I don't have a problem with culling... if it's actually legitimate. However, to use a term from many biologists, you need to first, plug the lowest hole in the bucket and in my opinion, culling isn't he lowest hole!!
Yes, culling takes place on a lot of game ranches but I believe those deer mgrs have addressed or are addressing all the other issues of deer mgmt by the time they start talking about culling.
I think there is some truth to the fact that a "late-born buck fawn" has some catching up to do and may only be able to push out spikes when he's 1 yr old. I would like some biologists to chime in on their thoughts.
Also, every buck here in Alabama ain't going to be a 150" 5.5 yr old. I'm very happy with a mature 125" 8 pt but heck yes, I would love to grow much larger bucks but I hunt leased land with other hunters and it's just really really hard to get everybody on the same page including your neighbors. I want to remain realistic but if there are some guys out there that need a hunting member willing to pass up a 3.5 yr old 125-130", I'd love that but you'd need a considerable amount of land and some very educated, patient hunters hunting "quality" land or with deep pockets for some major habitat enhancement!
I think if you really want to peel back the onion and shoot spikes, then you would first need to do fetal research studies to find out exactly when does are bred and what percentage are bred on their first cycle and second cycle, etc... Are these spike bucks a result of late born buck fawns getting a late start? Not just a "late start" but a late start topped with lower nutrition than the fawns born 30-90 days earlier!
Also, filling out hunter observation forms after each hunt with pertinent useable data; when do you stop seeing spotted fawns?, weighing harvested deer, pulling jawbones, keeping detailed records, taking soil samples.
Get your sex ratio as balanced as possible and see if that makes a difference and the mass shooting of 2.5 yr old bucks and younger will have to stop.
Sigh... so many other holes in the bucket that are lower to plug up.
In way too many places, high grading has taken place. Clubs may tout: "We're 8 pts or better!" Well, that's a start but in my opinion, the wrong start! Usually, a 2 1/2 yr old eight point walks out into a food plot... the kind of 2 1/2 you WANT to protect and the hunter looks at the buck's antlers and counts: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, BOOM!!!! And down goes a 2 1/2 yr old pretty basket racked, "very dumb deer by the way", 8 pt. Standing beside the young 8 pt is a 4.5 yr old or older, very nice 6 or 7 pt and that bucks runs off... to breed.
I don't know what the answer is but aging deer on the hoof should be required of members by hunting clubs that want to manage. It takes a lot of practice and I'm not great at it myself but if I see a pencil-neck, 12" 8 pt walk out, I am not killing it. A first-time-hunter can, but I won't.
Talking about high-grading.... that has been practiced for many years on a lot of acres and it would be my opinion that it has negatively affected bucks' antlers.
Last edited by Bucktrot; 02/04/12 01:39 PM.
