We have quite a few 2yo spikes and wide(past the ears) 5pt's. Should these bucks be culled? The lease that I am on has a 4pt on one side rule. We are only in our 2nd year with this lease. We have been discussing about how to get a better deer herd. Should we cull, let them grow or what?
Question about culling deer.
- Thread starter HogHvn
- Start date
bigtex
Well-Known Member
If you "cull" them they'll never get any bigger.
From what I've read the doe has more influence gene wise in determining a bucks headgear.
From what I've read the doe has more influence gene wise in determining a bucks headgear.
Southern Sportsman
Well-Known Member
You can do some digging on old threads and read a lot of detailed information from experts in the field on this issue. But, I will summarize: The concept of "culling" deer is based on junk science and old, since-debunked beliefs. Killing a deer because you consider him to be of inferior quality provides no discernable advantage in a wild deer heard. So, if killing one of the deer you mentioned would be enjoyable, then kill them. But dont do it under the guise of "culling a management deer" because that doesnt hold water biologically.
Southern Sportsman said:
Well said.
HogHvn said:
Culling is definately not a way to better quality deer with the possible exception of some tightly controlled, high fence, type of situations. In free ranging herds it is basically an excuse to shoot deer that don't meet the hunter's "normal" standards.
If shooting those types of deer is what you want to do, then that is fine. Just don't do it thinking you are helping your local deer herd.
I would suggest learning age identifying techniques, and set your goals based on age rather than points or spread. ;)
Southern Sportsman said:
Could not have said it better. There is no such thing as a cull buck in the wild.
HogHvn said:
1. Shoot fewer young bucks
2. Improve habitat
Just let them grow, you never know what they can turn into. The buck in the pic i started knowing him in 2009. He was a nice 2.5 16" 7pt. Nothing special. At 3.5 he was a 17-18" 7pt, never grew any more points. 2011 same thing, just a 7pt and maybe 19" wide. When i got pics of this dude in 2012 I couldn't believe it. I knew who he was almost as soon as i seen him. His right side always had 3 and his left side 4. His right side blew up at 5.5. He stayed short tined and brow tines but was at his peak and added lots of junk points. Never got a shot at him but i know he was killed opening weekend of bow.
I have a 4.5 yr old 8pt that has no mass, decent tines and very short brows (maybe 2" on one side and pretty much a nub on the other). I'm hoping at 5.5 next yr he'll add some brows and a few inches and be a good deer.
You never know what they will be if you kill them. Just because a 150" buck breeds a doe and has a male fawn doesn't mean it will be huge.
Keep at em and good luck.
I have a 4.5 yr old 8pt that has no mass, decent tines and very short brows (maybe 2" on one side and pretty much a nub on the other). I'm hoping at 5.5 next yr he'll add some brows and a few inches and be a good deer.
You never know what they will be if you kill them. Just because a 150" buck breeds a doe and has a male fawn doesn't mean it will be huge.
Keep at em and good luck.
Southern Sportsman
Well-Known Member
hitek7 said:
In essence, that's correct. Age is the key. Killing even 4 or 5 "junk bucks" will not make a difference in avaliable food and nutrients, and it will keep 4 or 5 bucks from reaching maturity.
hitek7 said:
You accomplish the same thing by shooting does.
If things are so out of whack where you need to remove mouths, it is unlikely that you will see trophy deer anyway.
IMO, the best course of action towards larger antlered deer is to exercise trigger restraint and let the young ones get some age on them.
woodsman87
Well-Known Member
I agree with the other post. Culling is just an excuse for somebody to make when they shoot a deer that they or their peers do not deem worthy to shoot.
rem270 said:Just let them grow, you never know what they can turn into. The buck in the pic i started knowing him in 2009. He was a nice 2.5 16" 7pt. Nothing special. At 3.5 he was a 17-18" 7pt, never grew any more points. 2011 same thing, just a 7pt and maybe 19" wide. When i got pics of this dude in 2012 I couldn't believe it. I knew who he was almost as soon as i seen him. His right side always had 3 and his left side 4. His right side blew up at 5.5. He stayed short tined and brow tines but was at his peak and added lots of junk points. Never got a shot at him but i know he was killed opening weekend of bow.
I have a 4.5 yr old 8pt that has no mass, decent tines and very short brows (maybe 2" on one side and pretty much a nub on the other). I'm hoping at 5.5 next yr he'll add some brows and a few inches and be a good deer.
You never know what they will be if you kill them. Just because a 150" buck breeds a doe and has a male fawn doesn't mean it will be huge.
Keep at em and good luck.
Yep, sometimes "junk" is good! ;)
Mike Belt
Well-Known Member
I'd like to cull a couple of 140s out of our herd this year. They put too much stress on some of the others and make them feel inferior.
diamond hunter
Well-Known Member
Sounds to me like you need more browse.Cut a bunch of Beech trees and sasafrass and a few ugly trees,anything that will allow sunlight to reach the forest floor.Dont mow,let it grow.
diamond hunter
Well-Known Member
This year I have a new sprayer and I am going to spray grass killer on my pastures.
hitek7 said:
That is correct.
MickThompson
Well-Known Member
hitek7 said:
It works it S TX because they are essentially deer farming, and most of the nutrition those deer get comes out of the back of a pickup or a feeder. Those "inferior" bucks are expensive to feed! They are usually dealing with closed populations (fence) so they dont have to worry about another deer (that may be even less desirable) moving into the void. In the southeast, deer get most of their nutrition (~70%) from natural sources.
In TN, if you suspect your deer are short on nutrition, you need to address the population by killing does and address habitat by managing your native browse production (timber management, disking, burning, etc). Like others have said, a cull buck in TN is an excuse to shoot a deer that is otherwise too young to meet the management objectives of the farm.
Just remember, a buck will never be any bigger than it is the day you shoot it!
Football Hunter
Well-Known Member
AgreedMickThompson said:
MickThompson said:
Uhmmmm.....where exactly did you get this 70% number? I think you are way off here. I lease 1400 acres and the deer there get 100% of their nutrition from natural sources. Even if Jimbob and JoeEarl are throwing out corn piles, it doesn't make up 30% of their diet year round. Maybe 1% would be closer.
I agree btw that culling free ranging deer is a futile endeavor.
deerhunter10
Well-Known Member
culling is a word for people to "justify" what they shoot. it doesn't do anything for the herd shoot what makes you happy. if you want big deer get the habtate right. foord bedding and age. got to pass them so they have a chance to get big. you never know what a deer will do to one year to the other until you pass them.
This is not the place to get the information/science needed to initiate a management plan. You should contact a wildlife biologist and that individual will ask you what goals you want to achieve on your property and based upon that information, you will work together to implement a management plan. If your not serious about managing your property then I am sure you will find some useful tips from this forum, but do not expect fantastic results.
West_tenn said:
LOL.....you pretty much just insulted everyone on this forum. Nice job.
There are actually some people on this forum that are extremely qualified to help manage properties. People with doctorates and such in these fields that frequent these forums. I'm not one of them and would never pretend to be but way to go insulting all of us. :crazy:
Football Hunter
Well-Known Member
I think hes talking about ag fields in certain placesDbllunger said:
diamond hunter
Well-Known Member
Hey West Tenn,some people on here like casual conversation about deer,I am one of them.I wouldn't call me "not serious".There are biologists on here that can teach other"biologists"BSK is one of them.
No way! I am not trying to insult anyone and I completely agree with you. There are well qualified people on this site, but it would be foolish to assume you can get the information needed to manage your property from a forum. There are some quality tips, but that alone will not yield many results.
Sorry to offend you!
Sorry to offend you!
West_tenn said:
Not necessary. We are good. You didn't offend me. I agree, this would not be the optimal place to get all the information you need to manage a farm. :)
