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Post by Reagan on Dec 6, 2020 18:14:17 GMT -6
When do young bucks disperse? Is it in the fall as a button buck? When they are a year old? 1.5 year old?
If I chose to shoot a 1.5 year old spike instead of a doe, what are the chances he would have been a 2.5 year old hanging around my property next year?
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Post by Catscratch on Dec 6, 2020 18:29:31 GMT -6
I don't have your answer but I've considered it in the past. The conclusion I've come up with is that if you kill a deer that was going to stay on your place, a similar deer will disperse to your place. Nature fills the gaps.
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Post by batman on Dec 6, 2020 18:53:55 GMT -6
I don't have your answer but I've considered it in the past. The conclusion I've come up with is that if you kill a deer that was going to stay on your place, a similar deer will disperse to your place. Nature fills the gaps. Very true in high water. Not so much in low ponding areas. Aka when you have lots of social pressure you can sway away and see more. When you eat the last few fish at low pond don’t expect more to come. |
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Post by Catscratch on Dec 6, 2020 19:01:07 GMT -6
I don't have your answer but I've considered it in the past. The conclusion I've come up with is that if you kill a deer that was going to stay on your place, a similar deer will disperse to your place. Nature fills the gaps. Very true in high water. Not so much in low ponding areas. Aka when you have lots of social pressure you can sway away and see more. When you eat the last few fish at low pond don’t expect more to come. Nothing outside your range to come in. Then don't shoot anything? I quit shooting chickens when flocks dipped below 20. Quit shooting quail when coveys drop to 12 birds. Didn't change anything other than my hunting. Numbers stayed low. |
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Post by batman on Dec 6, 2020 19:08:16 GMT -6
Neighborhood is everything.
You won't consistently kill bobwhites in Alberta.
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Post by Catscratch on Dec 6, 2020 19:11:43 GMT -6
Neighbor called this evening, had shot the 5th doe of the day and couldn't find her. Probably not a problem here.
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Post by batman on Dec 6, 2020 19:13:32 GMT -6
I work with guys who don’t see 5 deer a year.
Worst hunters in the world can see that sleeping in good neighborhoods.
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Post by Catscratch on Dec 6, 2020 19:18:51 GMT -6
They were picking out the big ones. Per my previous post... I would quit shooting them with numbers dropping that low. Would it make a difference? Is it hunters that have the numbers low or is it the habitat? Can the north sustain higher numbers? If not then I take it back, I would hunt.
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Post by batman on Dec 6, 2020 19:24:39 GMT -6
I can Easily make plans to boost deer numbers. You can’t boost buck size on 100 acres.
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Post by Sandbur on Dec 6, 2020 19:26:24 GMT -6
When do young bucks disperse? Is it in the fall as a button buck? When they are a year old? 1.5 year old? If I chose to shoot a 1.5 year old spike instead of a doe, what are the chances he would have been a 2.5 year old hanging around my property next year? From what I have read, many disperse in the spring (1year old) and some in the fall when 1.5 years old. There is a slight difference in tendency between wooded and open areas. I think open environs tend to be spring and I have watched a doe chase away her twin buck fawns from the previous spring. I suspect those that disperse at one year of age also wander around a lot in the following fall(1.5 years old). |
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Post by Catscratch on Dec 6, 2020 19:27:47 GMT -6
I can Easily make plans to boost deer numbers. You can’t boost buck size on 100 acres. Don Higgins says ya can... |
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Post by Reagan on Dec 6, 2020 19:30:45 GMT -6
My neighbor got me to thinking. He said 10-20 years ago there were a lot more deer than now. The entire state had more then now no doubt. Our area had much younger timber at that time so the habitat was probably better. I’d say we are closer to Kansas than Minnesota when it comes to numbers in the state.
You used to be able to kill 3 deer in my county. Now it’s two. The state has put in some limitations on what can be killed on public land. So it seems the population is lower than it was but it’s still not bad. Current laws appear to be in favor of growth.
I see deer most every sit. Some sits it’s one and the best sit this year was about 10. I will shoot another deer for the freezer this year. My preference is to do that on a different property in a different county. But if it ends up being on my place, I got to thinking maybe the best deer is a young buck. I have not shot a 1.5 buck in close to 20 years. I have passed a lot of young bucks this season. I won’t knowingly shoot a 2.5 yo.
Would a young buck be the best choice?
Will it even matter on a free range herd where I am working to improve the property?
Am I turning into Art?
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