badlandbucks
Ten Pointer
CRC may be upset I found this before him...I stumbled across a deer study conducted by Mississippi State University Deer Lab. They did a 10 year study on genetics that completely debunks the old school theory of culling small antlered bucks in order to improve genetics in a given area. Makes a TON of sense. Their findings were that genetics in a deer herd cannot be changed, period. The vast majority of small antlered bucks can be attributed to other factors. Spike Bucks for example, have long been considered as genetically inferior. In their studies, they determined that yearling bucks are most often spikes because they were born later than yearlings that have branched antlers. This is a direct result of a skewed sex ratio in the herd. When the rut is spread out over 2-3 months, which will be the case when you have a 10 or 20 to 1 doe/buck ratio, does get bred later in the year, which means their fawns will be born later, and they do not have time to catch up to the older fawns their first year. The study showed that by age 2, almost all the spikes had caught up to the other bucks the same age. The biologist said that shooting a spike buck will do absolutely nothing to improve genetics, because you can't. Genetics are not able to be manipulated. Another thing the study mentioned was buck dispersal. 80% of yearling bucks will disperse to an area different than where they were born. Which means that no matter how many young "cull bucks" you shoot, more will always come from somewhere else, and the buck fawns you see in your area will move somewhere else, so there is a constant influx of young bucks from other areas, making culling bucks in hopes to improve genetics in the herd counterproductive. It was also confirmed that the mother of a buck fawn has more to do with his potential antler size than the father. The mother's genetics will determine body size of a buck as well. Once again this leads back to breeding date. a late bred doe has less available food to grow a fetus, and her body will restrict the amount of nutrition to the fawn while she is pregnant, resulting in lower birth weights, and antler growth that is stunted. The study determined the biggest factor to seeing bigger antlered bucks is to balance the sex ratio. TX for example has small bodied deer, but they grow big racks. Many of the best managed ranches (the study mentioned the King Ranch) have a 1 to 1 sex ratio, so all the breeding happens in a short window, and fawns are all born at roughly the same time. The fawns are healthier and bigger, which predisposes them to grow bigger antlers because less of their food has to go towards body and skeletal development.
It is true that some bucks just do not have genetic potential to have big antlers. Antler size is a bell curve, with most in a certain range, and a few above (really big bucks) and a few below ("cull bucks"). The best reason to shoot a "cull buck" is to remove a mouth from the table and lower food stress on the deer herd, or to keep him from running off a really nice 2 or 3 year old with much better potential. It will in no way affect the future genetics of a wild herd.
The best way to improve antler size is through managing sex ratio, and by using nutrition to shift that bell curve to where a greater percentage of bucks reach their full potential. Most bucks in the South do not reach their maximum genetic potential due to being born late, poor food, and stress.
It is true that some bucks just do not have genetic potential to have big antlers. Antler size is a bell curve, with most in a certain range, and a few above (really big bucks) and a few below ("cull bucks"). The best reason to shoot a "cull buck" is to remove a mouth from the table and lower food stress on the deer herd, or to keep him from running off a really nice 2 or 3 year old with much better potential. It will in no way affect the future genetics of a wild herd.
The best way to improve antler size is through managing sex ratio, and by using nutrition to shift that bell curve to where a greater percentage of bucks reach their full potential. Most bucks in the South do not reach their maximum genetic potential due to being born late, poor food, and stress.