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By Chris McDonald, Biologist
Used with Permission

Our technical staff receives many requests from hunters wanting information on how to manage deer on the property they hunt. Many of these requests come after deer season has begun, usually because hunters are not seeing or harvesting "big bucks." Many hunters want to know during the middle of the current deer season what they can do to manage for larger-antlered bucks for the current hunting season. By that time, it's too late to implement most management practices other than deer harvest.

Deer management involves more time than just the months during the hunting season, and it involves more than just which deer to harvest or how many to harvest. The first thing you need to do is set a management goal. Most deer managers today choose quality management or trophy management as their goal. Regardless of the goal, a good habitat management plan has to be part of the harvest plan - and both have to be implemented. Management takes time. In most cases, it takes 3-5 years after management is initiated to see big improvements in a deer herd.

Habitat management can be divided into two periods: dormant season and growing season. Since you decided to begin managing during the hunting season, I'll discuss dormant season first. There are several habitat management techniques for use during the dormant season. Prescribed burning can be used in pine stands, abandoned fields, and forest openings. Burning from January through early March promotes the growth of plants preferred by deer by reducing plant competition, scarifying seeds, and exposing mineral soil. When using prescribed burning, preferred hardwoods should be protected from fire to prevent damage or loss of trees. Disking of fields, roadsides, and utility right-of-ways during late February or early March can also be used to improve deer habitat. Disking just prior to the growing season encourages new plant growth during the spring and summer months. Mast producing trees can be planted during the dormant season to increase mast production in the future. These trees will not only provide future food, but can provide cover and bedding areas for deer as the trees grow. Timber harvesting, in the form of thinning or small clear-cuts, can be used just before green-up to open the forest canopy. This will allow more sunlight to reach the ground during the growing season to stimulate browse growth preferred by deer.

The growing season usually begins during early to mid March in Mississippi and lasts through September. During the growing season, several management techniques can be implemented to increase the amount and quality of deer food available. Once plants have begun to grow, fertilizer can be applied to natural browse to stimulate growth, thus increasing the amount of forage available to deer. To further increase available forage, supplemental food plots can be planted during April through May. Set a goal to plant 2% of the total property acreage during the spring. These plots will provide protein during summer months needed by bucks for antler growth and by does producing milk and raising fawns. Recommended spring plantings for deer include American jointvetch, Alyce clover, cow peas, and soybeans. Summer plots should be spread across the property to benefit the most deer possible. Depending on the deer density, most summer plots should be 1-5 acres in size. Soil samples should be taken before planting to determine the appropriate soil amendments needed for each plot.

Summer months can be spent observing deer. This will allow you to observe deer utilizing the habitat improvements made on the property. You also can gain information on buck antler quality, fawn recruitment, and sex ratio going into the hunting season. The summer should also be spent gaining information from a biologist regarding deer harvest management and putting together a harvest plan. The plan should include the number of antlerless deer to harvest and the type of bucks that should be harvested. If your goal is to harvest bucks of a certain age or older, antler criteria such as inside spread or main beam length can be used to protect younger bucks. Time should be spent during the summer educating your hunters on your management plan and discussing deer harvest strategies.

By the time the growing season comes to an end, fall supplemental plantings should be planned. Set a goal to plant 1-2% of the total property acreage during the fall. Soil samples should be taken before planting to determine the appropriate soil amendments needed for each plot. Depending on soil moisture, fall food plots should be planted during late September or early October. Fall plantings should also be spread across the property to benefit the most deer possible. Fall food plots are normally 1/2 - 2 acres in size. Plants that can be utilized in fall plantings include wheat, oats, crimson clover, arrowleaf clover, white clover, red clover, and brassicas. Fall plantings provide deer with supplemental forage through the winter, which is needed once browse quality decreases. Supplemental forage will also aid in replenishing nutrients spent by deer during the breeding season.

Once deer season opens, habitat improvements should be completed for the year. Now it's time to settle into your favorite stand and implement the deer harvest strategy set during the summer. Work towards harvesting the pre-set number of antlerless deer and hunting that big buck. If a harvest mistake takes place - don't worry, it happens. Take the time to reflect back, and determine how it can be prevented next time. Just be sure to enjoy the time spent in the outdoors. As soon as the hunting season is over, it will be time to get back to work.

Please remember that management success doesn't happen over night. Improvements in biological parameters such as body weight, lactation rate, antler measurements, and age structure may not be seen until two to three years after management is initiated. Be patient. The hard work will pay off.