Who else is managing land for whitetails?

[rookieforever33]

Why do you shoot the does? What does that do for you?


____________________
“Keep on keepin’ on…”

A couple theories I have heard I'm starting to believe
1) does rule the woods 11 months of the year. Any buck except last years forkies will stay the hell away until the rut. Even then they only push in there when they need to find a hot one. If you have an island of woods in ag land the bucks may find hot does without ever stepping in the area
2) if a buck leaves a doe after breeding and finds another hot doe 100 yards away he may never make it by your stand.

 

[Q_Sertorius]

A couple theories I have heard I'm starting to believe
1) does rule the woods 11 months of the year. Any buck except last years forkies will stay the hell away until the rut. Even then they only push in there when they need to find a hot one. If you have an island of woods in ag land the bucks may find hot does without ever stepping in the area
2) if a buck leaves a doe after breeding and finds another hot doe 100 yards away he may never make it by your stand.

At least where I hunt in Virginia, the first one is outright false. The bucks maintain the same scrapes and rub lines year after year and I see them from July on through the season. In fact, they only become scarce once the hunting pressure starts. They become more wary from the beginning of season until the rut, but I still see them. They are just near food sources, not does.

During the rut, they lose their minds and come from all over to compete for the does. Since the does bed down in the same basic 200 yard by 200 yard box most of their lives (and daughters live with their mothers), I know exactly where to go once the rut starts.

Anyone who sits on a stand during the rut should be on a chokepoint and have someone else scare them to him. I’m not a big fan of stand hunting anyway. Still hunting from spot to spot has always worked best for me.

The only reason to shoot does is to keep the deer population low. That’s important only if weather is harsh and winter forage is rare. Fewer deer competing for scarce food makes it easier for a buck that has survived the rut to survive the winter.

____________________
“Keep on keepin’ on…”

 

[rookieforever33]

At least where I hunt in Virginia, the first one is outright false. The bucks maintain the same scrapes and rub lines year after year and I see them from July on through the season. In fact, they only become scarce once the hunting pressure starts. They become more wary from the beginning of season until the rut, but I still see them. They are just near food sources, not does.

During the rut, they lose their minds and come from all over to compete for the does. Since the does bed down in the same basic 200 yard by 200 yard box most of their lives (and daughters live with their mothers), I know exactly where to go once the rut starts.

Anyone who sits on a stand during the rut should be on a chokepoint and have someone else scare them to him. I’m not a big fan of stand hunting anyway. Still hunting from spot to spot has always worked best for me.


____________________
“Keep on keepin’ on…”

Thats why it is great to be able to hunt the same area year after year. You learn your area like you have. In my area of big ag land with fence rows and occasional islands of woods they seem to run differently than that. Taking more does in the early season means more buck movement during the rut. Taking more does year after year means more bucks year round. Go 20 miles from me where big timber follows the river bittoms for miles is probably different. 20 miles the other way is suburbia where bucks are eating fliwers out of peoples landscaping. Managing property depends on what the neighborhood deer do and react. If making sure my family and friends freezers are full of doe meat means I see more bucks, I'm shooting more does.
Also keep in mind I didnt shoot does for 5 years to see what happened. I saw 26 deer 1 night and never laid eyes on a big buck all year. 2 pictures on my camera was it. Nobody wants to shoot every doe on the property. Just thin the ladies so the bucks have room to move.

 

[Pilsner]

Controlled burns made the biggest, and most fun, impact on our mountain. Arson for conservation! What's not to love?!
TSI would be a distant second.

 

[Btaylor]

At least where I hunt in Virginia, the first one is outright false. The bucks maintain the same scrapes and rub lines year after year and I see them from July on through the season.

____________________
“Keep on keepin’ on…”

I think you missed his point. Generally, doe groups or more specifically the matriarch doe in a group will control the best habitat area or areas. Fawning cover and food are important to her raising fawns. That is an entirely different issue than scrapes and rubs which are going to be made or show up around and during the rut.

Obviously this depends on the size of the property but assuming a decent size piece. The more habitat work that is done, it should be creating more food and cover. If your property becomes the best habitat in the area, it will pull deer from surrounding properties. If you dont control the mouths being fed, habitat quality will suffer. Also as mentioned above, keeping herd balanced as much as possible helps towards keeping a healthy herd and in most cases will result in a more pronounced rut with less second cycle breeding.

 

[Q_Sertorius]

No, I didn’t miss his point. Assuming you have sufficient winter forage, there is no downside to having more deer. Unless the bucks who survive hunting season are starving to death during the winter, there is no advantage to having fewer deer. The does aren’t going to run off the bucks.

If I could only have 25-40 acres, particularly if it was surrounded by agricultural fields, I would try to create terrain where does felt secure bedding down. And once they settled in there, I would leave them alone shooting wise and get them used to my presence. I’d let the boundary fence lines grow up, put a “ring path” around it, with a hedge along the inside edge of that, then try to create a patchwork of hardwoods, dense cover, and orchard / winter pasture. I’d walk that ring path every day, morning and evening. The does would be my buck lures come the rut. And pre-rut, the bucks would still have a presence there.

With a stand at each corner of the ring road, I’d also have a reasonable chance at catching deer slipping in and out of the agricultural fields if I wanted to stand hunt. And some safe angles if I had another hunter stalk through while I sat in a corner stand.


____________________
“Keep on keepin’ on…”

 

[Swamp Fox]

No, I didn’t miss his point. Assuming you have sufficient winter forage, there is no downside to having more deer. Unless the bucks who survive hunting season are starving to death during the winter, there is no advantage to having fewer deer. The does aren’t going to run off the bucks.
____________________
“Keep on keepin’ on…”

There are a few downsides I can think of.

First, an abundance of winter forage doesn't last forever. An unhunted doe population will eventually lead to a food shortage /nutritional quality issue in most habitats.

Second, year-round nutrition takes a hit, as does and their fawns dominate the best feed, and bucks are naturally dispersed from them and that area through most of the year.

Too many deer hurts bio-diversity and "the health of the woods" well before deer start keeling over from starvation (or diseases linked to over-population). Think over-browsing, damage to the understory, lack of feed, nesting and security cover for other species, etc.

If bucks are taking the brunt of the hunting pressure (and they usually are) a deliberate policy of taking no does ON TOP OF THAT leads to sex ratio and age structure problems in addition to the above.

Fewer does and a conservative buck harvest also translates to a more intense and condensed rut, which is generally good for buck hunting and everyone's fung schway ---LOL

I could go on or into more detail, but most whitetail habitats benefit from a significant effort to take does. Areas which protected does 20 years ago have changed enough that a doe hunt is encouraged now.

I would love to hear what the deer biologists in your area have to say about all this, if you have the time to contact them.