How do you help the bucks on your land get bigger
03-01-2002, 05:47 PM
#2
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: fort mcmurray alberta canada
Posts: 5,667
RE: How do you help the bucks on your land get bigger
Only shoot old mature bucks.Most bucks are killed well before they mature.Shoot does to keep the buck to doe ratio's in line.
Edited by - stubblejumper on 03/01/2002 22:47:13
Edited by - stubblejumper on 03/01/2002 22:47:13
03-01-2002, 09:20 PM
#4
Typical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Whitetail Ridge Iowa
Posts: 949
RE: How do you help the bucks on your land get bigger
Welcome to the board! The only small bucks we have here in Iowa...are young bucks. Give 'em some time to grow, everything else will take care of itself.
TB
TB
03-01-2002, 09:28 PM
#5
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Indiana PA USA
Posts: 3,656
RE: How do you help the bucks on your land get bigger
Plant food plots, try to get them the most nutrious food that you can. This will help them grow larger, stronger, and probablly longer. Also, try to manage your doe population. Try to get close to a 3 doe to 1 buck ratio. It is hard to do, but it would be well worth it.
Good Luck This Season: Buck Magnet
"Hunting is not a sport, it is a passion, it is a WAY OF LIFE"
Good Luck This Season: Buck Magnet
"Hunting is not a sport, it is a passion, it is a WAY OF LIFE"
03-02-2002, 04:58 AM
#6
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: saint joseph missouri USA
Posts: 548
RE: How do you help the bucks on your land get bigger
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.
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.
03-03-2002, 02:32 PM
#8
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Beaver Falls Pa. USA
Posts: 192
RE: How do you help the bucks on your land get bigger
You have to let them go and get some age on them. Idealy you should kiil bucks 4 1/2 years and older. However in most places this dosen't happen. I don't shoot any thing smaller than an 8 point. Don't get me wrong, I have shot smaller bucks, just not in the last several years.
God Bless & Good Hunting
LM/NAHC
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God Bless & Good Hunting
LM/NAHC
Member NRA
Member P&Y CLUB
Member QDMA
Member Ducks Unlimited
