Is there an easy and inexpensive way to determine buck-to-doe ratios on my hunting property?
QUESTION: I manage a 4,000-acre ranch in west-central Texas. We had a hard drought in 2001-2011 and lost several does. The buck population is thriving, and there are more does than there were when I took over management in 2012. My question is, how do I figure out the sex ratio between the bucks and does? We still see more bucks than does, but we know there are plenty of does out there. When should we start taking does? — Doyle L.
ANSWER: The easiest way is to hire a biologist and let them do it for you, but there is another, relatively easy and fairly reliable method.
Mississippi State University researchers Dr. Stephen Demarais, William McKinley and Dr. Harry Jacobson developed and refined an infrared-triggered camera survey technique that can provide an accurate survey of your local deer population with a surprisingly small investment in time and equipment.
First, divide your property into approximately 100-acre blocks. Next, place one camera in each block. Adding more won’t hurt, but isn’t necessary. Location is not critical, except that it should be an area heavily utilized by deer. Established feeding stations are the best locations since deer are already conditioned to visiting them. If you don’t have established sites, pre-bait for at least five days with enough food to last throughout the survey period.
For optimum results, conduct two surveys, one just before hunting season and another just after. Set all cameras to record date and time of each photo in 10-minute intervals. You’ll achieve best results by facing the cameras north or south to avoid backlighting. Also clear all vegetation from the detection zone to prevent false events. Run your survey for a minimum of 5 to 10 days. You’ll achieve greater accuracy with a longer 10- to 14-day survey, which should ensure you are photographing close to 90 percent of both bucks and does.
After the survey is complete, compile all of your photographs and count the number of bucks, does and fawns as follows:
* For bucks, count 1) the total number of bucks in the photos, including repeats, and 2) the actual of number of individual (unique) bucks. This is most easily done using antler characteristics such as number of points, abnormal points, tine length, spread or other distinguishable antler or body characteristics. Exclude any deer that are unidentifiable from the survey.
* For does and fawns, count the total number of does and fawns in the photos, including known repeats. To estimate the number of does and fawns take the number of unique bucks (#2 above) and divide this by the total number of bucks photographed (#1 above). Then multiply the resulting population factor (#2 divided by #1) by the number of does and fawns counted in the photos.
* From this information, you can also calculate a buck-to-doe ratio and a fawn-to-doe ratio. If you’re skilled enough, you can even take a stab at aging the bucks, then sort them by age class to determine age structure. Repeating the survey over multiple seasons allows you to observe trends, which are often far more valuable than an actual population estimate for any given year.
Long before they shed, antlers are used in combat and can break. More often it is points, tines or sometimes the main beam that breaks — but occasionally the pedicel will break. Whether the buck survives usually depends on the type and severity of the injury. If the skin is broken, it could result in infection. If the skull is fractured, it could lead to a brain abcess. Both injuries are often fatal. However, if the injury is not too severe and there is no infection, the animal could survive, although it, too, will likely grow a non-typical antler the following year.