Doe Management;

We are trying to manage deer in an area where we hunt (80 acres of goodCentral Illinois river area). Is it better to take does prior to rut or after the rut?  If we take them before the rut will we decrease the number of bucks coming into the area?  Should we wait until after the rut to harvest does?Iknow the equation is complicated, but is there a formula or percentage ofhow many does to take per acreage?

Any reply would be appreciated.Thanks for your time.

Dr Kroll,

You always can take, as a rule of thumb, one doe per 100 acres. The best time to harvest does is early, from a biological standpoint, but the practical answer is, take them later in the season. But, make a promise to do so and do not succumb to the temptation to let them go. I let the deer tell me when I am harvesting enough, too little or too many does. When the average age of does harvested falls below 3.5 years, you probably are harvesting too many.

Sweet feed and Whitetails.

Wyatt from North Carolina ask:

Will sweet feed like you feed horses and goats with hurt deer?? and betteryet, will they eat it??Thanks Wyatte

Dr Deer: Wyatt thank you for your question, however Sweet feed is terrible for deer! It has too much carbohydrate, and often urea which is harmful. Unfortunately, deer like it. Stick to a good pelleted ration. If you want to offer deer “treats” use apples or pears.

Dr. James Kroll, a.k.a. “Dr Deer”

You mean deer swim?

  This is a link to a few pictures of a gentleman who was fish and caught a deer. Yes a whitetail deer! check out these awesome photos on the provided link. also read what Dr Kroll, a.k.a. “Dr Deer” has to say about it. May suprise you.

Link to pictures Click here

Dr Kroll:

This not that unusual! A colleague, working on Key Deer, had a radio-collared doe swim 30 miles twice a day to feed her fawns on an island. Deer are often are seen on the great lakes. A buck once swam the Mississippi River each year to rut in Louisiana.

What a tribute.

We have had the honor to work on this video, (Tribute of support) in a joint effort with the Military Warriors Support Foundation, and it has turned out better than we couild have imagined.  Click here to view.

Dr Deer question.

Alvin Decatur, Texas ask Dr Kroll:

Hello! My wife & I visited with you at the Hunters Extravaganza in FortWorth on Friday night. We live about 35 miles NW of Fort Worth. We havefeeders and an oat food plot which is located in between a creek and aravine that is spring feed. My question is…With our resident does..we arenot seeing last years or befores offspring…Do the does run off all theoffspring off of the place? What happens to the doe and buck fawns that wearen’t seeing? Also…we see does year round but no bucks until the rut.Are they there and we don’t see them or are they far away? Thank you somuch for your help!

Dr Kroll:

Does tend to run their fawns away briefly at two times of the year: breeding and fawning. However, more often than not, it is the buck fawns that do not come back. So, the fact you are not seeing fawns either is due to poor survival or you may not be recognizing the fawns when they are between six and eighteen months of age. As to the does on your land, there is such a thing as doe habitats. Buck generally prefer much poorer habitats than does so the latter have the best places to raise the buck’s offspring. Most hunters tend to haunt doe, rather than buck habitat.

Thank you for your questions.

Manageing for more than one species.

Many wildlife enterprises today are interested in managing for more than one species. However, when managing for more than one species, no one species can be maximized because some habitat needs cannot be provided simultaneously. To be successful in multi-species management, land owners must understand the habitat needs of all desired species and plan carefully. With proper management, white-tailed deer, bobwhite quail and Rio Grand turkeys can be integrated into one wildlife enterprise.

Food plots

This year (due to being on the road with all of the shows) we fell behind on preparing and planting our food plots. We did not get our Buck Forage Oats/Chicory planted until early  November.  Although We thought it would be to late, due to mid Fall weather we have received 1 inch of snow and 2 inches of rain in the past four weeks and our oats are now 4 to 5 inches and the chicory is exploding!

Can you tell the age of a deer by his antlers?

 

No,

Deer age is determined by tooth replacement and tooth wear of the premolars and molars (back teeth) of the lower jaw. Unlike sheep, deer cannot be aged by their front teeth, and age cannot be determined by antler characteristics.

Military Warriors Support Foundation

The MWSF seeks to help the heroes re-establish the economic footing in the communities they live and work. Our goal is to provide families the opportunity to make the same or more income as they did while in military service. Through practical assistance opportunities we desire to honor those whom have sacrificed for us and show “America Cares”!

12 Keys To Buying Whitetails by Dr. James C. Kroll

The deer industry has grown way beyond my wildest dreams! We are approaching exponential growth, attracting new breeders and landowners at an impressive rate. But, as with all new industries, especially alternative livestock, newcomers are left knowing very little about what it takes to become a successful operator. The average person coming to me for advice already has talked to dozens of operators, each of whom have “sage” advice about what to do, how to design pens and handling facilities and what kinds of deer to purchase for starter animals. Unfortunately, these suggestions often are contradictory and, sadly self-serving in many instances. So, I decided to put together this fact sheet on the first of many topics, in this case buying your first deer.

Click Here To Download 12 Keys To Buying Whitetails