Blackbucks and Feed Pens

All the conversation about pens around feeders got me to thinking about our place in the Hill Country around Rocksprings. We have a booming population of Blackbuck that are starting to drive off the deer. We started with 1 male and 3 females 6 years ago. Now we have probably 15-20 of them. Hard to tell since they all look pretty much the same to me. I have been told that Blackbuck won't jump a fence unless they are seriously pressured. From what I have seen I think that is true. Do you guys think that putting some pens around our feeders would be a good thing in trying to reduce the blackbuck population? I know ultimately they won't just leave and that we will have to shoot them. Just trying to give the deer a better chance. Those blackbuck are pretty territorial and basically take over a feeder. I have seen them chase off mature axis bucks before.

I don't have a clue, but I'll happily get rid of them for ya!

You bet, cattle panels will keep the backbuck out. But, keeping the herd reduced, especially females, is your best bet.

34" hog panels will work well to keep blackbucks out. They reproduce twice per year so pops get out of hand quick. I started with 4 females and 1 male and after 5 yrs had 85 head in one pasture.

We haven't started any population control yet, but plan to once the weather starts to cool off enough to want to deal with them. The meat is really good. I had to kill a male one afternoon that tried to dive through a fence and broke his neck on a fencepost. Some of the best meat I have had. I think next trip out will be time to put up some pens around a few feeders and get the blackbuck isolated to a few of them and start controlling population a bit. With all the cousins itching to shoot something out there I doubt we will have any trouble getting the "problem" back under control. Don't think we want them gone, just reduced to a lower number.