Buck Mortality

[erussell]

Very good read on reaserch done on Texas Bucks and Mortality. This study was done on a Texas ranch but they do mention some studies done in Maryland also.

http://www.whitetaildomains.com/Articles/ShowArticle.aspx/184/Death+in+the+Brush+Country

WHAT DOES ALL OF THIS RESEARCH MEAN?    First, managing for mature, trophy bucks is not very efficient because many bucks will die each year of natural causes. To illustrate this, let’s start with a population of 100 six-month-old buck fawns. Our buck mortality research indicates that an average of 46% of buck fawns will die of natural causes from December-May, reducing the buck population to only 54 1.5-year-old bucks. Our data shows that an average of 37% of 1.5-year-old bucks will die of natural causes so, after the second year the buck population has decreased to only 34 2.5-year-old bucks. Our research indicates that an average of 7% of 2.5-year-old bucks die each year, knocking the population down to 32 3.5-year-old bucks. We found that 20% of 3.5-year-old bucks die of natural causes, so we are now left with 26 4.5-year-old bucks. Natural mortality in 4.5-year-old bucks is the lowest of any age class (1%) and all 26 bucks survive to age 5.5. Of the 26 5.5-year-old bucks, 6% will die before reaching age 6.5. Therefore, only 24 bucks, out of the original 100 buck fawns, will survive to age 6.5, the age at which antler growth peaks. This shockingly high rate of natural mortality means that without any hunting at all, 76 of 100 buck fawns will die before age 6.5! Ranch owners, managers, and hunters interested in managing for mature, trophy bucks need to realize that in south Texas the majority of bucks will die of natural causes before reaching maturity.

[nyantler]

All that may be true but what they fail to tell you is that each year.. a new crop of 100 fawns will be born.. meaning that although there are only 24 bucks from the original 100 (which are 6.5 years old) there are another 26 @5.5 year old, 26 @ 4.5, 32 @ 3.5, 34 @2.5, 54 @ 1.5 and a new crop of 100 fawns that have followed along after 6.5 years making a very well rounded age structure... all the more reason to pass on the youngest deer and manage for mature bucks... if mother nature decided to take more of these 100 fawns at a younger age there would have been even less survival to 6.5

[Culvercreek hunt club]

OK...I have been wonder on this age structure and buck to doe ratio thing......

If it was possible to hit this one to one ratio I hear about......is the fighting over any available doe and having to travel  a lot to find one more stressful on a buck

or in a population with more does----(say 10 to 1) is the a prolonged rut more stressful?

[nyantler]

I think a buck will breed hard no matter how many doe there are.. it is so inherant in his nature to do so that he can't really control it.. as for ratio... it isn't realistic in this day and age to think that we can actually attain a 1:1 ratio of bucks to does... but it is realistic to want better representation of buck ages from 1.5 to as far as 6.5... One of the benefits of a good age structure and ratio is that the does get bred earlier, resulting in earlier born fawns making it easier for the fawns to prepare for the upcoming winter.

[erussell]

It's a wonder we even get bucks with decent antler's in NY. This study was done in Texas with a warm climate. I find it amazing Deer survive the winter at all. But I guess the Texas summer could be compareable to our winters. I find it interesting the amount of bucks that die from the brain infection just from rubbing there antlers. I have shot some bucks with nasty wounds on there heads before, I wounder if they would have died anyhow if I hadn't shot them? How many 6.5 or for that matter 5.5 yr old Bucks can there be in NY? I'm assuming Pat Rockets didn't read the end of the storie or we would never hear the end of it.   Just picking Pat!

[G-Man]

I have found a few buck skeletons with huge pedicals no horns attached that i assume died of old age /stress through the winter. The problem with trying to get bucks to an old age is the the properties in ny are small and even though a buck may be 4 or older a 2year old that is extremely agressive my in fact be the dominate buck. I remember an article by charlie alsheimer saying something like that 300 acres may only hold 1 mature buck in a home range others may roam thru but not stay. And a drury video saying that a mature buck they were waiting to harvest at 6.5 left their farm where it had lived for the last 4 years, and was taken 5 miles away haven been run out by a more agressive buck.(due to wounds on the harvested animal). with the small size of properties and large number of hunters in nys, i don't see it reallying working at all here.

[erussell]

I think it really depends on where you hunt in NY and the hunters that hunt it. I hunt several areas where there is thousands of acreas of continous forest and only a few hunters. ( No I won't tell you where ) And we seem to do pretty well with the nice bucks. We got a few in the 120 and 130's with several in the 150 and possibly 160's seen that escaped to the posted non hunting land unscathed again. :  I personally had atleast a 140 10 point within 50 yrds of my bow stand and my buddy had a massive 10 point that he fimed from his bow stand ( yes I saw the video)and had run right under his stand chasing a doe. Funny story on that one. He is pretty much def and has hearing aids. He was looking the other way and the deer ran right under his stand before he saw it. By the time he stood up and grabbed his bow they were gone. So NY has the possibility of growing some monsters as seen by all the nice deer taken this yr. We just have to back off that trigger when there young and get some age on them.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

I travel quite a bit for work and it is usually by air. I usually fly out very early and get back very late. On the rare occassion I take a daytime flight I am always amazed at the amount of land that the deer really have to run in. I usually fly south or east out of Rochester and the tracts may be broken up by ownership but the available habitat is crazy big...and that doesn't even consider the Daks. There are old and big ones out there. I firmly believe there are new state record bucks out there every year...just if someone is going to find them or not.

[nyantler]

Most likely the only places that hold really old bucks are remote places in the adirondacks... if there are any other places that hold 4.5 or better bucks it would be due to lack of hunting pressure... I don't think there are many public hunting areas in NY that hold many 3.5 year olds... Like it was said... hunting properties are too small and hunter restraint is to low.

[G-Man]

I think there are a lot more older bucks out there than one might think.. they just learn to find a quiet place and stay put. There are a lot on non-hunters who are buying lots with acreage and the deer find them amd stay. they seem to know how close they can stay to a building and be safe. I have seen them lying in a neighbors yard during gun season only 50 yards from her pool, and not just doe there was a monster with them...though about lying my gun across the hood of her car for a minute or two... anyway went hunting for the afternoon and when i was walking out 4 hrs later they were still there..car was gone. lol!! I am a firm believer for every deer you see there are 2-3 more in the woods hiding.