These simple steps are the cornerstone to improving any deer herd.
QUESTION: We have a hunting club in North Texas and I was just wondering what to do to improve the quality of our deer. We have deer, turkey, quail and hogs. I would like to focus on the deer and quail quality. – Mike M.
ANSWER: Yours is a very general question so I’ll offer a general answer. First, you need to try to balance the herd with the habitat to ensure there is sufficient food available. If there isn’t, you can reduce deer numbers or provide more food through habitat improvement, food plots or supplemental feeding.
Next, you need to provide the right food to ensure your club’s land is meeting all the year-round nutritional needs. Nutritional stress can occur any time, but peak periods are late winter and late summer.
Third, try to provide sufficient dense bedding cover so deer, especially fawns, are better able to avoid predators. Beyond that, you can improve age structure within the herd by reducing mortality on yearling bucks (and does, if possible).
— Recent Ask the Biologist Question:
Dog Gone: Even with predator control, you might not see more fawns.
Find Out The Answer!