So You Wanna Buy A Big Buck Property ... How Do You Evaluate?

[SwampCat]

I think lack of pressure is huge in allowing a deer to reach its potential. Everyone down south hunts. There is nowhere to hide.

I used to think it was all genetics. I’m less so on that train these days.

I still think it is a combination of age, genetics, and nutrition - but I dont doubt the stress from long hunting seasons makes a difference. I know some places not far from me with an open checkbook that are producing near booners on a regular basis - and 1 and maybe two booners. They were no different than many south AR leases - they exhibited a lot of trigger control and got plenty of age - and like my place - mid 150’s was about it. Six or seven years of seven month a year unlimited protein has added 15” to those deer.

I have a close neighbor with 1200 acres that sees zero to rarely two deer a year harvested. Bow only. It is hunted about ten days a year. It produces more mature bucks than the average ground - but not bigger. There is also a 6000 acre management area not far from me - all calcareous high lime, high ph soil. It is bow hunting by draw only with the exception of one weekend youth gun hunt. The season is open for two months. Largely open fields. It is pounded. They kill maybe three deer a bucks a year and every three or four years a 160-180 - 30 miles as the crow flies. Yes - they have much better soil. There are so many variables. But throw all the exceptions out. I would bet the average 5 yr old buck across Iowa, MN, Wisconsin, Ohio, Illinois is going to average more than 118” like our bucks across the southern third of AR

 

[BenA]

I would bet the average 5 yr old buck across Iowa, MN, Wisconsin, Ohio, Illinois is going to average more than 118” like our bucks across the southern third of AR

Me too. Because of the food.

 

[Hoytvectrix]

I still think it is a combination of age, genetics, and nutrition - but I dont doubt the stress from long hunting seasons makes a difference. I know some places not far from me with an open checkbook that are producing near booners on a regular basis - and 1 and maybe two booners. They were no different than many south AR leases - they exhibited a lot of trigger control and got plenty of age - and like my place - mid 150’s was about it. Six or seven years of seven month a year unlimited protein has added 15” to those deer.

I have a close neighbor with 1200 acres that sees zero to rarely two deer a year harvested. Bow only. It is hunted about ten days a year. It produces more mature bucks than the average ground - but not bigger. There is also a 6000 acre management area not far from me - all calcareous high lime, high ph soil. It is bow hunting by draw only with the exception of one weekend youth gun hunt. The season is open for two months. Largely open fields. It is pounded. They kill maybe three deer a bucks a year and every three or four years a 160-180 - 30 miles as the crow flies. Yes - they have much better soil. There are so many variables. But throw all the exceptions out. I would bet the average 5 yr old buck across Iowa, MN, Wisconsin, Ohio, Illinois is going to average more than 118” like our bucks across the southern third of AR

I think unless you are doing something to restrict gene flow in or out of your populations, it is probably just background noise in terms of its effect on your deer herd. In other words, people are not changing their herd's genetics and can likely do very little to change it over time. Other factors like soil quality and hunting regulations are much larger factors in terms of deer quality. The MSU study where they transplanted deer demonstrates that. I feel like people love to bring up genetics to talk about how great a particular area is or how poor another area is. The truth is that no one really knows because of all of the other factors you mentioned. Genetics is an intangible that is either a scape goat or a secret sauce for how people want to talk about the quality of deer in an area.

The sooner people move beyond discussing the importance of genetics, the sooner the conversation can shift to more influential things they can actually improve through their own management.

The Role of Genetics and Nutrition in Deer Management | Mississippi State University Extension Service

Photo by Steve GulledgeAt some point in our lives, we’ve all heard the saying, “You are what you eat.” Most people were taught to eat their vegetables and minimize their consumption of junk food. This concept applies equally well when managing the habitat that will provide deer their food.

extension.msstate.edu