THE SUPER GENE

Managing A Deer Herd For Big Bucks

EDITOR'S NOTE: What role does genes play in your local deer herd? Can the introduction of a monster buck into a herd assure quality deer for years to come? The answer to these and other questions will definitely surprise you. I talked with Dr. Harry Jacobson, one of the nation's leading deer researchers from Mississippi State University in Starkville, Mississippi, who currently studies genetic effects on deer populations.

QUESTION: At what age does the white-tailed buck reach maturity?
ANSWER: We consider 5- or 6-year-old bucks as mature. In most sections of the country, outdoorsmen primarily take bucks 1- to 3-years old. But hunters will have bigger bucks to harvest if they permit the deer to mature into the older-age classes.

Question: How can a hunter tell the age of a deer standing in front of him when he gets ready to make the shot?
Answer: Most people can't tell the difference between a 4-year-old and an 8-year-old buck in the wild. But you can know by the age of the bucks hunters take each year whether your club has over-exploited the herd. If hunters consistently take bucks less than 3-years old on the land you hunt, then the chances of producing big bucks greatly diminish. However, if hunters take a good mix of 4-, 5- and 6-year-old bucks each season, then your club will harvest better bucks, and your deer herd will have the potential of producing bigger bucks every year.

Question: If you have a really large buck standing in front of you -- the type of buck any hunter wants to take -- will you shoot him?
Answer: I wouldn't if I managed the land and could control the hunting on the land. I'd let the buck survive to breed. To preserve the gene pool and consistently produce bigger and better bucks, I'd try to take a smaller buck that appeared only average in size.

Question: Can you mismanage genetics in a deer herd?
Answer: Yes, if you introduce a buck not adapted to the environment you bring it into, you may create more problems for your deer herd than you solve. Many hunters fail to remember that genetics in deer is expressed in more ways than just body weight and antler development. Other genes may be equally or even more important.

One of these genes is disease resistance. If you release a buck on your property and the buck doesn't carry a disease- resistant gene compatible with the area, that buck may produce offspring not as disease resistant as the offspring of the resident population in that region. For instance, a trophy buck from Alberta may not can resist the diseases in Alabama as well as a buck bred in Alabama. But an Alabama buck may not be as resistant to cold-weather diseases as an Alberta buck will be.