The best answer for this question is as basic as it can get---LET THE SMALL ONES GO!


Now, doing this will take some patience, and a little leg work. Because, depending where you are located and the amount of residents that surround your area, this will need more than just your efforts. It will help to have all neighbors adjoining your property to be involved. There are also ways to go about doing this, so, not to upset any neighbors who don't agree with this philosophy. Best thing to do is to try to convince all of the surrounding neighbors possible into agreeing to let the smaller bucks go, and to take only does and mature bucks. If you recieve any resistance to this, DO NOT ARGUE with them! The last thing anyone needs are angry neighbors around deer season. Just let it go, convince who you can, and after a few years when bigger bucks are seen by all, maybe some of the "not want to's" will fall into line. Also, remember that without good genetics in a deers backround, the deer may not turn out to be as big as a world record animal. It will grow a better sized deer as far as the rack and body mass is concerned, but there is no absolute rule for this also. I would suggest to try to get into contact with a Q.D.M. (Quality Deer Management)group, or by looking on the web for more information about ways to do this. I do know of a great video that explains this and all aspects involved, and I think it is called "Legends of the Monarch Valley". It goes nearly step by step on how to do Q.D.M. and also shows plenty of proof of how wrong the saying is "once a spike or small rack--always a spike or small rack". They show several deer, with time interval pictures, the growth potentials smaller bucks have when left alone to grow. All of this is done in the Monarch Valley up in either Minnesota, Michigan, or Wisconsin, I'm not exactly sure which one. Hopefully, several other hunters here have seen this video and can come up with the actual name if needed and where to get it.