Rhino Posted February 20, 2005 Report Share Posted February 20, 2005 Overpopulation When a herd is overpopulated they will overbrowse the availble forage. That then reduces the carrying capacity of the land thus leading to an undernourished deer herd. It's a domino effect from there that can lead to a population crash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
horst Posted February 20, 2005 Report Share Posted February 20, 2005 Re: Things that affect a deer herd [ QUOTE ] While on another site I noticed that a particular member was against Antler Restrictions. His posts over and over always said...the people who want it are always hiding behind...."the healthy herd pholosophy". [/ QUOTE ] Actually Id agree with the guy.Antler restrictions by themselves dont do much to lead to a healthier herd, they just lead to an older class of deer being around.Having an older age class with bigger antlers isnt neccasarily contributing to the the health of the herd unless your combining it with other things like shooting more doesAlso just because a bucks lived an extra year and grew a bigger rack doesnt neccassarily mean your passing on the better genes in the herd, deer have to get much older than 2 1/2 before you can tell there real potential, and most antler restriction programs dont let em live that long anyway.You have to combine it with other factors of QDM to actually improve the herds health, JMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
too_pointer Posted February 20, 2005 Report Share Posted February 20, 2005 Re: Things that affect a deer herd coyotes I believe in places with too many yotes, that they can prey heaviely on younger deer. I know for a fact in my area that they do. I do understand in some cases they might take the weak and sick ones out of the herd, that is good. Around here they tear up the deer yards when the snow gets real deep. too_pointer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
popgun Posted February 20, 2005 Report Share Posted February 20, 2005 Re: Things that affect a deer herd Competing non-wild life Although cattle and horses graze, some others such as goats browse. Once the browse is gone the deer will move where selection is greater and food healthier. Wild hogs also tear up the food sources, and even future food sources. .....popgun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hillbilly Posted February 20, 2005 Report Share Posted February 20, 2005 Re: Things that affect a deer herd Hunting Pressure and Disease Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogdoc Posted February 20, 2005 Report Share Posted February 20, 2005 Re: Things that affect a deer herd weather--extreme cold, deep snow covering available forage, heat, drought, flooding--any stressful weather change can affect over all deer herd health Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VtBowhunter Posted February 21, 2005 Report Share Posted February 21, 2005 Re: Things that affect a deer herd Habitat If land is allowed to progress into an old growth state, there is no forage for the herd and they start to overpopulate the areas with food, which leads to disease, starvation, and the eventual arrival of predators in large numbers such as coyotes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesVee Posted February 21, 2005 Report Share Posted February 21, 2005 Re: Things that affect a deer herd Overhunting There is a fine line between taking the right amount of deer out of a population and taking too many. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted February 21, 2005 Report Share Posted February 21, 2005 Re: Things that affect a deer herd Increased land "lock-up". This comes in 2 forms. First is the posting of land where hunting is not allowed at all (Often the result of bunny-hugging urban transplants). 2nd is the break-up of large farms or woodlots into little lots with houses right in the middle resulting in insufficient distance for legal shooting. Both of these are accelerating conditions and create large areas where deer herd management is not really happening at all. Doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
horst Posted February 21, 2005 Report Share Posted February 21, 2005 Re: Things that affect a deer herd [ QUOTE ] Horst, It all affects the herd health. This is possibly a learning experience for many of us including myself. One idea may spark another that you have never thought about or even that you don't have much of a problem with where you live. An order age class of bucks is part of QDM..it's not everything. Play the game and post a suggestoin that you know! [/ QUOTE ] Ok, Ill play along URBAN SPRAWL You got cities growing bigger and expanding into good deer habitat.Deer are great at adapting though and what you wind up with is large herds of unhuntable deer living in city limits.Sooner or later their numbers get big enough people and the deer start having conflicts, car/deer accidents, deer eating peoples gardens, etc.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David_218 Posted February 21, 2005 Report Share Posted February 21, 2005 Re: Things that affect a deer herd [ QUOTE ] URBAN SPRAWL You got cities growing bigger and expanding into good deer habitat.Deer are great at adapting though and what you wind up with is large herds of unhuntable deer living in city limits.Sooner or later their numbers get big enough people and the deer start having conflicts, car/deer accidents, deer eating peoples gardens, etc.... [/ QUOTE ] Where I live in SW Indiana, Urban Sprawl is occuring. The thing about it is I am seeing more Deer then before the Urban Sprawl begain! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted February 21, 2005 Report Share Posted February 21, 2005 Re: Things that affect a deer herd Poorly informed or educated people With poor information on herd numbers the wildlife agencies can make poor decisions on limits which can lead to overhunting. Poorly educated people might be more prone to illegally harvesting deer or poaching which can also lead to herd problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fisherguy Posted February 21, 2005 Report Share Posted February 21, 2005 Re: Things that affect a deer herd winter kill, and over-population of bears (kill lots of younf fawns) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buckee Posted February 21, 2005 Report Share Posted February 21, 2005 Re: Things that affect a deer herd [ QUOTE ] Poorly informed or educated people With poor information on herd numbers the wildlife agencies can make poor decisions on limits which can lead to overhunting. Poorly educated people might be more prone to illegally harvesting deer or poaching which can also lead to herd problems. [/ QUOTE ] Which also includes anti-hunter lobbyists who effect the decisions made for herd management Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
horst Posted February 21, 2005 Report Share Posted February 21, 2005 Re: Things that affect a deer herd [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] URBAN SPRAWL You got cities growing bigger and expanding into good deer habitat.Deer are great at adapting though and what you wind up with is large herds of unhuntable deer living in city limits.Sooner or later their numbers get big enough people and the deer start having conflicts, car/deer accidents, deer eating peoples gardens, etc.... [/ QUOTE ] Where I live in SW Indiana, Urban Sprawl is occuring. The thing about it is I am seeing more Deer then before the Urban Sprawl begain! [/ QUOTE ] David, thats the thing, theyll continue to increase in numbers untill they become a nuisance, a traffic risk, or desiease wipes em out because in most urban settings its like a big game refuge where you cant thin them out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texan_Til_I_Die Posted February 21, 2005 Report Share Posted February 21, 2005 Re: Things that affect a deer herd Seasons and bag limits being set by legislatures or other non-scientific methods This is best left up to the professionals. Hopefully your state wildlife biologists qualify as professionals! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camelNS Posted February 22, 2005 Report Share Posted February 22, 2005 Re: Things that affect a deer herd Cold Canadian Winters Over Harvesting Yearlings Plain and Simple Bad Herd Management Did I mention Cold Canadian Winters Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin R10 man Posted February 22, 2005 Report Share Posted February 22, 2005 Re: Things that affect a deer herd WOLVES!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesVee Posted February 22, 2005 Report Share Posted February 22, 2005 Re: Things that affect a deer herd Oh man Martin! How could have I forgotten that one? We don't have them around here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OJR Posted February 22, 2005 Report Share Posted February 22, 2005 Re: Things that affect a deer herd Wolves, coyotes, bears and cougars! Also my 270! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldawg Posted February 22, 2005 Report Share Posted February 22, 2005 Re: Things that affect a deer herd Underhunting large tracts of private land. The DNR is getting frustrated with landowners who only hunt for bucks, allowing massive numbers of does to build up. All of that is counted in the population figures, which amounts to earn a buck! That effects every hunter in the area, even the ones who are managing thier land adequately. Antler restrictions do the same thing, as the population will grow if people don't want to shoot does. They will pass the bucks because they have to, and alot of them don't want a deer if it isn't a big racked buck. I for one, don't give a squat how big of a rack a deer has, as you can't eat the rack. Genes are bred into deer, and a young deer can pass on good genes, the same as an old buck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWSmith Posted February 22, 2005 Report Share Posted February 22, 2005 Re: Things that affect a deer herd [ QUOTE ] Seasons and bag limits being set by legislatures or other non-scientific methods This is best left up to the professionals. Hopefully your state wildlife biologists qualify as professionals! [/ QUOTE ] I would say something about our DEC but I'm trying to turn over a new leaf ..................... (there might be a buck under it...according to mathmeticians and statisticians) Bulldog has it nailed like a Posted sign to a tree: "Underhunting large tracts of private land." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MarylandQDMA Posted February 22, 2005 Report Share Posted February 22, 2005 Re: Things that affect a deer herd Non-Predation (leads to over population) around here there is no other predator other then hunters and the occational house dog to keep deer herds down. this alows them to reperduce and grow into large unhealthy nos. decressing food each one has to eat (but this goes back to other post in here). Frank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texan_Til_I_Die Posted February 22, 2005 Report Share Posted February 22, 2005 Re: Things that affect a deer herd Genetics Probably the toughest thing to influence, but without good genetics it doesn't matter how good the habitat and nutrition is, you'll still have a difficult (if not impossible) time growing trophy class bucks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VTbowman Posted February 23, 2005 Report Share Posted February 23, 2005 Re: Things that affect a deer herd Wow! One I have not seen yet is bad buck to doe RATIO High doe populations can hurt a herd by causing bucks to wear themselves out breeding more doe then they can keep up with, over eating by large doe groups in a given area, late breeding and low fawn birth weights due to being breed way to late in the season. High fawn mortality rates for the same reasons as just listed. It not all I know but its enough on this one point. I am for antler restrictions BTW.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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