Ok. you made put on my thinking cap. I dont think we are talking about the same thing. We know we have well into the 100 plus deer for 800 acres. we also have alot of food between plots and browes. Im trying to get a handle on what to monitor to tell if w have enough food for the deer or too many deer, 2 years ago we had hired a deer survey to be done and it was about a 1:1 ratio and that is when we stopped rapping and pillaging the forest and since then the deer population has grown but we have allso increased our food to feed the deer. Im trying to get a handle on the eating pressure of the deer. Sorry about the ramblings and not clear question. Im doing this about like everything else. Hair on fire running wide open ahead....
Maybe we are talking about different things, but probably not. I have a lot of thoughts running thru my head, and, like Charinsaw said, there's a lot to addressing your questions, some of which are probably still forming in your mind.
I think you like the challenge so, I'm going to go straight at it. You may not like it, but let's keep an open mind and a sense of humor!
I know you paid for a survey. I guess that has more value than a free survey. You use a couple different numbers throughout your narrative. And I only point it out because, since you got your thinking this far, I'm of the opinion you're going to have to settle on something, execute, and evaluate.
I apologize. I didn't read all nine pages of your property report. You land is in Somerset County, PA? Looks like you've done a fantastic job of interspersing food plots in all that forest land. Am I right about forest? Nearly 70% of Somerset County is forested.
I'll keep going. Maybe I'm wrong. Been there before. Back to county land use -- About 16% is hay and pasture and 6% is in row crops. Would you're 800 acres look like that?
What I'm trying to get to here is an estimate of the quantity and quality of your deer habitat. To support 165 whitetails on 800 acres is going to take a lot of both. And I think we better stop and consider the reasonableness of that number - the 165. As you say, the ratio is about 1:1 (closer to 2:1 is you divide 100 by 65). Again, this is not to discredit your narrative, but if we don't start with the right number real or imagined it could lead to some big management mistakes.
If you have that many does and you don't reduced the population - well, have you heard of a "doe factory" and it's implications for "good" hunting? And if the numbers you provide are too big and you start killing does based on that number you are heading away from where you want to be. But, that's not your question.
One more thing and than you can respond if you wish.
I think we can find ample research indicating a whitetail deer consumes dry matter in the amount of 3% to 5% of its body weight daily. Let's assume (and you can change it as you wish), on average, each deer weights 100 lbs. Further, let's assume the top percent intake - 5%. Skipping a couple steps, your population needs to find just over 800 lbs of dry matter every day. Some days there might not be 800 lbs of dry matter on the place. Other days there might be plenty for a couple thousand deer. The biggest problem is how much browse (tons of dry matter) your forests supply. I think we can make a reasonable estimate .... or you can.... based on the maturity of the trees. Looking at you pictures there seems to be a mix of tree maturities.
And we are both trying to get to the eating pressure of the deer. I have far too little information about your habitat, and far too much healthy skepticism about the number of deer you are feeding. Maybe 165 is the number on a given day, but day after day, on average over a year?
Thoughts?
