I mentioned last week that I thought the deer breeding in the Clinton area should be in full swing over the next two weeks. Last Wednesday I had a single buck move into the drain I was set up in. I had the rifle up and ready and could see that it had 8 points, decent main beams, good brow tines and about 4-inch bases but the inside spread was tight, maybe 12 inches.
I put the rifle down and watched it as it moved off with my binoculars. I initially thought it was a 3-year-old, but the more I looked at it I decided it was a 4-year-old based on its body and antler mass. However, it probably did not weigh more than 150.
This morning (Dec. 22), I had a 4-point with a 12-inch inside spread come in, and it was either a very good 1 ½-year-old or an average 2-year-old. I’m thinking 2-year-old since I haven’t seen many yearling bucks in our woods with 12-inch beams.
There were a lot of deer running through the woods on Monday (Dec. 21) morning when the sun started hitting the ground. I saw another deer moving at a fast pace this morning before the 4-point came in. No doubt the rut is taking place.
Since the early 90s, clubs and landowners have become involved with the concept of quality deer management. Many have adopted antler restriction regulations in an effort to produce bigger bucks. Rather than adopting statewide antler restrictions like some neighboring states, however, Louisiana moved in the direction of a buck limit in an effort to improve the age structure of the buck population. Last year was a bumper crop of Louisiana recognition and record deer, and despite the record rainfall that we have had over the past weeks, the harvest of quality bucks is again good. And the rut has yet to hit in the big-buck country in Areas 1 and 6.
The buck limit may be working.
Over the years there has been a lot of discussion about what bucks to shoot, what bucks not to shoot, what antler restrictions are best, etc. Before a club or private landowner becomes involved with an intense buck-management program, the growth and development potential of the deer herd must be determined.
The growth potential is based upon the habitat quality. The habitat must be surveyed and evaluated. Harvest information from deer killed during the season must be collected and evaluated to determine what the current growth and development rate is for each age class, male and female. Without this information there is no way to determine the best management approach for the land.
A club that decides to shoot only bucks with an inside spread that is 16 inches or greater is going to have a lean season if the habitat only produces bucks with a 14-inch inside spread.
If you do not have the data the first thing to do is to get it. Work with the biologists at Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries or with a wildlife consultant; work with a forester to correct habitat problems or enhance the present forest conditions; become involved with the Quality Deer Management Association and a local branch such as the South Louisiana Branch and attend one of their workshops or seminars.
The habitat in this state ranges from excellent to poor, and that is the main reason that statewide antler restrictions are not the best approach. The dominant pine woods with adjacent cattle pastures in the Clinton area is not the same as the bottomland hardwood forests with adjacent agriculture in the Mississippi River Delta.
Young bucks (1 ½ years old) that are below average in our pine-dominated forests do not become the big bucks that hunters want; they become below-average adult bucks that one might hang the antlers on the barn. The nutrition is just not there to allow them to catch up and become 200-pound wall hangers. Privet, yaupon and climbing fern do not grow big deer.
On the other hand, the bottomland hardwood forests with nearby high-quality agriculture does have the nutrition that would allow a below-average buck to catch up and possibly become one for the wall.
I will continue this discussion next week and talk about the management concept of shooting bucks in all age classes.
It is now time to get ready for Christmas and family. I hope all of you have a great Christmas and remember that the best gift is the one that you give to someone else.
Yes, no Christmas buck for me, but maybe a New Years Buck!
