The thread about skill vs land quality brought up many great points about not being able to kill what's not there. I have been trying to find studies or data that would give an idea of how many mature (4.5+) bucks are on a section(640 ac) of land. What are your thoughts on mature bucks/acre?
Mature buck per acre?
- Thread starter Grnwing
- Start date
fairchaser
Well-Known Member
This is what I've read in some QDM journals. Calculate deer per square mile, then use your buck/doe ratio to determine how many bucks you have. Use 25% of the buck population to determine mature bucks 3.5 years and older. This will vary depending on where you are in the season.
gobblesandgrunts
Well-Known Member
Good gracious not many where my family farm is lol
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Winchester
Well-Known Member
Normally more in existence than most would like to believe.
woodsman04
Well-Known Member
Several years ago, maybe just a few I don't remember, there was a very good discussion/debate on this question. BSK was very involved in it.
Don't remember what BSK said number wise exactly, but all I remember that it was pretty low.
I rarely get trail cam pictures of older bucks on my personal private small farm, but what keeps me going is BSK saying that bucks move so much during the breeding season that you can't just go off what you have per square mile.
I get very few photos and kill/see even less, but knowing in the back of my mind you never know when one will be around keeps me after it. Usually one or two days out of the year I will get a picture of a roaming buck or actually see one.
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Don't remember what BSK said number wise exactly, but all I remember that it was pretty low.
I rarely get trail cam pictures of older bucks on my personal private small farm, but what keeps me going is BSK saying that bucks move so much during the breeding season that you can't just go off what you have per square mile.
I get very few photos and kill/see even less, but knowing in the back of my mind you never know when one will be around keeps me after it. Usually one or two days out of the year I will get a picture of a roaming buck or actually see one.
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[quoteThis is what I've read in some QDM journals. Calculate deer per square mile, then use your buck/doe ratio to determine how many bucks you have. Use 25% of the buck population to determine mature bucks 3.5 years and older. This will vary depending on where you are in the season.][/quote]
I have read and looked at some of those articles and found them helpful. I used data provided from a private club and was surprised at what the numbers showed. It really shows the importance of sex ratios in the expression of a more balanced age group in the buck population. Having too many does in the herd reduces the number of bucks further reducing the amount of opportunity a buck will have at growing older, while forcing higher doe kills to maintain the current ratios. I won't go in depth, but just look at a deer density of 20 deer/ sq mile and adjust your sex ratio from 5:1 down to 2:1. You can quickly see how few bucks are in the herd compared to does, but when those numbers get more balanced you see the number of bucks increase further increasing the likely hood that may make it another year closer to maturity.
I wish he still posted on here, he is one of the members that I thought may have some answers.
I have read and looked at some of those articles and found them helpful. I used data provided from a private club and was surprised at what the numbers showed. It really shows the importance of sex ratios in the expression of a more balanced age group in the buck population. Having too many does in the herd reduces the number of bucks further reducing the amount of opportunity a buck will have at growing older, while forcing higher doe kills to maintain the current ratios. I won't go in depth, but just look at a deer density of 20 deer/ sq mile and adjust your sex ratio from 5:1 down to 2:1. You can quickly see how few bucks are in the herd compared to does, but when those numbers get more balanced you see the number of bucks increase further increasing the likely hood that may make it another year closer to maturity.
I wish he still posted on here, he is one of the members that I thought may have some answers.
I agree!Winchester":2caurjlq said:
Same here. And multiply the number using by 3 or 4 during the rut as ranges expand and change.
We've gotten so reliant on cameras that many think a deer doesn't exist if he hasn't walked in front of their camera recently.
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We've gotten so reliant on cameras that many think a deer doesn't exist if he hasn't walked in front of their camera recently.
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megalomaniac
Well-Known Member
I would guess if you averaged TN as a whole it would be around 1 per Sq mile (640ac). Lots of pockets with none, lots of pockets with 10 per Sq mile. All I know is the number of mature bucks has exploded in the past 4 years or so. 10 years ago, I bet there were less than half as many as the state now carries
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