Over populated is also a term that can mean different things depending on your objectives. You can have �healthy� deer that are decimating the habitat. From a state perspective, biologists also have to look at the long-term effects on the forest. For example, when deer populations get too high then oak regeneration becomes nil. Long-term this type of browsing pressure changes the make-up of plant species diversity. This may not even cross the mind of someone who�s only goal for �management� is to have a lot of deer.

I hunt one such property just like Matt and NH are describing. I lease 1400 acres in in a high deer density area. The land belongs to a good friend of mine�s family. Previously to me leasing it as a club, the land was only hunted basically by my buddy. The land had very, very little hunting pressure and no significant amount of deer had been harvested off the property for years. After running cameras during late summer, we were shocked at how few mature bucks we photographed. I assumed it would be over flowing with mature bucks since it was virtually untouched land. The reality though was that you could count the number of mature �shooters� we had on camera on one hand. Things changed when the rut kicked in and new bucks showed up�.but prior to the rut, you were basically hunting mature bucks that did not exist on our land in any significant numbers.

Here�s what I attribute that to. When you have plenty of deer and you let the does get old, then they become aggressive and territorial. They will claim the best bedding and feeding areas as theirs. Each year about this very time of the year�..young bucks leave their mamas and disperse to find a new home. Picture it like a bunch of ants randomly running around on the aerial photo of your land as well as all the surrounding land around you. So what determines where these little young bucks finally settle down and establish a core area? It depends on the amount of aggression they receive from doe groups and old matriarch does. The young bucks will find a feeding/bedding area and give it a try. If there is an abundance of old does that have already claimed these areas as theirs, then the young bucks will be kicked out and sent down the road to find another spot. Often times this is on the neighbors property who has been shooting does. Why? Because there are �vacancies� there to be filled.

If you are trying to �manage� for mature bucks then you want to recruit as many of these young bucks as possible during buck dispersal and then raise them up to the age class that you are managing for. This means taking out some of the old does in order to open up holes for the young bucks to move into and establish core areas in. Again though, we're talking about areas with plenty of deer.

This is the 3rd year of our hunting club, we�ve taken out 11 does the first season and 14 last year. The first doe I shot last year was estimated to be 7 years old plus looking at the jawbone. Our goal this year is approx 12 does. So far this year, the number of young buck sightings seems to be on the rise compared to the last two years. We�re also seeing lots of twins and one club member even saw a doe with triplets. That�s a really good sign of herd health. I shot a doe over the weekend with twins that had fat on her rump like an old buck. We�ll see how things play out over the next few years. I think by taking out some does each year will allow us to have more bucks with their core area on our property.