[chuey]

I am in a 810 acre lease, 200 acres of farm land( beans and rice) and the rest in all hardwoods. There is a total of 5 members, 2 guys have kids that will hunt it from time to time and we are allowed to bring a guest from time to time. Based on the dozen trail cams that we are running I would estimate out deer herd to be around 50 or so with 5 shooter bucks and probably 10 rack bucks that would get a pass the rest being does. How many deer is a good number to harvest in your opinion? Bucks and does?

 

[Lt Gibson]

That would totally depend on surrounding areas, habitat, etc. Shoot me a pm and I'll line out a few management options for you if you would like.

 

[Lt Gibson]

Or you can email me.
[email protected]

 

[SwampCat]

I read the figure a lot of 20 to 25% - but that depends on a LOT of things. Of the 35 antlerless deer - does that include fawns - or are the fawns in addition to the 35 antlerless deer. If you are including fawns in the 35 - that means, at a fawn:doe ratio of .5 fawns per doe, you have 23 does and 12 fawns. You will often read that natural mortality accounts for 10% of the herd - I actually believe it is higher than that - but, stick with 10% of your deer - or 5 of them dying to natural mortality. Your does are only producing 12 fawns per year - so you cant exceed 12 deer deaths per year from all sources - hunters, cars, coyotes, disease, poachers, etc. A lot of unknowns - what is your fawn:doe ratio probably being the most important - your harvest plus all other mortality can NOT exceed the number of fawns produced if you want to maintain the population. However, if your neighbors don't hunt a lot and you draw a lot of deer off your neighbor's land - you might be able to kill a few more. Your fawn recruitment may be a little higher. Maybe you are not including fawns in the antlerless population.

Basically - I am of no help.:up:

 

[Yote Killer]

Or you can email me.
[email protected]

I gotcha now. Better crank up that anti virus software

 

[Lt Gibson]

I'd be careful even clicking that address!!! Lol

 

[Biggars]

So 5 deer per 80 acres roughly with some being fawns? I would say a buck and doe or fawn each or would stop at 13 total. About 25pct.

 

[jimbo882]

Kids take first priority, then adults.

 

[SwampCat]

So 5 deer per 80 acres roughly with some being fawns? I would say a buck and doe or fawn each or would stop at 13 total. About 25pct.

Could surely be different for this area - but years and years of bow hunter survey data indicate a fall of the year fawn:doe ratio of .42 fawns per doe. If that would be the same situation on this property - without knowing any other particulars of the population - 13 harvested deer may exceed annual fawn recruitment. If it does, you end up with a declining population. But, there is a lot we don't know about the population - so your figure may very well be correct. :up:

 

[browning_gold_12]

I would think 1 buck per hunter, maybe even 1 deer per hunter until you got a good feel for the herd over a 2 or 3 year period.

 

[Biggars]

13 is kinda high I agree but hate to see guys pay for 810 acres and not get a buck and doe apiece. That would be 10 with 5 guys. I threw in 3 for guests. If members are okay with it I would say 10 total but thats tough. I would definately go no bait on this. With bait and a limit of 1-2 deer per member they are done in a day or two. Kinda sucks to pay the lease, bait stations, feed costs for a 2 day hunt. Jmho.

 

[SwampCat]

13 is kinda high I agree but hate to see guys pay for 810 acres and not get a buck and doe apiece. That would be 10 with 5 guys. I threw in 3 for guests. If members are okay with it I would say 10 total but thats tough. I would definately go no bait on this. With bait and a limit of 1-2 deer per member they are done in a day or two. Kinda sucks to pay the lease, bait stations, feed costs for a 2 day hunt. Jmho.

I am right there with you. I paid $3000 per acre for my land and don't have enough deer to even feel like we can shoot a single doe. We hunt 125" bucks or bigger and kill one ever year or two. Plus - I spend thousands every year on food plots. Ever since G&F has promoted wiping out the deer herd down here - it has been a little hard to justify what I have spent on this place compared to what I get out of it. I just keep hoping we will get a good fawning year and turn it around. It wasn't this year.:up:

 

[tomhunter]

13 is kinda high I agree but hate to see guys pay for 810 acres and not get a buck and doe apiece. That would be 10 with 5 guys. I threw in 3 for guests. If members are okay with it I would say 10 total but thats tough. I would definately go no bait on this. With bait and a limit of 1-2 deer per member they are done in a day or two. Kinda sucks to pay the lease, bait stations, feed costs for a 2 day hunt. Jmho.

I can't look at deer or any other game and put a monetary value on them. Take what you feel is responsible and conservation minded. There's nothing wrong with leaving game alive in the woods.
I was in a QDMA/DMAP camp last year where they killed the fire out of the does to the point of having no deer. That money was hard to swallow when I packed up early in the season, but couldn't bring myself to kill does in such a low populated area.

 

[chuey]

We are not under any sort of management plan, we got the lease last year and as a group killed only 3 deer. 1 mature buck, one doe and a youth killed a scrub buck. We have great potential on this place with all the agriculture and hardwoods. It is bordered by the AR river in one end and hardwoods on the rest which is privately owned and hunted.

We have decided as a group to only take one buck a piece, but other than that we didn't set any other rules.

I personally don't see all of us members filling a buck tag, but was just wandering what you guys opinions were on it.

 

[Tony Harris]

It is always best to err on the side of caution. I would however not underestimate the use of bait stations and cameras to help keep up with what is roaming the lease. Just because they come to bait does not mean you have to shoot everything. Hunter control is the best management plan. If the land surrounding you is heavily hunted and you can, create some great cover in the core of the lease and put it off limits. Make them a comfort zone and they will learn to come and stay.

It is always fun to see what can be accomplished on a 'new to you' property. Have fun and enjoy it. Building it together will also keep you all on the same page and make the experience fun.

 

[KemperCamper]

13 is kinda high I agree but hate to see guys pay for 810 acres and not get a buck and doe apiece. That would be 10 with 5 guys. I threw in 3 for guests. If members are okay with it I would say 10 total but thats tough. I would definately go no bait on this. With bait and a limit of 1-2 deer per member they are done in a day or two. Kinda sucks to pay the lease, bait stations, feed costs for a 2 day hunt. Jmho.

Don't you go "no bait" on everything ?

 

[Biggars]

U had to didnt you.
Yes, but dont confuse that with I dont know how or have no experience with it.

 

[chuey]

Don't you go "no bait" on everything ?

We have food plots, I put corn out before season starts to get an idea of the inventory and what bucks are in the area, but no we don't hunt over bait, too many acorns they don't eat it anyway

 

[WillyB71]

Like SwampCat said, a major consideration will be who borders you. The deer on your 810 acres will not stay there, but will range on & off your neighbors' places, and the reverse.

If your neighbors shoot everything that walks and have high hunter counts, 13 may be too high.

If the reverse of that is true, you may be able to go well above that, especially with your diverse habitat.

I had a biologist tell me once that management plans on acreage less than 2500 were crap shoots, more dependent on what your neighbors did that what you did, and you really needed 5000+ acres or a fence to run an effective program.

Our group has 8 guns max on 720 acres and we probably kill 8-10 bucks and maybe 8-10 does a year with no ill effects that we can see.