Land Management

[backroads]

Bowhunters question about land management got me thinking about a conversation with a land manager I had last week. I just found it interesting to hear this guy talk about the land he manages.

This guy manages around 3,000 acres in southern Marshall County. The guy he works for is beyond rich and owns land all over the US. He said the owner is buying up everything that comes available around his current land. He said the owner bought the property for his family to hunt, but he has a plan to not let anyone hunt the property for ten years. When I get a chance I ride through the property (public road) and believe me you see some real monsters on it. It's really cool when they are in bachelor groups and seeing several booners together and you'd happily put any one of them your wall. He was proud of what he has produced there and he should be from what I have seen over the past year riding through there. Its impressive seeing how big they can grow when given the opportunity.

On the down side he says he gets people out there at night way to often with lights and you'll hear gun shots every now and then. He's said they have had TWRA out there more then they'd like to catch people poaching. He said high school kids are the worse.

 

[treefarmer]

I would think a 3-4 year wait would be sufficient instead of 10 years.

 

[BSK]

How are they preventing overpopulation without hunting over a 10-year period? A healthy deer herd will double its population every two years.

I have several land-owner clients that have 1,000+ acres only hunted by their immediate family members. The biggest problem they have on a year to year basis is killing enough deer to hold the population in line.

 

[diamond hunter]

BSK,that last post brings up an interesting question to me.Yesterday,my son aged 7 shot a small buck on my propery and it was the 3rd deer killed this year and 3 were rkilled last year.How many deer can a 230acre farm like mine kill before it starts impacting the herd?During some hunts no deer were seen in a 3 hour sit and sometimes we saw multiples.As you recall,my place is about 50 acres of tillable beans and I supplement the food with clover and turnips and corn or my own beans.Yesterday,after looking around in the hunting area of my woods the deer sign was incredible and the crops we planted have been hammered.Thanks

 

[ROUGH COUNTRY HUNTER]

I really bet that place is a trespassers dream

 

[fairchaser]

I am not nearly impressed when I see a rich guy with a big buck on his wall than I am a regular guy who may have shot his on public land. The rich guy has many ways to acquire his trophy without working for it. But the regular guy, he has to work for his. Then again, a mature buck does not care how much money you have.

 

[Hunter 257W]

I am not nearly impressed when I see a rich guy with a big buck on his wall than I am a regular guy who may have shot his on public land. The rich guy has many ways to acquire his trophy without working for it. But the regular guy, he has to work for his. Then again, a mature buck does not care how much money you have.

Not trying to argue, but I'd say somebody who owns 3,000 acres has done some work sometime in his life to be able to pay for it. :)

Of course you are right that the hunter who owns and therefore controls 3,000 acres has a HUGE advantage over the average hunter for killing trophy bucks. Assuming he can keep the poaching down to a manageable level, he can let bucks live until they reach their full potential on a routine basis. The bucks he has will also be way less pressured than what us regular hunters see too.

I can only dream about 3,000 acres.............. :)

 

[diamond hunter]

I wouldn't even know how to hunt 3000 acres but Id love to try

 

[ROUGH COUNTRY HUNTER]

I am not nearly impressed when I see a rich guy with a big buck on his wall than I am a regular guy who may have shot his on public land. The rich guy has many ways to acquire his trophy without working for it. But the regular guy, he has to work for his. Then again, a mature buck does not care how much money you have.

Not trying to argue, but I'd say somebody who owns 3,000 acres has done some work sometime in his life to be able to pay for it. :) absolutely true.I got nothing against anybody that has succeeded and owns alot of land.it's my fault I didn't do better,not the rich man

Of course you are right that the hunter who owns and therefore controls 3,000 acres has a HUGE advantage over the average hunter for killing trophy bucks. Assuming he can keep the poaching down to a manageable level, he can let bucks live until they reach their full potential on a routine basis. The bucks he has will also be way less pressured than what us regular hunters see too.

I can only dream about 3,000 acres.............. :)

 

[BSK]

BSK,that last post brings up an interesting question to me.Yesterday,my son aged 7 shot a small buck on my propery and it was the 3rd deer killed this year and 3 were rkilled last year.How many deer can a 230acre farm like mine kill before it starts impacting the herd?During some hunts no deer were seen in a 3 hour sit and sometimes we saw multiples.As you recall,my place is about 50 acres of tillable beans and I supplement the food with clover and turnips and corn or my own beans.Yesterday,after looking around in the hunting area of my woods the deer sign was incredible and the crops we planted have been hammered.Thanks

Small-property harvest number questions are very difficult to answer Diamond Hunter, until you have some idea of how much seasonal and annual shifting of ranges that particular property experiences, as well as the effects of neighboring harvest policies. In some situations, the local deer/buck population shifts little seasonally and annually. In essence, few "new" deer move into the property from summer to fall to the rut, and with the exception of Yearling Buck Dispersal (YBD) and fawn recruitment, few "new" deer/bucks move onto the property from year to year. In that situation, the hunters have to be careful about how many deer they shoot, as every deer removed is one less "future deer." However, in other situations, deer display a high degree of fluidity in the home ranges through the seasons and years--what biologists call a "lack of fidelity" to a home range. In that situation, considerable "new" bucks show up when summer transitions to fall, and a big batch of "new" bucks appear just before the rut. In addition, quite often these seasonal range-shifting bucks are not the same bucks from year to year. On smaller properties that fit this description, hunters can get away with far less care in harvest decisions. When the local deer population is very fluid in their range-use, even sizable "gaps" shot out of the population by hunters on a smaller property can be filled year-to-year by range-shifts. However, somebody pays the price for those harvests (those deer come from somewhere), and if everybody in the area begins harvesting that way, trouble ensues.

And the above is why it's nearly impossible to give easy, blanket advice on how many deer to kill each year for a given size piece of property. Each situation is unique, both in local deer range fidelity as well as neighboring harvest policies. These complexities are also why harvest number goals are never set in stone. No equation exists where several factors are input and an accurate harvest number goal is produced. First attempts at harvest goals are always an "educated guess," and after several years, reevaluated based on the results (in combination with any changes in environment). In a highly effective management plan, harvest goals change every few years, as conditions/results change.

In your personal situation Diamond Hunter, you mention the supplemental crops planted for deer have been hammered by early January. This suggests, for the current resources, you probably have more deer than is optimal. The answer is A) shoot more deer; B) increase the resources; or the best choice C) do both.

 

[diamond hunter]

BSK,,Thrilled t o hear and I will enjoy doing that.Thanks for your wealth of info.Going to need your help when you are available before the leaves come out to do another study similar to what you did before.Thanks!