When I first hunted my II7-acre farm in northwestern Virginia, I saw only a few young bucks and way too many does. Big deer were rare. The unbalanced age structure and buck-to-doe ratio meant that the rut was subtle and often a letdown. Now, though, mature bucks are common, some sporting big, heavy racks. The rut is intense, and the deer herd is better balanced and healthy.
What changed? Our land and deer management plans. Many hunters think you need a large spread to make any meaningful changes to a deer herd, but this just isn’t so. Small landowners do, however, face some special challenges. The following 10-step program will help you improve the deer herd, the habitat, and, ultimately, your hunting success.
1. Pass up young bucks.
You’ve heard this one before, but maybe you think, like many people in your situation, that you can’t really change the age structure on a small tract. Well, it is more difficult with limited ground, but you can make a difference if you also follow through on the some of the other steps below. I know because I’ve done it. Start, at least, by passing up 1-year-old bucks. Better yet, put 2-year-olds off limits too. At 3 years, a buck will grow a rack of over half of its potential, and for a lot of hunters, in a lot of areas, this is a deer worthy of the wall. Much depends on the hunting pressure surrounding you and the attitudes of neighboring landowners. In an ideal situation, you’d pass up 3-year-olds too. Bucks need five years to grow their best antlers.