brucelanthier

There is a lot of discussion here about herd management and killing does to balance things out so I thought I would bring up something I was reading today. It is an article in the Sept issue of Deer and Deer Hunting magazine written by Charles Alsheimer. In it he discusses a 350 acre area that he and his neighbors concentrated killing does to balance the herd. What he talks about is the results of killing all of the mature does in the herd and the effect it had. The main effect seemed to be that doe groups that would frequent certain areas stopped frequenting those areas and that there was some "disruption" (for wont of a better word) to the herd in general. The conclusion that he came to was that, when thinning the does from a herd, you should kill a broad spectrum of the age group and not just the mature does. He states that the does you should kill should include doe fawns, yearling does, and mature does in order to maintain good herd dynamics. Made a lot of sense to me and I thought I would mention to you guys since a number of you are focusing on does this season.

passthru79

Thats very interesting bruce. I dont get that magazine and havent had a chance to read that article. The way you make it sound is like they went in to exterminate the does. I guess if you plan on going out and just shooting a whole bunch of does a variety would be good. I personaly try to selectively harvest a few does each year and try to make it mature ones. It was an interesting post though, hopefuly Ill get a chance to read the article.

brucelanthier

They didn't really go in to exterminate the does, but, I am assuming here< they seemed to think, when killing does to bring the herd into balance, that they should concentrate on the older ones. Keep in mind this was spread out over some years (my bad for not mentioning the time frame) so it wasn't like they eradicated all of the old ones in one year. Anyway, the "broad age spectrum" concept is what makes sense to me and I thought it would be good to share.

passthru79

Ok, my fault. I misunderstood. That is true, just like with bucks you want a good variety of age class, and if you shoot only say 3 year old does or older and over harvest your herd then it could effect your age classes.

ottertailcountyhunter

bruce I read this article as well and found it be very informing. In recent years I've shot a couple of mature does in the area I bowhunt and recently haven't seen a really mature doe or the usual number of doesin those areas just likehe talks about in the article, his idea made sense to me and gave me a new perspective on how I plan to harvest does in the future.

StrutNtom

Fine dogs on ya'lls avitars. i had one for almost 11 years. Lost her to cancer almost two years ago. Had more personality that most people I know. I love em', but since she passed i just can't bring myself to owning another Rottie. None will ever be her.

As far as the article goes. To me it makes perfect sense. Mature does "train" other deer. The show them where the food is, where its safe, where its not.

Its just like a human house hold. Daddy may wear the pants, but momma holds it all together.

GMMAT

Bruce:

I appreciate that information.....and it mirrors what my wildlife bio said (though he didn't get into details). He said, right now.....to not target a specific dynamic of the herd. He told me that numbers were important, to me......sheer numbers. He told me not to pass up an opportunity on a doe....regardless of her age.

I'm sure we'll regroup and establish another game plan after we discuss this year's harvest numbers......and review my log.

Thanks, again.

brucelanthier

Your welcome. I thought about you when I read it. I imagine with the volume that you say is there the dynamics of the herd matter less than just decreasing the number at this point. Good luck.

Sibbyu

I think I have read someone before that the mature does are the ones that typically have twins or sometimes triplets which increases their odds of producing bucks. The yearling does are more apt to only have one fawn which reduces the odds of producing bucks. Some people believe it is best to shoot yearling does instead of mature does, but obviously if you eradicate your yearlings does, your number of mature does in the future will dwindle. So I think I agree with the biologists, don't target any one age group.

LebeauHunter

Despite the "biological effect," I don't want to kill doe fawns.

I think it also has to do with deer "sightings" and "hunter satisfaction."
When hunters shift to killing a lot of does, they stop seeing 25 does and 1 buck a hunt.
So yes, changing your pattern of killing, will disrupt the herd and its patterns.

QDM acknowledges this in part, which is why the goal for a lot of property is 2:1.
That way there are enough deer sightings to keep hunters interested.