ORIGINAL: PreacherTony

Germ, if you could show me where scientists have studied the sperm of a 1.5 year old is genetically inferior tothe same buck at3.5 years old, I would be very interested to see it .... if it's true, then THAT is the platform for which QDM advocates should fire from.... and I would do everything in my power to educate folks in my area ....

By June the bucks and does should be on their summer home ranges, and the does should be fawning. It's time to start working on habitat improvement, fertilizing, mowing, spraying, and clearing trails and paths. You can also start glassing from the roads, to see if there are any big bucks out there, and where they hang out.
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How Social Status Affects Health and The Rut
It may be that current deer management and hunting practices in many areas (which result in lower than normal buck:doe ratios) that are the cause of the rut being delayed until late November, and continuing into January and even February in many northern states. In a deer management study by Dr. Larry Marchinton between 1981 and 1986, an increase in the buck to doe ratio from 25:100 in 1981-82, to 54:100 in 1983-84 resulted in the average breeding date changing from November 11 in 1981 to October 15 in 1982, almost a month earlier than normal; and the length of the breeding period was shortened from 96 to 43 days. In another study using quality deer management techniques, the average breeding date occurred almost two months earlier.
During Marchinton's study the average number of fetuses per does over the age of 2 1/2 years increased from 1.6 in 1985 to 1.9 in 1986, and pregnancy in doe fawns was detected in 1985. Fetal male:female sex ratios shifted from 64:36 during 1981-83, to a more balanced 47:53 during 1984-86. The average weights of yearling bucks increased from 90 pounds in 1982 to 110.5 pounds during the 1983-86 portion of the study. There was a significant weight increase in the 3.5 year and older bucks in a similar study by McKelvy. The positive results of these studies were credited to the increased age structure of the bucks.
An increase in the number of older dominant bucks in the deer herd has a direct suppressing effect on the testosterone levels of younger bucks, which reduces their aggressiveness and competition for breeding privileges. Since a low position in the breeding hierarchy results in less reproductive behavior and lower weight loss, those young bucks that do not breed grow to greater body size before they become dominant. This results in an overall increase in the number of older dominant bucks, which leads to earlier fawning dates and heavier body sizes of yearling bucks; and this leads to higher survival rates and eventually to increased buck numbers.

ORIGINAL: neck4752

Any buck to me with my bow is a trophy! Doe, button, spike, fork whatever.
Where I hunt you dont see a whole lot of deer and somtimes and sit on stand for days with out seeing one. Its like fishing. A 3-5lb large mouth is a "nice catch" up here. I went down to Florida and people would say thats a "small one".

Dont get me wrong we do grow deer big up here! Hunting is just very different. Hence there is much coverage of our state in hunting mags, shows, and videos. So my long winded response is......If its not at least 9.5 years old I let it walk! Just kidding. If I have a good shot and I am hungry any animal is a trophy!

Jim

ORIGINAL: Killer_Primate

I'm not aiming this right at you, but to people who use this train of thought in general, which I guess includes you...

Do you really not see the connection between "ain't many deer in these parts"...."so we shoot whatever and call it a trophy"....

Just stop typing and think on it for a few min....

Another that bothers me is "with my bow anything is a trophy"...

Maybe it is different in VA (where I live) but I see more deer and have more oportunities to kill them during bow season than any other time. Firearm season has spooked deer that aren't in a "rut". To me, in my area, it is harder to get that "trophy" during firearms season.

Please chill with the bow is so challenging crap.

Thanks,

KP

ORIGINAL: LebeauHunter

Germ,

I still don't think being stressed out would affect the genetics (which are basically DNA imbedded in the swimmers).

I thought that there were 3 basic things wrong with too many does:

(1) Too many deer = overpopulated, not enough food, etc.

(2) Rut not as good = too many does to chase, don't need to travel as far, and

(3) Hope I say this clearly: In a well balanced ratio, often only those bucks that are dominant and genetically superior will get a chance to breed because they will push the genetically inferior or smaller (whatever the age) deer out of the way. But, if there is a 2:1 doe to buck ratio all of the bucks will get to breed (including genetically inferior ones). So, while a 1.5 year old buck might have some stud genes, the other non-dominant, inferior 1.5 bucks are still getting a piece of the action. So the overall gene pool could be lowered in that way.

Does that third point make sense? Are we all saying the same thing?