Balancing Deer Numbers for Bigger Bucks

Whitetail Landscapes - Hunting & Habitat Management

In this episode, Jon Teater (Whitetail Landscapes) and Perry Battin (Drury Outdoors) discuss deer management, harvest strategy to assess deer numbers to improve quality habitats and grow larger bucks. Jon discusses time of year and winter severity indexes that impact deer in the north country. Jon discusses carry capacity and what significance this has on our deer populations, the mouths we are trying to feed and how to evaluate disease issues that reduce our deer numbers accordingly.

Perry breaks down the volume of food on the farm he manages, numbers of deer on individual farms and assessment on the volume of deer and the right approach to evaluating the number of deer. Perry talks about buck to doe ratios, doe, and fawn. Perry discusses drought in the Midwest, Southwest, West, South of the United States and the impact on deer and antler growth. Jon explains techniques to evaluating deer numbers and how to relate that to the properties we hunt. Jon explains how drone imagery may paint a false picture and the relative deer numbers change daily. Jon explains GIS options for vegetative plant value assessment.

Perry explains food plots and other food options to increase deer numbers on the landscape. Perry discusses hunting observation and the method the Drury’s are using to collect deer numbers. Perry discusses EHD and how that has impacted the overall deer population. Jon and Perry discuss doe to fawn ratios and recruitment rates for deer areas across the US.

Perry and Jon discuss social stress and the impact on deer herds when numbers are high. Perry discusses the real issue surrounding antler potential and some of the likely factors that impact deer on the farms in Missouri. Perry discusses lowering the population and buck to doe ratios, and the results of quality deer and related hunting. Perry explains how disease has potential to reduce deer numbers and the net result on the herd and the potential for bigger bucks down the road.

Social Links

https://www.instagram.com/perrybattin_druryoutdoors/?hl=en

https://www.druryoutdoors.com/

https://www.plantbiologic.com/

https://whitetaillandscapes.com/

https://www.facebook.com/whitetaillandscapes/

https://www.instagram.com/whitetail_landscapes/?hl=en

DruryOutdoors - YouTube

DeerCast | Get Ahead of Your Game