Question for those that would know?

[dgb7mm]

Will a doe increase or decrease the amount of fawn production based on the amount of food available in her area?

 

[BSK]

Yes. All of herd health is driven by food volume and quality. As deer density in an area increases, herd health decreases, especially once all available top-choice foods are being eaten away each year. This is called the "density versus quality relationship." A local deer herd is at it's highest performance (health, body size, antler development, and reproductive success) at the lowest density--just a few deer. At that extremely low density, the majority of each deer's annual diet consists of the highest quality food sources. But high-quality food sources are often of limited volume. As the deer density increases, the percent of each deer's diet made up of the highest quality foods decreases (more mouths sharing a limited quantity of top-choice foods), reducing individual deer performance. As a deer herd approaches the biological carrying capacity, most top-quality foods have been completely eaten out of existence, and each deer's diet is made up primarily of second and third-choice food sources (and they are usually of second and third choice foods due to lower quality), hence perfomance suffers. Generally, obvious declines in herd performance don't begin to appear until the population starts to approach the biological carrying capacity, although scientifically measurable changes have been occurring since the herd hit around 30% of biological carrying calacity.

 

[dgb7mm]

Can general farming practices supply enough food source for a herds needs without either farmer and herd suffering? This being a choice of soybean or corn summer and a winter type grass in the winter?

 

[bowriter]

What BSK said.

 

[BSK]

To a certain extent, yes. But also remember that even in agricultural regions, more than 50% of a deer's diet is going to be plants other than agricultural crops. Deer are a "weed eating" species, and will consume large quatities of annual weeds in summer, even if limitless amounts of soybeans are available.

The best practice is to implement habitat management practices that prouce large volumes of native plants/weeds, while also planting some agricultural crops for wildlife. In additioon, droughts are very hard on agricultural crops, while native plants/weeds are much more naturally drought adapted. Even during our worst summer droughts--that devastate agricultural crops--the native habitat can virtually sail through these conditions and still provide the needed forage for deer and other wildlife.

What I'm getting at is planting agricultural crops for wildlife can be very beneficial. But never rely on those agricultural crops to feed the wildlife. Always produce enough natural forage to feed the wildlife first. Use agricultural plantings as a high-quality "bonus" food source.

 

[BlountArrow]

...Generally, obvious declines in herd performance don't begin to appear until the population starts to approach the biological carrying capacity, although scientifically measurable changes have been occurring since the herd hit around 30% of biological carrying calacity.

Do you think this is what influenced the institution of Unit L areas in TN?

 

[dgb7mm]

Thanks for all the info! My neighbor feeds deer in their back yard and the doe that feeds their has raised triplets back to back years. A very small wood lot that borders a larger tract of land. At times now I see her with her new fawns and what I believe to be her 3 from last year, 2 young bucks and 1 young doe. Does this sound right? I thought in most cases a doe would run her male offspring off to decrease inbreeding. Whats your thought on this?

 

[BSK]

...Generally, obvious declines in herd performance don't begin to appear until the population starts to approach the biological carrying capacity, although scientifically measurable changes have been occurring since the herd hit around 30% of biological carrying calacity.

Do you think this is what influenced the institution of Unit L areas in TN?

BGG would be the best source of information on the implementation of Unit L. But from what I gather it was a consideration of current population and means to control it. Basically, 1) the deer population was high and getting higher, requiring an increased doe harvest to control; and 2) the very high limits set were somewhat of a "message" to hunters that not only was it OK to shoot does, it was OK to shoot quite a few does.

 

[BSK]

Thanks for all the info! My neighbor feeds deer in their back yard and the doe that feeds their has raised triplets back to back years. A very small wood lot that borders a larger tract of land. At times now I see her with her new fawns and what I believe to be her 3 from last year, 2 young bucks and 1 young doe. Does this sound right? I thought in most cases a doe would run her male offspring off to decrease inbreeding. Whats your thought on this?

Much would depend on what your neighbor was feeding. Most people feed shelled corn. Although shelled corn contains quite a lof of "energy" that can be burned during the cold winter months, it is very, very low in the essential ingredients for growth and production.

Exactly why does usually force their male offspring out of their birth range is still a controversial topic. Although the process probably originated as a means to reduce inbreeding, it also has several far more important effects. The process of does forcing their male offspring away from their birth range--known as Yearling Buck Dispersal (YBD)-- generally occurs (in the Southeast) in fall, most often in October. So it would not be uncommon for a doe to still be traveling with her male offspring from last year at this time.

 

[dgb7mm]

I have recieved permission to run a camera where she feeds. I will post some on here to show some of what I have seen. The mature doe bred last yr in sight of our back yard. I am learning alot from this little experiment the neighbor has going by feeding. I hunt not to far from here and I get to see rutting behavior without leaving the house. What a bonus!