This document discusses different strategies for deer management, including traditional, trophy, and quality deer management (QDM). It emphasizes that QDM aims for a balanced deer population and sex ratio by protecting young bucks and implementing appropriate doe harvests. It stresses that deer management relies on maintaining a balance between herd, habitat, and hunter management.

1. Welcome to: WASILLA VALLEY HUNTING ORGANIZATION

3. Deer Management Strategies Traditional (Quantity) Management QDM - Quality Deer Management Trophy Management

4. Traditional Deer Management High Buck Harvest Unbalanced Sex Ratio Lots of Does and Fawns Lots of Young Bucks Public Areas Lots of Hunters

5. Trophy Deer Management Fully Mature Bucks Only (5 1/2 + yrs old) Large Blocks of Land (5,000+ acres) Very Aggressive Doe Harvest Few Hunters Requires Skill at Field Judging Age Requires Self-Control Not Feasible in Most Areas

6. Quality Deer Management Harvest Fewer but Larger Antlered Bucks Protect Young Bucks Appropriate Doe Harvest More Balanced Sex Ratio Reasonable Blocks of Land (1,000+ acres) Involved and Committed Hunters

7. What is Quality? Think Population and NOT antlers! QDM Implies a Balanced Deer Herd Even Age Structure Short Defined Breeding Season Supported by Existing Habitat Resources

8. Deer Management is like a Three-legged Stool... Herd Management Habitat Management Hunter Management

9. If One Leg is Shortened…The Stool will Fall Over! Herd Management Habitat Management Hunter Management

10. Adjustments must be made to prop up the short leg = Management Herd Management Habitat Management Hunter Management

11. Herd Management How many Deer can your habitat support? Habitat Quality Determines: Herd Size Herd Quality Harvest Requirements

12. Population Growth and Deer Quality BEST Maximum Yield GOOD POOR Deer Condition and Quality Carrying Capacity Population Size Time

13. Population Growth Minimum Harvest POOR Deer Condition and Quality Carrying Capacity Population Size Time

14. Population Growth Moderate Harvest Good Deer Condition and Quality Carrying Capacity Population Size Time

15. Herd Management How many Deer can you Harvest? Depends on Habitat Quality, but… Research says 35% to maintain Population 1 Doe per 100 acres

16. Why Harvest Does? Removes Mouths off the Range Lowers Sex Ratio All Remaining Does will be Bred and have Fawns

17. When is the best time? Early! First Gun Season More Difficult to Identify Later in the Season

18. Which Does do we harvest? The First one you can Largest, Oldest does First Don’t shoot any Fawns

19. Which Bucks do we harvest? Depends on Management Objective…More to Come Later.

20. Habitat Management Native Vegetation Management Establishing Food Plots

21. Food Plots Food Plots supplement natural habitats by “smoothing out” or leveling the nutritional plane across seasons.

22. Hunter Management

23. Manage Expectations

24. Average Antler Size Upper Coastal Plain Boone and Crockett Score AVERAGE Frequency

25. Average Antler Size Upper Coastal Plain % of Population

26. How do you manage expectations? “ Know” the deer on your property

27. Use cameras to make a list of “Shoot” and “Don’t Shoot” bucks Don’t Shoot Shoot!

28. How do YOU manage deer? 1st - Determine your objective. 2nd - Get Biologist assistance…for free!

29. The Deer Management Assistance Program, (DMAP) is a comprehensive deer management program, consisting of data collection and cooperator education with which the MDWFP tries to put the landowner/cooperator in a better position to manage their lands for a healthy deer herd, while maintaining habitat integrity. DMAP

30. How do we decide which bucks to Harvest ? Management Objective Harvest Fewer but larger antlered bucks Must protect young bucks

31. How do we decide which bucks to harvest? Numerous Methods... Point Restriction….8 or more Points Inside Spread….>14” Beam Length….>17” Combinations of the Above

32. Why Point Restrictions are Bad Points are worse predictor of buck age Good Habitat = yearlings can have 6-8 points MSU Antler Research: Points are worst predictor Spread and Main Beam Length are best age predictor

33. Hopefully you have learned a few things about QDM and the goals of...