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Quality Deer Management
Growing Mature Bucks
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<blockquote data-quote="TheLBLman" data-source="post: 5498316" data-attributes="member: 1409"><p>The short answer is . . . . .</p><p>Not enough that the bucks don't spend more of their time off the property than on it during the rut.</p><p></p><p>The long answer is . . . . .</p><p>I'm <em>ATTEMPTING</em> to QDM-manage tracts ranging from 300 to over 3,000 contiguous acres.</p><p></p><p>The better answer is . . . . .</p><p></p><p>Believe it or not, having a better TN deer hunting opportunity than most TN hunters on private property, I still find myself having a better chance most years for a top-end mature buck on several different public lands I annually hunt (multiple TN counties). Keep in mind though, "top end" in TN is very much less than "top end" in several nearby states such as Illinois, KY, Ohio, Indiana, and Missouri.</p><p></p><p>Even with significant private acreage, <em>"Management" </em>opportunities are not as great as most hunters might assume, and imo, a <em>MINIMUM</em> of 10,000 <em>CONTIGOUS</em> acres (and not configured in a long, narrow creek bottom, but more as a large rectangle or circle) is needed <u>for highly effective</u> deer management. Exceptions are mainly urban areas, and/or tracts highly protected from hunting or hunted very little. Great example would be having a 100-acre farm bordering the Oak Ridge WMA, even if your "farm" were inside the city limits of Oak Ridge.</p><p></p><p>Most often in TN, "managing" for "trophy" bucks just means hunters are giving a pass to most 2 1/2 & younger, but being counter-productive in actually managing for top-end 4 1/2 & older bucks. A top-end 2 1/2-yr-old buck actually has a higher chance of surviving to 4 1/2 on many public lands than he does on many intensely managed private lands. Somewhat a shame, but essentially no practical way of changing this reality. On the other hand, most TN hunters do consider an average 3 1/2-yr-old buck a "trophy" buck. As they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I'm fine with whatever anyone personally considers a "trophy".</p><p></p><p>My buck management is as much a personal way of hunting as it is any type of deer or "herd" management. I cannot control where a particular buck roams, which is often over 2 linear miles daily from bedding to feeding & rutting. This often takes a buck onto & off multiple private properties in a single day. I also cannot prevent the most healthy 1 1/2-yr-old bucks from typically "dispersing" over 3 linear miles from their birth location.</p><p></p><p>Put this in the context of a 1280-acre rectangular-shaped property that's say 2 miles long by 1 mile wide, and it's easy to see why most TN hunters cannot management much beyond their own personal trigger fingers and personal shooter buck standards.</p><p></p><p>Even with the 20,000-acre Ames Plantation, I suspect more of their protected bucks have been killed (legally) outside their property lines than within.</p><p></p><p>I remain a big advocate of high <strong>Q</strong>uality <strong>D</strong>eer <strong>M</strong>anagement.</p><p>But it typically increases the amount of hunter antler high grading, meaning that top-end antlered young bucks have a better chance of surviving under simple either-sex regs (with a 1-buck limit x a short gun season) than they do where antler restrictions are used to help protect young bucks.</p><p></p><p>About all I can absolutely "manage" is what I personally decide to shoot (regardless the acreage).</p><p>For me, that needs to be a doe, or a mature buck, not a 3 1/2. It also needs to be one with some relatively large and/or unique antlers, that stands out as "different" from what is already on the wall. The good news is that nearly all fully mature bucks will have very "unique" antlers, even if they were mainframe typicals when 3 1/2.</p><p></p><p>Since I like to eat a good bit of venison annually, I might feel differently about these standards if I didn't have ample opportunities to "harvest" all the doe I need, and prefer as table fare over bucks.</p><p></p><p>Enjoy your hunting, and look for the positives in whatever situation you find yourself.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="TheLBLman, post: 5498316, member: 1409"] The short answer is . . . . . Not enough that the bucks don't spend more of their time off the property than on it during the rut. The long answer is . . . . . I'm [I]ATTEMPTING[/I] to QDM-manage tracts ranging from 300 to over 3,000 contiguous acres. The better answer is . . . . . Believe it or not, having a better TN deer hunting opportunity than most TN hunters on private property, I still find myself having a better chance most years for a top-end mature buck on several different public lands I annually hunt (multiple TN counties). Keep in mind though, "top end" in TN is very much less than "top end" in several nearby states such as Illinois, KY, Ohio, Indiana, and Missouri. Even with significant private acreage, [I]"Management" [/I]opportunities are not as great as most hunters might assume, and imo, a [I]MINIMUM[/I] of 10,000 [I]CONTIGOUS[/I] acres (and not configured in a long, narrow creek bottom, but more as a large rectangle or circle) is needed [U]for highly effective[/U] deer management. Exceptions are mainly urban areas, and/or tracts highly protected from hunting or hunted very little. Great example would be having a 100-acre farm bordering the Oak Ridge WMA, even if your "farm" were inside the city limits of Oak Ridge. Most often in TN, "managing" for "trophy" bucks just means hunters are giving a pass to most 2 1/2 & younger, but being counter-productive in actually managing for top-end 4 1/2 & older bucks. A top-end 2 1/2-yr-old buck actually has a higher chance of surviving to 4 1/2 on many public lands than he does on many intensely managed private lands. Somewhat a shame, but essentially no practical way of changing this reality. On the other hand, most TN hunters do consider an average 3 1/2-yr-old buck a "trophy" buck. As they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I'm fine with whatever anyone personally considers a "trophy". My buck management is as much a personal way of hunting as it is any type of deer or "herd" management. I cannot control where a particular buck roams, which is often over 2 linear miles daily from bedding to feeding & rutting. This often takes a buck onto & off multiple private properties in a single day. I also cannot prevent the most healthy 1 1/2-yr-old bucks from typically "dispersing" over 3 linear miles from their birth location. Put this in the context of a 1280-acre rectangular-shaped property that's say 2 miles long by 1 mile wide, and it's easy to see why most TN hunters cannot management much beyond their own personal trigger fingers and personal shooter buck standards. Even with the 20,000-acre Ames Plantation, I suspect more of their protected bucks have been killed (legally) outside their property lines than within. I remain a big advocate of high [B]Q[/B]uality [B]D[/B]eer [B]M[/B]anagement. But it typically increases the amount of hunter antler high grading, meaning that top-end antlered young bucks have a better chance of surviving under simple either-sex regs (with a 1-buck limit x a short gun season) than they do where antler restrictions are used to help protect young bucks. About all I can absolutely "manage" is what I personally decide to shoot (regardless the acreage). For me, that needs to be a doe, or a mature buck, not a 3 1/2. It also needs to be one with some relatively large and/or unique antlers, that stands out as "different" from what is already on the wall. The good news is that nearly all fully mature bucks will have very "unique" antlers, even if they were mainframe typicals when 3 1/2. Since I like to eat a good bit of venison annually, I might feel differently about these standards if I didn't have ample opportunities to "harvest" all the doe I need, and prefer as table fare over bucks. Enjoy your hunting, and look for the positives in whatever situation you find yourself. [/QUOTE]
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