck. He got this beautiful 10 pt. which might be the oldest buck on the farm. ~165" and a dream come true for the hunter.

Incidentally for those that look to teeth to age, his teeth were still sharp suggesting a 5 yr old. I believe the buck to be 8 or 9. The value of living on food plots and pellets.

[BillyloMexico]

Very nice!

[elgato]

Of course we also worked removing unwanted bucks as well. This 4 yr old didn't make the cut. This afternoon I have all my ' hired guns' { actually cheerful volunteers } after a buck we call 'nasty'. A very mature 9 pt I want off the farm.

As of now we are at 23 does and 7 bucks. Working out about right. We will take another 7-10 does and 2-3 more bucks and be done.

[BillyloMexico]

I see why he didn't pass approval! But still a healthy man! Lots of mass!

[LHPanther]

Sign me up to be a "cheerful volunteer" for next season

[Backwoods101]

"Will work for horns"