White-Tailed Deer Management |
White-tailed deer are found in all 67 Alabama counties. In fact, huntable populations of deer thrive close to all major metropolitan areas of the state. Deer hunting pumps millions of dollars into Alabama's economy each year, and recreational demand for deer hunting is growing rapidly.
Increasing numbers of landowners in Alabama are realizing the potential income from leasing their land to deer hunters. Others have capitalized on this demand by opening commercial hunting operations.
Considering their present abundance and the accounts of early explorers to Alabama, it's hard to imagine that deer were once nearly eliminated from the state. Fewer than 10,000 deer, restricted largely to isolated river bottoms of southwestern counties, existed in Alabama during the early 1900s.
Protection, favorable land-use changes, and restocking deer in suitable habitat allowed populations to respond dramatically. Alabama's herd now numbers in excess of 1 million deer.
I. Physical Characteristics
The long necks of white-tailed deer and
the antlers of mature males give the appearance of an animal of
considerable size, but deer seldom stand taller than 40 inches
at the shoulder. In fact, most measure less than 36 inches tall.
Size and weight vary according to sex, age, nutrition, and genetic
composition. Adult bucks may weigh from 65 to more than 200 pounds.
Does generally weigh about two-thirds as much as bucks.
Deer have a keen sense of smell. They rely upon smell to detect
danger, identify other animals, and locate food. Deer have large,
cupped ears that can rotate, giving them an acute sense of hearing.
Their eyesight, though not as well developed as other senses,
readily detects movement over a wide field of vision.
Deer, like cows, have compound, four-chambered stomachs that allow
digestion of plant materials. Initially, food enters the first
chamber or rumen. From there, it may be regurgitated and chewed
further as cud. The other three chambers are the reticulum, the
omasum, and the abomasum, respectively.
Muscles and skeletal structure of deer are well adapted to running.
Deer are capable of exceeding 30 miles per hour for short intervals.
Weight is carried on the toes, and some bones of the feet are
fused to extend their gait. Bones of the shoulders and front feet
are encased entirely in muscle, adding greater flexibility to
limb movement.
II. Life History
Alabama white-tailed deer fawns are usually
born during July, August, and September. However, in some scattered
populations, fawns are dropped during May and June. At birth,
white-tailed deer weigh only 4 to 6 pounds.
Fawns are born with a reddish-brown coat covered with white spots
that allow them to blend naturally with patterns of sunlight and
shade. This coat is gradually replaced by brownish-gray winter
hair. Weaning usually occurs by 4 months of age, but fawns may
remain with their mothers for more than a year.
In Alabama, bucks and does breed during winter, usually from late
December through February. Bucks and does normally breed for the
first time in their second winter. Much of the breeding by males
is performed by older, socially dominant bucks. Consequently,
younger males, though sexually mature, play a minor role in breeding.
Occasionally, on very good range, does conceive during their first
winter and give birth when 1 year old. Does bearing young for
the first time usually give birth to only one fawn. Thereafter,
does typically have two fawns each year if the food is adequate.
Young bucks start growing antlers during their first spring when
they are about 9 to 12 months old. The paired antlers are bony
outgrowths from the skull. Growing antlers are supplied with blood
vessels and are covered by hairy skin called velvet.
Antler growth is usually complete by late September. The velvet
then dries and is sloughed or rubbed off. These hard, polished
antlers are kept throughout the breeding season and shed during
late winter. Growth of new antlers begins almost immediately.
Deer herds are managed primarily by selective
removal through hunting. Unlike other game animals in Alabama,
deer have few natural predators to keep populations in check.
Sport hunting takes the place of natural predators.
If unhunted or lightly hunted, deer increase rapidly until their
numbers exceed available food supplies. As this occurs, preferred
foods are eliminated, herd productivity is reduced, and the health
and size of the animals begin to decline.
Continued population increases often cause long-term habitat destruction.
The incidence of disease and parasites increases. Ultimately,
natural mortality rises and, occasionally, widespread die-offs
occur.
Once a deer population reaches the carrying capacity of the habitat, the growth must be stabilized. About 35 percent of a deer population must be removed annually to stabilize the population. Intensive buck-only hunting rarely removes more than 10 to 15 percent of a population. Removing significant numbers of antlerless deer (does) is necessary to keep a deer herd from becoming overpopulated.
V. Buck Management
Many sport hunters are interested in
increasing their opportunities for taking a trophy buck. Such
objectives demand that deer populations be reduced enough to ensure
that adequate nutrition is available for good body and antler
growth. Hunters must also be willing to conserve younger age classes
of bucks and allow them to reach potential trophy age (4 to 7
years).
It is normal for Alabama bucks to have spikes when they are yearlings.
Given time and good food, almost all will develop nice racks as
they get older. Do not eliminate all spikes because of the mistaken
belief that spikes are a sign of genetic inferiority. Removing
spikes is not recommended as a way to increase antler size.
Alabama Department of Conservation biologists can help landowners
and hunting clubs define management objectives and outline harvest
strategies through the Deer Management Assistance Program. For
information, write to the Alabama Department of Conservation and
Natural Resources, Division of Game and Fish, 64 N. Union, Montgomery,
AL 36130.
VI. Habitat Management
The capability of land to support deer
is influenced largely by vegetation types and condition, soil
productivity, and weather patterns. Land may be manipulated to
increase the number of deer it can sustain and to improve nutritional
plants for existing populations. Ideally, a mixture of habitat
types, over relatively small areas, should be provided for deer.
Several land/forest management techniques are very valuable for
managing deer habitat. They include prescribed burning, timber
thinning, food plantings, and fertilization programs.
Prescribed Burning
Prescribed burning is an effective method of increasing the abundance
and improving the quality of deer forage in old fields and pine-dominated
woodlands. Additionally, prescribed fire is an excellent timber
management tool.
On most sites, deer forage is increased by burning small blocks
of woodlands on a 3- to 5-year cycle. This is attained by burning
about one-fifth to one-third of all suitable areas each year.
Preferably, areas no larger than about 200 acres should be burned
in any one block. For deer, restrict fire use to February and
March.
The Alabama Forestry Commission and private forestry/wildlife
consultants can provide technical assistance to landowners who
are inexperienced in prescribed burning. The commission also will
plow fire containment lanes at a small fee for landowners.
Thinning/Cutting
Extensive stands of mature timber allow very little sunlight to
reach the forest floor. As a result, little plant growth is found
in the 0- to 4-1/2-foot range where deer feed. Thinning or clearcutting
small blocks of timber (1/2 to 10 acres in size) opens the forest
canopy and allows more sunlight to reach the forest floor. Consequently,
deer food abundance and availability are increased.
Logging roads and food plot margins are often good sites for cutting
or thinning. The edges of these areas may be maintained in deer
forage production by periodic burning or mowing (every 3 years).
When thinning or cutting, try to avoid cutting down trees that
are producing good deer food. Good, natural deer foods are listed
in Table 1.
Manage forest stands to maximize different types of food for deer.
Manage large stands of timber on an uneven-age basis so that trees
of all sizes and ages occur throughout the stand. Small, even-aged
stands provide good habitat if they are mixed in among other stands
of different ages.
Food Plantings
Food plots are frequently planted to supplement native foods and
to attract deer for hunting. Small grains and clovers are planted
as a winter grazing source for deer. Seeds of corn, grain sorghum,
beans, and peas are energy-rich foods that are suitable for food
plots and are planted during the spring and summer.
Food plots should be from 1 to 5 acres in size to help ensure
adequate food production and availability. Larger plots may be
needed for summer plantings of beans or peas in areas where deer
populations are high.
Soil test; then lime and fertilize according to recommendations.
The correct lime and fertilizer is absolutely necessary for optimum
production, nutrient quality, and use of food plantings by deer.
Table 2 gives recommendations for several fall green field plantings.
County agents can help with suitable plant varieties, planting
dates, and methods.
Fertilizing
Fertilizing woodlands and patches of native vegetation is an effective
but underused method of attracting deer. Nutritional content and
production of Japanese honeysuckle may be increased by light,
periodic applications of complete fertilizer during spring and
summer. Deer are attracted to these natural food plots by the
improved nutrition and taste of fertilized plants.
Acorn yields of oaks may be increased by applying regular fertilizer
from spring through summer. Apply a complete fertilizer under
the drip-line of selected trees, beginning at flowering (usually
during early April) and every 6 weeks thereafter through September.
Crop | Seeding Rate Per Acre |
Clover, Crimson | 20-30 pounds broadcast |
Clover, White | 2-4 pounds broadcast |
Wheat | 90-120 pounds drilled or broadcast |
Ryegrass, Winter | 40 pounds broadcast |
Mixture: | |
Clover, Crimson | 15 pounds broadcast |
Clover, White | 2 pounds broadcast |
Ryegrass | 10-15 pounds broadcast |
Wheat | 60-90 pounds broadcast |
For more information, call your county Extension office. Look in your telephone directory under your county's name to find the number.
For more information, contact your county Extension office. Visit http://www.aces.edu/counties or look in your telephone directory under your county's name to find contact information.
Published by the Alabama Cooperative Extension System (Alabama A&M University and Auburn University), an equal opportunity educator and employer.
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