#1822575 - 03/04/10 07:10 PM
A topic about deer management.....for bowriter.
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Bottom Hunter
16 Point
Registered: 12/29/06
Posts: 15480
Loc: Hatchie Bottoms
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Here's the scenario.....totally hypothetical and imaginery in every way........
One day, you get a call and it's a man that is stupidly rich, owns a 5,000 acre farm, 30% planted crop fields and 70% hardwoods river bottoms.
He tells you that in five years, he wants it to be a place where the deer herd is as close to perfect as you can possibly make it in that amount of time....."Perfect" as in the sex ratio, age ratio and overall health of the herd that spends most of it's time on the property.........the farm is not fenced in so you have to deal with trying to keep deer on the property the best that you can......he says nothing about the "T" word (trophy)......
You have an unlimited budget, no other job or responsibility and YOUR decision is the last word.
Where do you start, and what do you do....go into as much detail as you want or as you care to.
and don't start out by saying..."I'd hire BSK...hahahahaha.
This property has never been managed and has had "regular" type hunting pressure for many years.....nothing too excessive, but it has been hunted every year.
Remember...you can do anything to the land and the herd as you wish.....food plots, timber harvest..anything....
Any managers out there??????
BH
_________________________
There are some people who always seem angry and continuously look for conflict.
Walk away; the battle they are fighting is not with you, but with themselves.
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#1822997 - 03/04/10 09:24 PM
Re: A topic about deer management.....for bowriter.
[Re: ]
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Diehard Hunter
12 Point
Registered: 08/01/08
Posts: 5226
Loc: East Tennessee
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Assess the herd and the habitat. You have to know what you have before you start tinkering with it.
_________________________
One of the penalties of an ecological education is that one lives alone in a world of wounds. Aldo Leopold
Don't argue with an idiot He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.
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#1822999 - 03/04/10 09:24 PM
Re: A topic about deer management.....for bowriter.
[Re: ]
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Food Plot 101
8 Point
Registered: 02/07/06
Posts: 2074
Loc: Goodlettsville,TN USA
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I'd take a "core" census to get a rough idea how many deer are utilizing the area, then make an assessment on improvements from there. Wanna hear more?
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#1823068 - 03/04/10 10:41 PM
Re: A topic about deer management.....for bowriter.
[Re: Food Plot 101]
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DWM
8 Point
Registered: 12/08/06
Posts: 1766
Loc: TN
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With unlimited funds I would start by buy a big bunch of black flash cameras to see what is there to begin with. You have to get an idea of how far away from his goal you are before you can know how much change is needed.
_________________________
Team Witness
Witness in the Woods
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#1823086 - 03/04/10 11:18 PM
Re: A topic about deer management.....for bowriter.
[Re: DWM]
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RKenney
10 Point
Registered: 03/15/08
Posts: 3633
Loc: Maury Co.
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I would create patch work cover. Old buck, old doe, and all ages
of deer in between have one thing in common. They all love
security cover. If the hardwood bottoms are open hardwoods, I
would bulldoze down "patches" and let grow what ever grows.
I would continue with the crop areas, but I would make sure the
fields were diversified with grown up strips about 100 yards
apart.
With unlimited funds, I would also hire a fulltime poacher and
tresspasser control staff (ha).
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#1823142 - 03/05/10 04:32 AM
Re: A topic about deer management.....for bowriter.
[Re: RKenney]
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bowriter
Non-Typical
Registered: 08/31/02
Posts: 40303
Loc: Lebanon,TN USA
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Great question and a scenario I have been invoved in a couple of times.
First step, as someone pointed out is to find out what you have. That means many nights of census taking at various times and in various locations. During the day you asses natural browse and mast. Then you can determine how many deer the proprty can support. That allows you to formulate a kill plan.
On 5,000 acres, I would not be worried about retaning the deer. Since it is not fenced, I will gain as many deer as I lose each year.
My next step is to begin to bring the buck doe ratio to an ideal level. My goal would be 1 buck to every 2.5-3 does. I would then place an antler restriction of 16" and eight points on the bucks. Within three years, my age strata will be just fine. My goal would be to have as many button bucks as I do 5-yr old bucks.
I would have no food plots and there would be no supplemental feeding. Not needed with 30% crop land. There would be no hunting every other week even during the rut. No stand would get hunted more than four times a year.
As for timber harvest, that would be determined by what kinds of timber are on it. Probably some selective cutting and possibly some small clear cutting might be done. The clear cuts would be under strict silva culture and allowed to came back in forage.
3-5 years and you have a perfect hunting spot.
And most hunters would hate it.
_________________________
Constipation has ruined many a good day. Not as many as stupidity, though.
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#1823324 - 03/05/10 08:39 AM
Re: A topic about deer management.....for bowriter.
[Re: bowriter]
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Bottom Hunter
16 Point
Registered: 12/29/06
Posts: 15480
Loc: Hatchie Bottoms
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I would add a few things.......
Talk to the farmers and anyone that has hunted or had access to the property over the last few years to get more of an accurate description of the deer movement there.
If there was no dense cover on the property, I would create some. I would ask the farmers to leave some of the fields or portions of the fields in set aside....
I would also ask the farmers to plant corn and beans in most all the fields. I would ask them to not harvest at least one or two of the most secluded fields.
Also, I would cut down some of the non-mast trees that border these fields and create somewhat of a 50-100 yard wide cutover border as a nice transition between the mature timber and the crop fields.
I won't go into how I would hunt the property simply because I don't what's there yet. I will say that I would implement a strict ACCESS policy as to put as little stress on the deer as possible.
Also, I would not plant food plots, but I would supplement feed for a short time prior to the pre-rut and after we stopped hunting the property. I would want no stress on the deer during this "fattening up" period.
During the offseason...... I would allow predator hunters in to try and control the yotes and bobcats....
I would love this job.....
BH
_________________________
There are some people who always seem angry and continuously look for conflict.
Walk away; the battle they are fighting is not with you, but with themselves.
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#1823346 - 03/05/10 09:02 AM
Re: A topic about deer management.....for bowriter.
[Re: bowriter]
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Aussie Sniper
4 Point
Registered: 10/05/09
Posts: 248
Loc: Middle Tn
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There would be no hunting every other week even during the rut. No stand would get hunted more than four times a year.
I sure don't have 5,000 acres to hunt, but I'm going to try this. It will be difficult, but sure makes a lot of since. I used to only be able to hunt every weekend because of work. Now the postion I have allows me to spend more time in the woods and I actually see less deer than ever. Never thought about it, but I've been burning my "spots" out without knowing it! Thanks!
_________________________
"To be conscious that you are ignorant of the facts is a great step to knowledge." - Benjamin Disraeli
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#1823381 - 03/05/10 09:31 AM
Re: A topic about deer management.....for bowriter.
[Re: Aussie Sniper]
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Football Hunter
18 Point
Registered: 10/22/07
Posts: 24550
Loc: Wilson Co/Perry Co
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Sounds like that would be fun
_________________________
The best day to plant a tree,IS TODAY!
You wont know,if you dont go!
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#1823844 - 03/05/10 12:43 PM
Re: A topic about deer management.....for bowriter.
[Re: bowriter]
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Bottom Hunter
16 Point
Registered: 12/29/06
Posts: 15480
Loc: Hatchie Bottoms
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BH- I Believe you said money wass no object. I took that to mean I could plant anything I wanted and not worry about the harvest. I didn't get into crops but I would have corn, beans, turnips and alfalfa in random patterns and none of it would get harvested. You just drive over it in an old truck. As for improving the habitat, that comes under timbering practices. And you might not love this job as much as you think. 
I'd like to try it though..
Bh
_________________________
There are some people who always seem angry and continuously look for conflict.
Walk away; the battle they are fighting is not with you, but with themselves.
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#1823853 - 03/05/10 12:45 PM
Re: A topic about deer management.....for bowriter.
[Re: Bottom Hunter]
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Football Hunter
18 Point
Registered: 10/22/07
Posts: 24550
Loc: Wilson Co/Perry Co
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BH- I Believe you said money wass no object. I took that to mean I could plant anything I wanted and not worry about the harvest. I didn't get into crops but I would have corn, beans, turnips and alfalfa in random patterns and none of it would get harvested. You just drive over it in an old truck. As for improving the habitat, that comes under timbering practices. And you might not love this job as much as you think. I'd like to try it though.. Bh
_________________________
The best day to plant a tree,IS TODAY!
You wont know,if you dont go!
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