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Feb 12th, 2024
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 Question concerning deer to acreage ratio
#85702
08/27/06 10:03 PM
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Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 28
hasbeen
OP
Light Foot
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OP
Light Foot
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 28 |
I realize this ratio will vary based on cover and food but I was curious as to what kind of acreage you would would need to sustain a healthy herd of whitetail in South Texas. Somewhere that could take 3-4 Bucks taken off of it a year?
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Re: Question concerning deer to acreage ratio
[Re: hasbeen]
#85703
08/27/06 10:28 PM
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Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 751
M16
Tracker
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Tracker
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 751 |
For an example lets say you have a 600 acre high fenced place and do supplemental feeding in South Texas. You could easily run a deer per 10 acres. That would give you a total of 60 deer. If you had a one to one buck to doe ratio that would give you 30 bucks on the place. Normally you can shoot about 20% of the total buck population or say 6 bucks a year. That would include spikes and culls as well as trophies. Probably one trophy a year with the rest being management, culls, and spikes. You would also of course need to control the doe population. This is just to give a general answer to your question as there are a lot of varibles in each individual situation.
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Re: Question concerning deer to acreage ratio
[Re: M16]
#85704
08/28/06 01:25 AM
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Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,256
bluewavemike
Pro Tracker
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Pro Tracker
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,256 |
Most South Texas Big Buck leases have 1 hunter per 300 to 500 acres. Thats one reson it is so costly to hunt down there($3,000 to $10,000) a gun but there are 150 to 180 class deer. Most of the leases you can only take 1 51/2 year old buck not 3 bucks.
MD Smith >>>----->
You gota kill it before you grill it
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Re: Question concerning deer to acreage ratio
[Re: bluewavemike]
#85705
08/28/06 01:39 AM
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Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 22
Alan Warren
Light Foot
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Light Foot
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 22 |
I agree with these comments but would like to add... once you get on a lease... that's just the beginning of your expense. You want a deer blind? A feeder? A feed pen to keep the hogs out? More than one blind, feeder? Year 'round protein feed as part of your management program? Access to a hunter's cabin? (And on and on).
This is going to be an interesting season. There will be some giant deer killed, no doubt. But for the landowners who've been "maxing" out their lease prices (hoping that Mother Nature will help provide rainfall to produce big antlers for their Lessees)... their hunters will likely be disappointed. The drought is bad this year (very, very bad). If it continues into the fall (like this) and we have a bad winter... watch out.
Alan Warren
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Re: Question concerning deer to acreage ratio
[Re: bluewavemike]
#85706
08/28/06 02:37 AM
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Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 751
M16
Tracker
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Tracker
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 751 |
Quote:
Most South Texas Big Buck leases have 1 hunter per 300 to 500 acres.
Actually the ranches that grow really big deer have about one hunter per 750-1000 acres with the more being the better. I call the 300-500 acres per hunter places in South Texas recreationl leases. Somebody may kill a 150 class and occasionally a bigger buck. It also depends on the mindset of the hunters. Does every hunter on the lease have to kill a buck every year to justify the cost. Going home after the season without shooting a buck seperates the trophy hunter from the wannabe trophy hunter. If every hunter on the lease doesn't have to kill a trophy buck every season then you can get by with less acreage.
Quote:
Most of the leases you can only take 1 51/2 year old buck not 3 bucks.
That was true several years ago but I see that changing. Many of the ranches are taking bucks that have no potential after they reach a certain age. So it is not uncommon to be able to shoot management and cull bucks along with a trophy if one comes along. This of course requires hunters with the skill and knowledge to be able to accurately judge deer on the hoof.
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Re: Question concerning deer to acreage ratio
[Re: M16]
#85707
08/28/06 02:59 PM
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 17,117
MikeC
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 17,117 |
We lease 3500 low fence acres in the panhandle. The TPWD biologist recommended that we not take more than one mature buck for every 500 to 700 acres. We have five hunters so we are at the 700 acre per hunter level. Last year was our first year on the lease and we only took 2 management/cull bucks off of the palce and 5 does. I haven't shot a buck in the last six seasons so having to kill a buck to justify the cost is not an issue with me or the other guys.
We have been blessed with enough rain up there this summer to keep the range conditions good and are anticipating some good antlers as a result. We have already seen a few really good bucks on our trips up to put out feed but haven't caught any of them on the game cams yet.
We are going up this weekend so maybe one of the big boys has made an apperance!!!
MikeC
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Re: Question concerning deer to acreage ratio
[Re: Alan Warren]
#85708
08/28/06 04:12 PM
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Joined: May 2006
Posts: 9,794
ILUVBIGBUCKS
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 9,794 |
Quote:
I agree with these comments but would like to add... once you get on a lease... that's just the beginning of your expense. You want a deer blind? A feeder? A feed pen to keep the hogs out? More than one blind, feeder? Year 'round protein feed as part of your management program? Access to a hunter's cabin? (And on and on).
This is going to be an interesting season. There will be some giant deer killed, no doubt. But for the landowners who've been "maxing" out their lease prices (hoping that Mother Nature will help provide rainfall to produce big antlers for their Lessees)... their hunters will likely be disappointed. The drought is bad this year (very, very bad). If it continues into the fall (like this) and we have a bad winter... watch out.
Alan Warren
You hit the nail on the head with all of the 'other' expenses that you incur on top of the actual lease cost! Even if a person has all of their equipment needed such as blinds, feeders, guns, ranch transportation (jeep, 4 wheeler, etc.), just the cost of gas and wear and tear on your vehicle to get to and from the lease can add up! I didn't include food or drink because it doesn't matter, you have to eat and drink if you are at home or at the lease.
I believe that the high cost of at best and average deer lease is some of what is causing people to opt for package hunts. Look at it this way, if a man gets on a $5,000.00 lease and spends another $2,500.00 on top of that he's not guaranteed even a nice management deer. On the other had he could take that $7,500.00 and spend it on a deer that scores in the 160s on a package deal.
As far as the range conditions you are right. There are many places that are really struggling right now and it looks like it might get worse. Although there are spotty areas that are a garden of Eden in South Texas right now, the majority needs water now. I spoke with a well known 'old timer' that has 10,000 acres under high fence about 3 months ago and he said that for him the drier the better because of the feeding program he's on. He said that the three best deer he's ever taken off his ranch were in a very dry year because it forced the deer to the protein. He did say that they lost some deer that year but overall it was a great year. I think as long as you have water spread out over your place and have an established feeding program the drought will not have a major effect on your herd.
High fence, low fence, no fence, it really doesn't matter as long as you're hunting!
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