Author: Tex Hunter

Many people to produce bigger bucks and shoot them, too. The increase in commercial whitetail deer breeding facilities, combined with supplemental feeding, have allowed managers to produce bucks of massive proportions on properties where habitat is relatively poor. In my opinion, there is a huge difference between growing big deer in a pen system and producing big deer in a pasture. Let me also state that neither method is wrong. But when it comes down to deer habitat management, there is even more pressure on those landowners managing the deer herd found on their property to do what they can for native plant communities.

The following article was written by Evan McCoy with Texas Parks & Wildlife Department and was published in “The Cedar Post” April 2013.

“On our WMA’s we regularly give programs stressing the importance of maintaining a proper number of deer in order to maintain a healthy habitat. Not only does it make for a better home for deer, but good range conditions also helps attract a multitude of other wildlife species as well. In my experience though, it seems that most landowners deny that they are overpopulated. One argument they give to support this claim is that their deer are fat and healthy. The feeding of deer keeps them fat. In their minds, if the deer are doing well then that means everything must be optimal. Years ago, it was understood that you had to have good range in order to produce good deer. These days, deer health is not always a good indicator of habitat health. I have witnessed several examples where good deer were produced on poor range.

This phenomenon is due, in part, to the fact that almost everyone has some type of supplemental feeding program and many of them are quite intense. I have no big issue with supplemental feeding, as long as it is done properly. It can often be very beneficial to a deer management program by helping to improve body condition, fawn production and antler growth. The problem is that some ranches will continue to artificially support an overabundance of deer to the point where they are simply feeding deer rather than supplementing their diet. Just look at the extreme scenario of a pen raised deer herd. Those deer are fatter and heavier than most wild deer you will find, but native habitat and forage is usually non-existent inside those pens, and they are totally reliant on pelleted feed. Managers should know that deer will definitely make supplemental feed a part of their diet, but not to the exclusion of natural forage.

Deer like variety, and they have a desire for native plants. This is evident in high rainfall years when quality forage is more abundant and, as a result, we find that supplemental feed consumption goes down. Another example is the sudden early season disappearance of deer when acorns hit the ground. If desirable vegetation is present, deer will often prefer that over artificial feed. If the deer population exceeds the natural supply of plants then deer will increase their supplemental feed use to get the nutrition they need. As the population continues to grow, so will the feed bill, since forage becomes scarce and deer are forced to rely more on feeders. Therefore, as you can see, deer health can be maintained at the same time habitat health declines.

The question you should ask yourself is, “If you eliminated your supplemental feeding program then would your land still support your current deer herd?” You may suddenly see the relationship between habitat quality and deer quality. Would they be stuck eating juniper and persimmon or is there plenty of oak and hackberry within a deer’s reach? By decreasing the deer population you will be increasing the amount of forage to go around and your deer will rely less on handouts. You want to be sure that feed is a supplement to their natural diet and not the other way around. To truly determine if your ranch is overpopulated, it may be best to take a closer look at the condition of your land, rather than the condition of your deer.”

What do you think about the “supplemental” feeding of whitetail deer?

We’ve all been there, typically later in the deer hunting season: “Which doe to shoot?” Although doe harvest makes up a large percentage of the deer removed from the landscape in each year in Texas, little research had been conducted in past years to help address this question many hunters and deer managers have pondered. A recent study out of the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute may offer some solutions when wondering which doe to shoot. Interesting stuff.

Source: “What does this information mean relative to choosing a doe to harvest? One implication is that young deer appear to be poor mothers. Harvesting mature does heavily will shift the age structure to young does and could greatly reduce fawn production. This does not sound like a problem if your goal is to reduce the number of deer in your herd. However, young deer are not only likely to produce fewer fawns, the fawns they produce may not be the large, robust fawns capable of growing up to be big, productive adult deer.

These findings suggest harvesting at least some young does, including doe fawns, could be a viable harvest strategy, especially because it will reduce the number of mature does in the herd in future years. You may still need to harvest mature does to reduce the number of deer on your property. Aaron and Randy’s findings suggest you have mature does that know how to raise fawns and others that are less successful.

To select for the does that are able to raise fawns, take a lesson from the old rancher tailoring a cow herd to his ranch. Just as the rancher will sell a cow who fails to raise a calf, consider harvesting does that do not have fawns with them. This approach is not perfect and when many does must be harvested, you may not be able to be so choosy. However, given the choice between a mature doe that clearly knows how to raise a fawn and another doe without a fawn at heel, findings from this high-tech maternity study suggest you should put the cross-hairs on the doe without a fawn.”

Ask anyone involved in deer management over the last few decades and these exact findings have been the rule of thumb. It’s been somewhat common knowledge that older does do a better job of producing fawns than younger does. The great thing about this study is that it gives more creedence to what was once thought to be only deer hunting theory. So which doe should you shoot? It’s recommended that landowners and interested in deer management shoot does throughout all age classes. Or as I heard a biologist say once, “Shoot the one closest and standing stillist.”

Many Texas landowners and hunters are familiar with the Managed Lands Deer Permit (MLDP) program, but many more are not. Many have misconceptions or are simply misinformed. So what is it? The MLDP program is a habitat-based program designed for landowners interested in white-tailed deer management and it is one of the many voluntary programs offered by Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD). The program can also help landowners with mule deer management, but it’s typically associated with whitetail deer, mostly because of their greater distribution across the state.

The MLDP program allows landowners involved in a formal management program to have the state’s most flexible seasons and increased harvest opportunities. The program is incentive based and habitat focused. In other words, the program’s enhanced deer bag limits and extended seasons are made available to landowners as incentives for maintaining their ranches’ wildlife habitats in good and improving condition. The Managed Lands Deer Permit program has three levels (Levels 1, 2 and 3), with more deer harvest and season flexibility offered to landowners as the progress through the program.

Participation in Levels 2 and 3 of MLDP requires the implementation of a minimum of 2 and 4 recommended habitat management practices, respectively. Maintaining a ranch’s population density of native and exotic deer at a level no higher than the capacity of the native habitat is high on the list of recommended management practices. MLDP’s longer seasons and enhanced bag limits provide landowners with much more flexibility in achieving the recommended harvest rates to maintain the proper density of white-tailed deer.

TPWD typically recommend that hunters use the early portion of the season to remove excess deer, especially does. It is much better to remove them early in the season, rather than waiting until the latter stages of the season in January and February, to reduce pressure on the winter habitat as early as possible and making those food resources available to the deer that will be retained in the population.

The early season is also a good time to remove management and cull bucks (bucks with undesirable antler characteristics) from a deer herd. That’s good not only from a habitat perspective, but also from a genetic perspective since they are removed from the population before the rut begins. This leaves bucks with the more desirable antler characteristics to do the breeding.

The long MLDP seasons and enhanced bag limits allow landowners interested in deer management to meet their harvest goals on an annual basis and improve their deer herd. That’s because the deer hunting seasons under Level 2 and 3 start during the first weekend of archery season and run through the end of February of the following year. This offers participating landowners about 5 months of deer hunting, although the idea is to get most of the harvest done as soon as possible for a deer food standpoint.

Ranches that choose to participate in the MLDP program must commit to deer habitat management and other deer management practices. These practices may include brush management, grazing management, prescribed burning, supplemental feeding, supplemental water, range reseeding, food plots and deer surveys. If improving the habitat on your ranch for deer is not one of your goals, then this program will not work for you. The MLDP program is more than just a deer hunting program, although participating landowners at Level 2 and 3 do not have to follow the county hunting regulations, such as bag limit and antler restrictions.

Over the years, I’ve been around several ranches that have participated in the program. One of the big benefits is not only the long hunting seasons, but the fact that each ranch receives Managed Lands Deer (MLD) Permits. These deer permits are issued for both bucks and does the number issued is based on the estimated deer population using the deer survey data collected by the landowner. The number of permits a ranch gets is the exact number of deer that they can shoot. From what I have seen, most ranches get more than enough permits to achieve their management goals. I’ve been invited on several late season hunts to use “extra” MLD permits, meaning hunters have already taken as many as they could use.

The MLDP program is great for any landowner interested in improving both the habitat and deer found on their property. MLD permits allow for deer harvest flexibility and provide for active management on a ranch. If I owned a ranch there is no doubt that I would participate. Maybe one day. The landowners I have talked with all have said the TPWD biologist are great to work with and that they work to help them achieve their deer management goals. If you have a ranch in Texas and are interested in improving your land and helping the deer and other animals that live there, you can find your local biologist right here.