Burns my ****

[Mike]

The best description I've heard of deer is that they're like rats with antlers, the only other wild animal that can seem to adapt to living close to people is the coyote. We seem to be getting overrun with both!!

POPULATION GROWTH POTENTIAL

Deer have the ability to reproduce and expand their numbers at an almost exponential rate. A classic example of deer herd growth potential is documented at the George Reserve in southern Michigan.This area is a 1,200-acre tract enclosed by an eleven-foot deer-proof fence. In 1928, six deer (2 bucks and 4 does) were released inside the area. Six years later, a drive count yielded a minimum population of 160 deer (Hickie 1937). The growth of the George Reserve herd reflects a mathematical model known as the logistical equation (Caughley 1977).

This model is characterized by an S-shaped curve reflecting how factors such as reproductive success and mortality affect a population. During the early stages of population growth, deer numbers are low and quality forage is abundant. Consequently, mortality is low and reproductive output is high. As the population increases, so does competition for quality forage and other habitat components. This increased competition leads to lower reproductive output and fawn survival. The fawn recruitment rate eventually reaches a point where it equals the mortality rate and the population stops growing. Physical condition of the herd is usually poor and disease problems may be chronic. A deer herd at this point has reached absolute carrying capacity or CC K.

 

[HAY MAKER]

Didn't think they could do much damage, the Texas deer I've seen pictured are about the size of our jackrabbits! YOu've gotta come north to see the big ones :wink:

You can keep your big ones, and have all these jack rabbit sized ones too,bet it wont take you long to sing a differnt tune when you see how thick the SOB's can get..............good luck

How thick do they actually get there Haymaker? I mean, what sort of numbers would you see on a quarter at any given time? I'm just curious, I've heard lots of versions of lots. I think we have lot's, but maybe I'm wrong. For example, when I drive to town (about 40 miles) I will probably see 40 to 50 just in the ditches. Some days I see a lot more, and that's not counting the fields and hillsides. Any given field may have 20 to 50 head grazing at times. How does that compare with what you've got?

Sounds like you got em thick too Silver,I dont know what the numbers are on these fields, its plenty.The TX fish& game commission claims one deer to five acres in Kendall county but these fields concentrate them.I was down at the local feed mill a while back complaining about all the deer on my fields and one of the ladies that own/work there is kin to the old man that I bought this place from years ago and she told me there have always been to many deer in the bottoms on this place,and she went in the back room and found an old news paper that had an article about deer density on my place ,I swear there were so many deer on the fields you couldnt see the crop................good luck

 

[DOC HARRIS]

Damn deer on these hay fields burn my ***we got these white tail & axis and in the evenings you cant count them all,I will be lucky to cut one bale of these fields,and same thing across the road.white tail arent as bad as the axis ,damn things graze like a steer.............good luck

:!: :!: Hey, Hay Maker - You could become a Venison Salesman - pre-cooked and packaged and call them "Bambi Bales"! With my brains and your Money - we could make a new business venture into a fortune! :???: :shock:

 

[HAY MAKER]

Damn deer on these hay fields burn my ***we got these white tail & axis and in the evenings you cant count them all,I will be lucky to cut one bale of these fields,and same thing across the road.white tail arent as bad as the axis ,damn things graze like a steer.............good luck

:!: :!: Hey, Hay Maker - You could become a Venison Salesman - pre-cooked and packaged and call them "Bambi Bales"! With my brains and your Money - we could make a new business venture into a fortune! :???: :shock:

Well I hope you have enough brains to make up for my lack of money,I could'nt buy a low cut dress for a humming bird.And if we tried to sale white tail that big ole game warden around here will have us under the jail,axis we could and there are damn sure plentiful enough...........good luck DOC.

 

[frenchie]

A neighbouring ranch used the "bangers" for a while, for the elk problem. Said they worked good for the first while, but then they got imune to them. Now people are using Llammas (sp?). Elk and deer won't come into a feed pile with them around, and I've never actually seen deer or elk in the same field as the Llammas now that I think about it.

Silver... We sometimes use blood meal ..it works good.


One side effect it attracts bears.

 

[TXTibbs]

The Texas deer sure are smaller than the northern deer i'm used to. I guided hunters in Menard county and the does would weigh around 60lbs and the bucks might go 100!!! Thats crazy where up home the does would weigh over 100 in most cases and thats white-tail I'm talking about...the mule deer are usually heavier. As far as infestation of them up home they would usually just get kinda thick and then a bad winter comes and kills them all....same for the antelope. Or they get hemorragic (sp?) or some disease and die off. Where I was at before in Texas on the western edge of the hill country there were a lot of white-tail and a few axis, but besides a few motorists i never heard anyone complain. People make more money on the deer down here by selling hunts then they do on their livestock!!!! Thats a difference between Texas and up north, well in South Dakota anyway. Down here anyone with a brain and even some of those without can walk up and buy a deer license...in South Dakota its a lottery system and you have to apply. If you can make $2000 on a single Buck hunt/person, your not going to complain to much if he eats his share of hay. The does do add up quickly tho. Where I'm at now in Texas i have yet to see a deer since i've been here. I've seen a few antelope but no deer.

 

[nr]

What about some good sized territorial dogs left out at night that like to chase deer?

 

[HAY MAKER]

What about some good sized territorial dogs left out at night that like to chase deer?

These ole pot lickers that I have are to fat to chase any thing,come home the other day and was half a dozen does in the yard laying around ,dogs asleep on the front porch.But after my sudan gets up the deer dont use it as bad as when its spriggin,and like one of the posters said I believe it was TX Tibbs,I get $$$ out of these hunters ,so I guess it equals out.Hunters are coming this week end IM gonna make it clear they are gonna shoot some does..............good luck

 

[nr]

Haymaker, put those ol fat pot-licker doggies on Southbeach Diet and exercise. Maybe don't feed and they'll hanker for fresh venison.

 

[ranchwife]

we have a "slight" deer problem here, too, but luckily they stick to the more native grass near the river bottom---away from the hay fields! Our "problem children" in the hayfields are the darned antelope!! a few hundred of them on a good day and a few hundred on a bad day...makes the drive up the lane to the house treacherous at best when they decide they are no longer afraid of a vehicle and go running right on out there!!!

Doc Harris---i think you are onto something!! gotta figure out a way to get it "licensed and legal"....my hubby and i get a kick outta looking at those expensive outdoorsy-type magazines that sell clothes, hunting and camping supplies and (yep, you guessed it) VENISON!! they make a fortune off the stuff....city folk seem to think it is some sort of rare delicacy!! :shock: they need to be in our shoes for awhile! :wink:

 

[Jeannie]

Sure, then they can sell licenses for cougar and bear hunts! :lol:

naw, then they just tell ya your seeing things and don't know what your talkin about.... then fine you for shooting an animal that supposedly isn't there....

That would be funny if it wasn't so true! :???: