Deer Management Questions | Whitetail Hunting

Whitetail Hunting and High Fences

High Fences and Whitetail Deer Hunting

Question: There always seems to be a big debate in the whitetail hunting community over shooting deer on a high fenced ranch. I don’t understand why some hunters get so bent out of shape that other hunters pay to shoot deer on high fence ranches. Big deal. There are many Texas hunting ranches that operate this way, but many others that do not. Besides, some hunters pay to shoot deer on low fenced ranches.

I don’t have a problem with hunting deer within a high fence. It’s not like the hunters who harvest them are filling the record books with them. I would rather shoot a truly wild buck, but what do you think is best? Continue reading Whitetail Hunting and High Fences

MLDP – Managed Lands Permits in Texas

Question: I know that Texas has a Managed Lands Deer Permit (MLDP)program that allows hunters to get involved with white-tailed deer management and in some cases shoot over their regular season bag limit? How does this program work and what do I have to get involved? We are interested in managing our deer for better whitetail hunting.

Answer: Good question. The Managed Lands Deer Permit Program is administered by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD). The first step is to contact your local TPWD wildlife biologist. They will want to set up a meeting with you on your property and look at the available deer habitat and its condition. The biologist will estimate the number of deer your property can support.

Then, the biologist will help you set up some surveys and instruct you on how to conduct deer surveys so that you can estimate the number of deer on the property. After the surveys are completed you must send in your ranch’s data to your biologist, who will then use the data to estimate the number of whitetail deer that are on your property. Continue reading MLDP – Managed Lands Permits in Texas

Is Feeding Suburban Deer Healthy?

Question: I am not a whitetail hunter, but I just love to feed the deer in my greenspace neighborhood. I have a battery operated feeder and have been feeding them deer corn and was told this is not as healthy as soybeans. Is this true and will soybeans work in my feeder?

Answer: First, let me say that the feeding of any wild animal by people should be considered purely supplemental. White-tailed deer should be no different. First, there are many arguments surrounding the feeding of whitetail deer, whether in rural hunting woods or in suburban areas such as the greenbelt around your house.

Whitetail are really neat critters that all sorts of people like for many different reasons. However, deer are fairly simple animals that require food, cover, water, and space. The food part is what we are talking about today. Continue reading Is Feeding Suburban Deer Healthy?

How Should We Manage Bucks on Our Lease?

Question: I am on a 2,000 acre property in Eastern Oklahoma with several other guys that we lease for white-tailed deer hunting. We have started doing deer surveys to estimate the number of deer on the land, but we are not sure how we should go about managing the bucks on the property? Any suggestions?

Answer: First, everyone always emphasizes the importance of providing optimum nutrition throughout the year. This is important so that the bucks in your area can reach their genetic potential. However, there is much more to whitetail management than nutrition, and there is more to whitetail hunting than just pulling the triger. It’s true that hunters make a number of important decisions with their trigger fingers, so what you shoot and what you pass up has a big affect on future hunting. Continue reading How Should We Manage Bucks on Our Lease?

Habitat Management: Talk to a Wildlife Pro

Question: I have some property that I’ve been managing for wildlife for several years, but I’m not sure that I’m making any headway. I’d like to have more deer, larger bucks, and generally better whitetail hunting, but I don’t seem to be seeing any results. I’ve been thinking about getting another opinion, as in contacting a private biologist, but am not sure that they won’t just try to sell me food plot seeds. What do you think about getting a professional biologist out to my property?

Answer: Do it! I’m always surprised at how hesitant many folks are to seek professional advice when it comes to managing their property for native habitat and wildlife. It’s almost as if people think that because managing land has to do with whitetail and trees and wildlife food that they it should be easy to figure out.

If you have never assessed and managed wildlife habitat before, there’s no reason why you should know anything about deer habitat management, so don’t be afraid to ask for help. You, of course, bring the local knowledge about how deer use or don’t use your property, and your knowledge about hunting, deer behavior and deer habitat requirements are invaluable. Continue reading Habitat Management: Talk to a Wildlife Pro

Antler Growth in Whitetail Deer

Question: Hello, my 11 year old son is in the 6th grade and he is wanting to do a science fair project on the stages of white-tailed deer antler development. Would you happen to have any pamphlets or pictures you could send him in the mail? We would like to display them his project. Any help would be greatly appreciated. He is all excited and can’t wait to do this project. He loves whitetail hunting!

Answer: Interesting. Someone else also emailed me today about their 9 year old son doing a similar project on antler growth in whitetail. You can use these photos showing antler growth in deer from this site that show the stages of antler development.

Will Piebald Doe Have More Piebalds?

Question: I have a piebald whitetail doe in my area. When she mates, will she have piebald fawns? I have talked some hunters, but no one seems to know for sure. What do you think her chances are of having more spotted deer?

Answer: Genes are funny things and they can recombine during conception to form either normal looking fawns or piebald fawns. It all depends on the buck and his gene composition. However, since the doe is piebald, my guess is that there is about 25% chance her fawns will be piebald right out of the gate. Continue reading Will Piebald Doe Have More Piebalds?

Feeding Record Rack for Whitetail?

Question: I am trying to improve my whitetail deer herd for better whitetail hunting. To accomplish this goak, I’ve started feeding protein to additional nutrition to the local deer herd. What do you think about using Record Rack protein pellets because it’s the one I’ve been feeding?

Answer: Record Rack is fine choice for adding supplemental nutrition to whitetail diets. If you are interested in other options, I would compare the mineral and vitamin percentages with Purina or other brands. Many feed stores will mix their own pelleted deer feed, but make sure you check the nutritional content for a head-to-head comparison of products. Continue reading Feeding Record Rack for Whitetail?