To add to what Mike is saying, which
hasn't been previously discussed on this thread?
Where do
bucks come from?
They are born from
the doe segment.
What typically happens to
1 1/2-yr-old ("yearling") bucks?
They disperse.
And they disperse
beyond the typical rut range of "older" bucks?
Mike Belt":1z1e2kz9 said:
In contrast does are usually in family groups. When feeding they eat in the same areas and there's probably a fair amount of grooming going on; generally a high number of animals in constant close proximity.
Bottom line remains this:
Targeting bucks (and "bucks only") in the summer will cause a decrease in the doe harvest.
That results in more bucks being born (a year later),
perhaps more likely to acquire CWD than current middle-aged & older bucks?
These bucks (and more of them) then "disperse" from their birth areas,
typically beyond "rut" ranges of older bucks?
So what is the best way to reduce the number of dispersing bucks?
By "orphaning" button bucks (simply killing more females with male fawns)
these
orphaned bucks tend to NOT disperse beyond their birth areas,
unlike male deer whose mothers are still living.
So, not only is the ongoing deer population mainly controlled by the doe harvest (or lack thereof), but so is yearling buck dispersal. Again, "buck-only" summertime hunting will absolutely decrease the doe harvest (due to the practical self-imposed limits most hunters have).
So it becomes more an issue will a 3-deer-a-year hunter kill 3 bucks, 2 bucks & 1 doe, or 1 buck & or 2 does?
The
ONGOING population is profoundly different when masses of hunters kill 2 or 3 bucks instead of 2 or 3 does.
Some have even said the dirty little secret is that doe harvest is often more a function of buck limits than doe limits.
While the opportunity to take "a" buck may increase both doe hunting and doe harvests,
the opportunity to take many bucks may decrease doe hunting & doe harvests.
100% the case when that hunting is "buck only" as is this August "trophy" buck hunt.
We all have "practical" limits to both our days afield hunting and how many deer we kill annually.
Many who may use vacation days in the summer, will have fewer vacation days for use in the fall.
Those who kill a deer or two earlier, will likely kill a deer or two less later in the season.
Early season "buck only" hunting may increase the year's buck harvest,
but it will also decrease the year's doe harvest.
Which harvest (doe or buck) is more important as an effort to slow the spread of CWD?
Give that some thought.
Not fear-mongering, just pointing out some inconsistencies in the rationale of targeting older bucks during August as it pertains to CWD.