Carrying Capacity

I’ve got a fair sized lease in fayette county. 7 years ago when we picked it up the population was pretty low. However genetics for bucks has been above average the entire time. We plant every available square inch and don’t shoot does. Up until this year the northern 250 acres was extremely thick 15 year old pines (roughly 200 of the 250 acres). This 200 acres was a wasteland with zero browse/understory. They are currently thinning to about 40 trees per acre. What’s your experience with population increases following a big thinning like this? I assume we will recruit some deer from neighboring properties. What are y’all’s thoughts?

Any time you add vegetation you’ll see increased usage from the deer already present. They’ll spend more time in the thinned timber browsing what’s there. 200 acres is a pretty sizable tract and it could easily draw deer from neighboring properties, especially years 2-4 when the majority of vegetation is present at growth stages they can utilize.

After a thinning expect a boom. Until sweet gums take over and they shade out everything

Buy more bullets. Thinnned pines have always been good to me when I hunted in sw Alabama.

This all depends deer condition. If your surroundings are poor then you have to overcome that hurdle before recruitment into the population will increase. Now, an increase in food quantity/quality will recruit deer from surrounding areas to you but overall the population hasn’t changed you’re just holding more of the local population on your property.

My opinion, use the does as bait, especially where you are. I’d be much less concerned about population management unless you’re involved in a huge cooperative.

We still don’t shoot does Jeremy. Doubt we ever do on this piece of property. Just curious as to what to expect.

You’ll probably see more deer cause they’ll be easier to see. This can give you the illusion of having more deer.

Years ago I’d read on QDMA site that mature hardwoods could cary 15-20 deer per square mile
7–10 yr old pines could carry 20-40 deer per square mile
2-5 yr old could carry 40-60 deer per square mile

Of course this all depended on certain variables but acted as a good overall idea

Find you a good tree on one of those thinned rows and camp out during the rut. The deer are going to be there browsing.

Fify

That’s a good plan. Like others said, post up where you can see down those rows and preferably on the timber type change.