BSK......Another question for ya

[AlabamaSwamper]

On your property, how many years since you changed your property from "shoot anything" to your current QDM guidelines?

Also, have you seen your number of older bucks (3.5 for this post) level out or does it fluctuate? Or...does it simply get better every year. Seems it would level out at some point but I'm curious.

Another thought or question I had from sitting on stand all those days. I seem to remember one every week. lol :D

 

[BSK]

Our buck age structure "maxed out" starting in 2004. We ran our first camera census in 1999, and age structure continued to improve through 2003, but from 2004 to the present, age structure has remained unchanged. I believe we've hit the wall in what is possible in our type of habitat and size of property. Below is the age structure since 2004. Notice how little difference there is from year to year and the trend over time. Now HOW MANY bucks we have from year to year can fluctuate fairly dramatically, as food and cover resources as well as hunting pressure on our property and surrounding properties fluctuate from year to year, but the actual age structure--what percent of the buck population is in each age-class--has not changed much since 2004. Now the trick is simply getting more bucks to use the property during the hunting season. More total bucks produces a larger actual number of older bucks, even if though the actual age structure is not changing.

 

[AlabamaSwamper]

BSK,

Do you have any theories as to what happens to bucks after they hit 3.5? It seems we lose bucks after the fall they are 3.5. They just dissappear.

 

[BSK]

First, 4 1/2+ year-old bucks can be difficult to get on camera, but I also suspect 3 1/2s fall prey to hunters as they chase does over large areas.

 

[AlabamaSwamper]

Of course not all our 3.5 vanish but several do for sure. Some even after we get pics of them post season the winter before. I'm guessing natural causes gets a few as well as poachers.