Related Posts

• Deer Surveying

  It?s evident that managing game on one's land can have long-term benefits for hunting. In this blog series we're looking at the concept of Game Management. So far in the journey we've discussed Food Plots, Selective Harvest, & Herd Balance and with this entry we're going to look into the concept of deer surveying. Deer surveying is exactly what is sounds like, surveying the deer on your land. Recent technology has made surveying deer (and any species of game) a whole lot easier, mainly via the creation of the game camera. The invention of the game camera has undeniably changed the way we hunt. Game cameras give hunters an advantage by providing valuable information about the deer in our area. Obviously game camera pics don't give an outdoorsman a 100% accurate read on the deer in a given area, but they do give way more insight about the deer herd than if we didn't have game cameras. Game cameras are the most common (and affordable) way to survey one's deer herd. Though, there are more scientific and expensive methods of surveying ...

• Supplemental Feed

    In this blog series we're looking at concepts, practices, and approaches that can aid in managing game in a hunter's area. We've looked at food plots, selective harvest, deer surveying, herd balance, mineral sites already in this series and in this entry we'll look into the concept of "supplemental feeding".         Buck at supplemental feed site Image cited from BuckManager.com Supplemental feeding of deer is not a brand new concept, but ...

• To Cull Bucks or Not to Cull Bucks

  Over the past few months I’ve been getting several bucks on camera. Most of them are small and a few of them are shooters. Mixed in with these bucks are 2 to 3 bucks that have really bad racks. By bad I mean these deer have big bodies and racks that do not reflect the age and maturity level of the deer, which to me indicates bad genetics. Others have a decent rack on one side and a very mal-formed rack on the other side. Some hunters refer to these as “Cull bucks” indicating that they are deer that the hunter wants to “cull” out of the herd. Hunters want to remove these deer from the herd because of the bad genetics in the antlers. Hunters don’t want these deer reproducing and spawning more bucks with bad racks. I’ve got a few deer that if I see I’m going to shoot. Yes I want them out of the herd and this past weekend one of these bucks came out right at daylight. At first I thought it was a big bodied ...

• Mineral Sites

  In this blog series we?re looking at concepts, practices, and approaches that can aid in managing game in a hunter?s area. We?ve looked at food plots, selective harvest,deer surveying, and herd balance already in this series and in this entry we'll look into the concept of "mineral sites". Mineral sites, in many cases, are one of the most overlooked and underutilized parts of a game management strategy.  Mineral sites provide deer with great sources of vitamins and nutrients that they need throughout the year. We put in a lot of work creating food plots and we're selling ourselves short if we don't compliment them with mineral sites. Mineral sites are not too difficult to create and can pay big dividends in the long run. Mineral sites provide similar benefits as food plots in that they help increase deer health which in turn helps them better survive the rut and the winter. Having a healthy deer, whether it be a doe or a buck, is great for the whole herd when it comes to breeding, reproduction, and survival. Most importantly for those ...

• Habitat

    In this blog series we've looked into concepts, practices, and management tactics for managing deer on one's property. We've studied food plots, selective harvest, herd balance, mineral sites, supplemental feeds, deer surveying, & water sources, but we still have one more item to cover so let's get to it.    It seems that game management can be divided into two categories: habitat management & population management. Habitat management describes the work we do to manage the environment in which the deer live while population management describes how we manage the deer themselves. Both of these management aspects are connected. We've looked a several concepts and practices that affect, enhance, or alter a deer's habitat, but we haven't really focused on the overall habitat from a broader perspective.    Several of the game management concepts we've examined in some way helps enrich a deer's habitat.  The underlying goal for managing the habitat is to create an environment that fosters successful growth and allows deer to easily thrive.  A deer?s health usually linked to the condition of their habitat, so if monsters bucks are one?s desired goal, then a habitat ...

• Water Sources

  In this blog series we've looked at different facets of game management. We've covered several concepts, practices, and techniques to managing game. Thus far we've looked at food plots, selective harvest, herd balance, mineral sites, supplemental feeds, and deer surveying. We've got two more entries left to cover in the series and in this entry we're going to investigate water sources as they relate to deer and game management.   It should go unspoken that water sources are a must for any type of species? I even get thirsty every now and then.  Deer are no exception, they need water to survive. I'm including water sources in this game management blog series because it's an aspect that I think we sometimes overlook, not because I think it's easy to just go out and create a pond, divert a creek, or create a water source. Knowledge of the location of water sources on one?s hunting property can provide very valuable insight to us as hunters and very valuable resources to the deer on our land (and other game in the area).    I'd like ...