Take it from somebody that has 1165 acres of mainly native deer under high fence, bucks die at a super high rate due to fighting and getting run down. We try to keep our doe population at around 125 and there are no more than eight bucks a year taken. In a perfect world you would think you should have at least 60 bucks having a birthday every year but that is not the case. We may have five a year that make it to five years old.

I don’t blame the QDMA. I blame the State and their inability to see what the results of the liberal doe harvest would have in a State full of sure enough killers.

^^^^^^ Fact

So out of 150-175 fawns born each year only 5 bucks a year make it to 5 years old. I presume you are trying to only kill what you consider mature bucks, that is insane. How many does do you have to kill a year to maintain the doe population at 125.

I'd be careful comparing high fence stats to those outside of the fence even if it is 1165....if the buck population is pretty much at maximum capacity then there just isn't anywhere for the subordinate bucks to move to like in a free range setting. I'd bet there way more social conflict inside of a fence like that. Outside of the fence there will be places void of bucks where the ones that get run off can move to. Isee it every year here as I go from nothing but does to bucks suddenly showing up. Much less fighting

Typically does produce roughly 1 to 1 ratio of bucks to does. Buck mortality is naturally higher. A "perfectly balance by nature" herd wouldn't be quite 1 to 1. It would be very very slightly doe heavy.

If you started the season with a 5 to 1 doe to buck ratio, and shot 90% of your bucks and 0% of your does, after natural mortality and fawn recruitment factored in the following season, you'd have probably a better doe to buck ratio (like 3 to 1) to start the season. It's near biological impossibility to have worse than a 5 to 1 doe to buck ratio to start your season. The best management will never get you to a true 1 to 1, but with good management you can have less than 2 to 1 ratio. Even with poor management you'll float around 3 or 4 to 1.

Not even close.

BS!!! Did you just make that up?? 5:1 ratio. Shoot 90% bucks and no does and the results is less does at a 3:1 ratio. Think about what you just said.

I did not say less does anywhere in that quote. That said some will die from various causes. Deer breed. https://www.qdma.com/reality-doebuck-ratios/

If you think about it, that’s an article that in some ways support that killing does willy nilly isn’t the most sound management practice. You can have and see a lot of deer if you let does walk. Obviously every proper and herd is different.

You said you would go from 5:1 to 3:1 by killing 90% of the bucks. So, if you have 100 does and 20 bucks and kill 18 of those bucks, the next season starts at 100:2 or 50:1. Of course you know by that article and it you read Dr. James Kroll the concern in the sex ratios is breeding and fawns aren't counted. And 3:1 ratio is a good, realistic goal for the serious hunters.

He ain’t far off if we’re talking boys to girls and not antlered bucks to does. Gotta keep in mind there was a year’s worth of fawns on the ground (1:1 boys to girls) and will be more on the way the following year. Those will be hatched 1:1. Reality is it’s hard to drive the ratios much past 5:1; impossible really if you’re shooting branch antlered deer. Nothing is 100% but he’s close, I think.

He's quoting Kip Adams. He just left off the part where Kip assumed 20% natural mortality of does. No does killed by hunters.

The article explains the math and numbers used to arrive at the final numbers. It’s pretty simple. Deer breed. Pretty prolifically too. Humans can help manage for better herds but even poorly managed the deer work things out pretty well by nature.

You’re forgetting the fawns that were on the ground to start the season not counted in those numbers.