Posts Tagged ‘mule deer hunting’

Mule Deer Hunt and Harvest Strategies

Friday, January 8th, 2010

This is a thoughtful look at the way state agencies regulate mule deer hunts, permits and the critical importance of habitat. The way a state manages their deer herd has a direct coorelation to quality and quantity of deer you will see and so does the habitat. Depending on your hunting goals you need to keep all this in mind when picking the state you plan to hunt.

Author: Todd A. Black, Biologist Utah State University Wildlife Extension

 

 

In case you have not heard me say it before, I will say it again; habitat is ‘A number one’ if we are to have a healthy and stable mule deer herd in a given area. More often than not, habitat is often overlooked. For the most part we are quick to blame other things when we are discussing our decreasing mule deer numbers. We should all realize that habitat includes more than just the groceries on the table and water to drink. It includes escape cover both from predators (four legged and two legged) critical secluded fawning areas, and non-disturbed, not fragmented breeding areas. There is no doubt in my mind if we had perfect habitat and perfect conditions everywhere mule deer numbers wouldn’t be in the state they are today. Without a doubt if you have all these critical habitat components, likely you will have good deer numbers. If on the other hand, one or more of these are lacking, you are likely to have problems. My question is, can anyone show me on a large scale where this perfect mule deer habitat place exists? I think if the truth were really known, there aren’t too many places out there that don’t have some major habitat issues. At least that is the feeling I get when talking to the state agencies across mule deer country. Alright, enough said on habitat, I think we all realize that there are some problems out there that need to be addressed. I hope we are all working towards addressing some of these issues and fixing the problems. While we are working/waiting, let’s talk about the hunt, the harvest, which ever you prefer.I have heard it before from my fellow biologist, read it in articles, even read it in the so called professional papers. ‘The number or ratio of bucks to does is unrelated to the number of fawns hitting the ground the next year’. Now I would have to agree that if we had perfect habitat in our given area, if we didn’t hunt bucks from August to November, if we didn’t have antlerless harvest, there just might be something to this statement. However, I find it hard to believe that we can have low buck to doe ratios, have fragmented and poor habitat, have unlimited buck harvest, be killing does because of depredation issues, constant recreational/hunting activities, and not have some effect the number of fawns hitting the ground next year. Also, let’s not forget that the bulk of the ‘research’ we are basing all this information on was done 20-40 years ago. Back then mule deer numbers were way up there. Additionally, recreational uses of mule deer country were less, technology in bigger and better weapons and optics were certainly not what they are today, and don’t forget there were less elk out there as well.Today, hunting season lengths and hunter days afield might vary from state to state. If you were lucky enough to draw tags in every state, you could hunt mule deer from the first part of August and hunt through the end of December without missing very many days. Typically state agencies use harvest of mule deer as a means of management and keeping numbers in check with habitat conditions. Often though, mule deer hunting is overlooked as a means of population control and more of a much needed source of revenue. I believe many state agencies because are faced with the decision of how many dollars can be generated from the sale of mule deer tags as opposed to what areas do we need to reduce harvest or cut numbers back. For many years, state wildlife agencies derived much of their annual budget off the sale of mule deer tags. As such it is often difficult if not impossible without other funding mechanisms to cut back and only use mule deer hunting as a means to control and keep numbers in check. Additionally, mule deer hunting and ‘how many to harvest’ decisions is based on the need to satisfy demands of hunters for more deer and more opportunity to hunt deer. With these types of demands, the real management and conservation of the species more often than not gets put in left field. Having said all that, I will say that many of the states are now cutting back on the allocation of tags. In 1994, Utah cut their number of tags in half. More recently Colorado went to a limited number of tags as well. While I believe these are steps in the right direction, I think we have to ask if it is enough and what can we do to more adequately address conservation than just the selling of permits.

Virtually every type of hunt, season length, weapon restriction and choices that can be thought up have been tried in one state or another. Some have been done long enough to see valid results one way or another. Others are not tried long enough to be proven or non-proven means at all. Those that seem to work the best, that is to increase buck to doe ratios and allow populations to be managed at or near carrying capacity are those that have a limited number of tags and or those that have a shortened season that is early enough in the year as to not effect the rutting activities of mule deer. Those that do not work are ‘antler point restrictions’ this type of hunting scenario has been tried in several different states with basically the same results. It just doesn’t work.

So what does work? Not all mule deer hunters are trophy hunters, not all are meat hunters. Studies have shown that most are people who like to get out and hunt and enjoy the company of family and friends while being in mule deer country. Most would obviously like to see a buck or even have an opportunity to take a deer but for the most part, they just want to be out and about. Not every unit/region/area/zone needs to be managed for maximum sustained yield and not every area needs to be managed for trophy animals. We shouldn’t be selling permits just to be generating income from wildlife. What ought to be done is this. Every unit/region/area/zone should be managed for something measurable when it comes to mule deer management. These measurable objectives should be those types of things that can withstand the test of time. Deer population management objectives must be clearly defined in all aspects from January to December. This includes appropriate hunting seasons, weapon restrictions/choices, population objectives, antlerless and buck harvest objectives. These objectives should be very specific as to habitat, environmental conditions, and social as well as mule deer carrying capacity. These measurable objectives need to be determined with input from local game managers, land managers, public land users, concerned public, and sportsmen. ‘If it isn’t good for the people, it isn’t good for wildlife’. State and federal land managers need to have these objectives addressed in their regional land use plans so that mule deer management becomes a priority. Most important is that these objectives need to be closely monitored over long periods of time and be flexible enough that if changes such as weather or events that significantly change the habitat the objectives can change as well. We shouldn’t feel like we have got to hunt and kill a deer every year or we will die either. We all need to be flexible and open in our management and ideas.

In my travels to most mule deer states these past few months I firmly believe that the local biologist have the management of mule deer high on their ‘to do list’. They need our help, input, and support. Let’s stop thinking of ways we are going to harvest and kill deer and start thinking and working towards ways we can ensure they will still be around in 50 years.

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Antler Growth 101

Thursday, January 7th, 2010

Todd A. Black, Biologist with Utah State University Wildlife Extension posts the following overview on antler growth.

 

I would imagine just about everyone has read or heard about everything there is to know about antlers and how antlers grow.  However, ever so often I get asked what I think contributes the most to antler growth and what causes antlers to be bigger or smaller from year to year. Most everyone realizes that genes and nutrition play a major part as well as age but for those of you who don’t—here you go.

This last year was a great example of extreme antler growth throughout the west. There were more than just a handful of 200 class ‘muleys’ and a grundle of 400 class bulls harvested last fall. This all happened during one of the worst drought years on record. So why the drastic change and why so different from last year? Basically, there are three different things that contribute to antler growth and all three are important when considering the whys and why ‘nots’. In no particular order they are; genetics of both the buck and the doe, age of the buck, and condition of the range or the quality and quantity of available green groceries. Some may argue that one is more important than another and in some instances that may be the case. Certainly there are areas where no matter how old a buck gets and no matter how much you feed him, he’s just not going to be a 200 class buck. In this case genetics are the missing link. I maintain that in order to truly grow a big mule deer, you have to have all three.

Age–age is the easiest to control at least in theory.  If you want to have older bucks you simply control the harvest rate such that you limit your take on younger deer.  Most studies have show that a mule deer buck reaches its prime somewhere around 5-6 years old. In some cases it’s a bit later but not too often much earlier in its life.  Typically, older bucks will almost always have heavier antlers than younger bucks.  Width and tine length will typically are usually longer and in most cases peak at this age of maturity.

Given the liberal harvest that most states employ it’s highly unlikely that general open seasons are going to have many or should I say a majority of older bucks harvested on any given year. I would guess that most general season areas on average harvest bucks between 2-3 years old. However, several states are now starting to look at managing their ‘limited’ harvest units to some age class on buck deer. Many of these are managing for a certain age class of bucks which is determined by the average age of buck taken through harvest and tooth analysis. If certain areas are exceeding the age class objective, more permits are usually given, if they are not meeting this age class objective permits are usually reduces the following year(s) until age objectives are being met. As a biologist, I can’t imagine a better way to manage a deer herd. As a hunter these are the areas I want to spend my time and money on.

Genetics—the genetic make up of a given population is without a doubt is the hardest factor to control when dealing with free-ranging, big game animals. This is largely due for the simple fact that game managers don’t have the ability to isolate and control certain genetic traits expressed by antler growth. Another factor here is the females in the population. I often here the argument that if we just eliminate those ‘bad gene’ bucks or those ‘genetically inferior bucks’ we will improve the number of ‘trophy’ bucks in a given area. I have to bite my tongue most of the time when I hear this. Most anyone who has a basic understanding of genetics knows the major flaw with this argument. It is; if you don’t know what genes are being expressed or can’t control what genes are being contributed by the does (does usually out number the bucks 8 to one on average) then there is no way you are going to be able to get rid of those ‘bad gene’ bucks, unless you eliminate all the does as well. When it comes right down to it, you either already have good genetics in the local population or you don’t.

Range condition—the condition of the range also greatly influences antler growth.  So much of an animal’s life is dependant on its ability to obtain the vital nutrition it needs from the range. Yet we often overlook the importance of quality range lands. Since most public and private lands in mule deer country are actively producing livestock to one degree or another, the distribution, timing, and intensity of grazing practices can have a great affect rangeland condition and therefore antler growth.  Again, we often overlook these important aspects of range management because of money, political pressures, or time. Too many animals, whether wild or domestic, will result in decreased antler growth and could reduce the animal’s fitness and reproduction rates as well.  When considering antler growth, we must remember that antler growth is secondary to body care and maintenance. What does this mean? If range conditions are poor, animals are usually in poor health and body condition is usually poor and antler growth will never be maximized under these types of conditions. Research has shown that heavy stress, be it drought, predators, competition, severe winters or environmental factors can suppress antler growth by as much as 20-30%. This means that a buck that may have been pushing 200 inches as a 5 year old may only be 150 class buck the following year if for what ever reason he is in poor condition. A perfect example of this is a deer my dad shot a few years ago. The buck came from a good genetic area he was a 6 year old deer but range conditions were poor it had been overgrazed and was in a drought year. The deer appeared to be in poor condition (ribs, hips, and backbone were showing) and upon field dressing showed little or no body fat. The buck had some mass but spread, tine length and main beams were short and the buck squeaked out a mere 160 B&C.

One of the positive thing about range condition is quite often it can be improved and even controlled some what that is if you take out the drought factor, nothing we can do there. However, given a little money and time, the range can be improved.  This is perhaps more evident and easy to show on a small scale such as a small ranch or a certain drainage rather than over hundreds of thousands of acres. Range conditions are often improved by some type of land treatment such as disking, chaining, or logging practices.  Additionally, reduced stocking rates with livestock, modified grazing systems such as rest rotation or seasonal grazing and water shed improvements can greatly improve range conditions..

Quite often, if the range is in poor condition land mangers have been know to augment antler growth with some sort of mineral supplement. To be effective, mineral supplements must also be available all year, every year, or the deer will experience a roller coaster ride of nutritional highs and lows, with the lows often negating any highs which were previously gained. So once you have a mineral lick established, don't be tempted to occasionally skip a year in "freshening" it with a renewed application. Maintaining a lick costs an average of only $15 per year and requires less than 15 minutes of work- each lick will adequately serve 40 acres of deer habitat. One common thread with mineral supplement is people expect to see overnight results when it often takes years to really make an improvement with your population. Always remember that minerals first into body growth and maintenance. Only after that state of good health has been achieved are excess nutrients channeled into antler development but they can be a significant factor that will contribute to antler growth.

Know you know all you need to know about antler growth so get out there and watch them grow.

A note on supplements can be broken into two groups of minerals, macro and trace.  Macro minerals are those minerals which are needed in large amounts of the animal’s diet.  Macro minerals include calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, sodium and sulfur.  Trace minerals are those which have been shown to be needed when supplementing an animal’s diet.  The seven trace minerals are iron, copper, zinc, manganese, cobalt, iodine and selenium. Extreme care must be taken to assure minerals are in proper balance.  Too much of one interferes with absorption of another. Essential minerals alone are often poorly palatable.  A pelletized feed is your best assurance against nutrient and mineral sorting.  There is a wide range of mineral supplements available on the market today.  Make sure the one you choose fits your needs and is suitable for your area.

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Antler Growth and Droughts

Thursday, January 7th, 2010

Antler Growth and Drought

 Todd Black, Biologist with Utah State University Wildlife Extension provides this insightful look at how droughts can impact antler growth. This can be especially important information to consider when you have accrued many years of bonus/preference points for that trophy hunt of a lifetime and are planning your hunt.

“The past few years have been drought years, but I feel the springs have been wet and feed plentiful. It seems conditions don’t get poor until animals are hard horned. Yet, in some videos I’ve seen, they are talking about drought causing poor growth? Also, when do deer and elk hit their prime in antler growth and then start to digress.”

 Kevin

Thanks for the great questions Kevin—

The second part of your question regarding when ‘deer and elk hit their prime and then start to digress’ is really quite variable and depends on many different factors. However, the general rule of thumb that you typically hear and is supported by some research is that deer reach their prime in antler growth and maturity some where between 4.5 and 7.5 years of age. Often they will continue to get more massive and more points (if it has the genetic make up to do so) but maximum tine length typically occurs at some point during that three year period. Elk are a bit different—often peak tine lengths in elk can occur as late as 10-11 years but more often occurs between 6.5 and 8.5 years of age. Again, the bull will typically continue to grow mass and get more ‘massive’ as it gets older up to 12 and 14 years of age in limited and non-hunted areas. Having said this, there are many factors which may extend this growth and our definition of ‘prime’. Nutrition and genetics are just as important as what type of stressors the animal may occur throughout its life. How actively it will participate in the rut, where it fits in the dominance hierarchy, how many predators are in the area, how hard the area is hunted, where it lives, and what kinds of extremes it will encounter from the weather can all play a significant roll in how its antlers grow and when they will peak in growth.

To address your first question regarding antler growth, is a bit more complicated, hence all the confusion, theories, and tall tales we all hear. The truth is after many years and all the research done with ruminant animals, even on white-tailed deer, the nutritional needs that mule deer require to grow antlers still aren’t very well understood. However, there are a few things we do know with a fair amount of certainty.

First, in order to function and survive, antlered animals require nutrients from five groups just like us only a bit different. They are; 1–crude protein, usually 12-14% of their diet needs to be protein for optimal body maintenance and antler growth.  Any more than this is typically discarded and can often cause digestion and bowel problems.  2–energy (taken from digestible matter) the amount of energy or biomass a deer has to take in really varies from season to season and from location to location. In early summer a buck deer may only have to feed a couple of hours during the day where as in winter months it may be twice to three times that amount.  3–minerals (calcium and phosphorous) often overlooked and quite often lacking in the diets of many deer. This is why old salt and mineral licks are often dug down several feet in the ground. Deer crave these minerals and if obtained in sufficient amounts, can greatly affect antler growth. 4–vitamins equally as important as minerals but more readily available in the vegetative matter deer eat. 5—water, often water is obtained from vegetative matter and a big buck may only water once or twice a week depending on existing environmental conditions.  Often times during a drought mule deer have been observed eating larger quantities of evergreen drought-resistant plants. These plans usually have less available nutrients and energy and can take more energy to digest than the deer may obtain from these types of plans. Of these five basic requirements, protein, minerals, and energy are the needs that most typically would limit not only antler growth but rut activity and post rut recovery by the bucks during long winter months also can impact antler growth. These (protein, energy, and minerals) are obtained from the deers diet and the vegetation it consumes every day. Most deer require about one and a half-two tons of groceries per year to maintain optimum health know as ‘fitness’ and grow big antlers.

Second, we also know that nutritional needs of the antlered animals vary by season, geographic location, and species. Most of this variation can be contributed to the various physiological changes the deer may go through throughout the year. For a mule deer buck to grow big antlers, it is essential for the nutritional composition of the vegetation to be is optimum throughout the year.  During the antler-growing season (April—July), the vegetation must be high in proteins and provide essential vitamins and minerals.  During the late summer and fall seasons and even through early spring – the vegetation need to be high in carbs providing the deer with the needed energy levels to maintain and sustain its fitness throughout those long winter months.  If it isn’t ‘fit’ he will come into the antler growing season in sort of a nutritional deficit and it will require more food and more minerals and more energy to get him back to where he was coming into the winter. Similarly, if nutrition is poor in the summer months, he will come into the winter months in poor condition as well and the deficit could potentially even be bigger.

For nearly four decades, Dr. George Bubenik a professor of zoology at the University of Guelph zoology professor at the University of Ontario Canada like his father Tony Bubenik has been studying deer and antler growth and likely knows as much as anyone about the subject. He concludes that the three things most responsible for quality antler growth and growing big antlers are nutrition, genetics, and the lack of stress.  Research has shown that deer will produce smaller antlers the following year if they are under stressors from the lack of quality vegetation, water, hunting pressure, and pressure from the rut. These same bucks were kept at a lower level in the dominance hierarchy even though they were older bucks and bigger the previous year. Additionally, stress lowers the testosterone levels that are critical for good antler growth.

Third, prolonged periods of drought, like the drought periods we’ve seen in recent years, can have devastating effects on fawn survival and overall deer numbers over time.  On nearly all deer ranges in the western United States, the availability of green groceries is the most critical element in antler growth and development. We all know that overall, mule deer numbers are down largely because they are not in balance with available food resources. This lack of quality green groceries leads to inadequate nutrition and causes poor body conditions, reduced reproductive efficiency with the does, and often undesirable antler characteristics. Often with yealing bucks, the percentage or relative number of spikes is used as an indicator of nutritional conditions. The more spikes counted or harvested during a given year is usually a good indicator of a lack of green groceries. Continually high numbers of spike deer usually indicates a serious habitat issue and habitat deficiencies.

The executive summary is this—drought does effect antler growth. Precipitation directly effects vegetation growth and the quality of that vegetation. The nutritional quality of the vegetation will have a direct impact on the health and fitness of deer and elk and studies have shown that drought can reduce antler growth as much as 10%. That may not seem like a bunch but it takes a 200” record class buck down to a 180 class buck, still no slouch but it does have an impact none the less. The hardest part with regards to antler growth is we really can’t tell or predict how much a deer would or could grow from year to year even if conditions were optimal. Generally, the larger body a mule deer has, the larger its’ antler size; but feed intake per pound of body weight decreases along with overall metabolic rates during times of stress and drought.  I don’t recall any research being done or that has been done that would suggest that drought isn’t a major factor affecting the growth of antlers, especially if it occurs during the critical antler-growing season of April through July.

Another thing to remember is that the effects of antler growth are not always seen in the year the drought occurs, it may take a year or more of drought to adversely effect antler growth. Now having said all of that, remember that there are always exceptions. There may be certain individuals or localized populations that have adequate sources of water (springs etc. just as you mentioned) where the impact may not be as bad or even noticeable. I have noticed over the past few years, that the timing of what little precipitation that falls is equally important on antler growth.

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