Unfortunately, the answer is going to be site specific, and will be determined by how much buck movement you see during the rut. On some properties, bucks move around a lot during the rut, and the influence of the rut can double the number of "harvestable" bucks (twice as many bucks use the property during the rut as would normally use the property). On other properties, this is not the case, and local bucks do little moving around during the rut. For whatever reason, some of the counties along the southern border of TN, especially Wayne County, appear to do little moving around annually, seasonally, or during the rut. This means you will have to be very careful about the number of middle-aged bucks ( 2 1/2 to 3 1/2) killed each year to maintain an adequate number of mature bucks (4 1/2+) from year to year. On other properties, it may matter little how many middle-aged bucks are killed, as "new" middle-aged bucks will move in once they reach maturity. For example, so few of the mature bucks that use my place can be linked back to a "resident" middle-aged buck that I firmly believe would could slaughter our middle-aged bucks each year and still maintain an adequate number of mature bucks year after year.
But again, it all comes down to the property, and keeping detailed records. It is one of those things you will have to experiment with while monitoring results.
