Deer Management

In this week’s show, we’re closing out the deer season in Alabama. We’re with good friends, the Wolfe’s. Their property is strictly managed and they keep inventory of all of their deer through year-round use of trail cameras. The thousands of photos they capture each year allow them to know and keep track of all of their bucks and establish their criteria for deer they look to harvest. The deer Tina harvested was captured many times through the use of their trail cameras and they were able to identify him as a mature buck with a “bump” off his left side.

Trail cameras can be a great tool for taking inventory of the deer on your farm. Many people set their sights on harvesting a 130 inch or larger deer. In some areas around the county, this class of deer doesn’t happen very often. In the case with Tina’s deer, he was a 6 year-old deer that scored 130 inches. If you’re looking to set harvest criteria on your property take a look at the deer herd as a whole and set your goals apart from others taking into account the location of your property. Gary was also able to harvest a 4 year-old 130 inch deer that had just showed up on the property the day before. It just goes to show you when dealing with a wild animal even when you think you have them figured out, they throw you a curve ball!