I think the management key to minimizing fighting to the degree you can lies in the buck/doe ratio and the age structure. I like 1/1 b/d ratio. I saw your post elsewhere preferring slightly more does. I think the reason we may differ there lies with age structure. I believe if you get enough bucks in the older age classes ...5+ with ample bucks 6+. they exert significant control over the breeding cycle. I also find the older bucks are far less prone to fight. They intimidate younger bucks thru body language and have known their cohorts long enough that most dominance issues are settled. It's the 3 and 4 yr olds that do most of the fighting...and killing each other. But having older age classes I think even moderates the younger ones from fighting, again thru intimidation.
I like 1/1 b/d for several reasons. A tight ratio tightens the rut , effectively shortening it which also limits the time bucks are apt to fight. Also a tighter rut reduces stress on the bucks leading to quicker recovery and a healthier start to the new year. In my case I only want the does necessary to ensure my recruitment goals. Any more are superfluous and limit nutrition.
I have seen properties that had 3-4B/1D. Interestingly fighting increased in that situation. Even the older bucks were killing each other. I theorize it was because there were several mature bucks for every doe coming in estrus. Lots of super stars were found dead.
Be curious if any of the pundits you know have opinions.
Interesting....I agree that age structure likely plays a significant role. As my grandmother would have put it, after checking to be sure no one was looking, young bucks are filled with "piss and vinegar." They're the ones most often itching for a fight to carve out their slot in the hierarchy. They don't seem smart/seasoned enough yet to realize the damages of fighting, where as most of the big boys seem to see fighting as more of a last resort. They'll do it if they have to, but would rather just posture the competition away. Even on the larger free ranges I've managed, I've never been able to get the age structure as solid as those I know that manage behind fences (not a rip on fences, just an observation).
I remember that your fenced areas are very big, but I don't recall how big. I'm guessing that the fence may have something to do with limited fighting at 1:1, as well. In theory, the bucks inside a fence know each other better and have fewer "strangers" showing up during the rut. In theory, they have the chance to more firmly set their hierarchy before the rut kicks in, potentially avoiding more conflicts because of it. The nastiest fights I've seen over the years are between mature bucks during the rut that seemed not to interact before the rut. Now, you have 2 stud, jacked on peaking testosterone that hadn't previously had the chance to determine which if either of them were willing to assume a more submissive role to the other.
As far as flipped buck:doe ratios, I've only lived that once, myself (EHD & BT wiped the deer numbers, with more bucks being left than does). As it only happened once to me, take this with a grain of salt, but the bucks were pure hell on each other. I don't think I had a single 3.5+ yr old buck with a full rack left by Nov 15th. John Ozoga did something similar in his UP enclosure and told me he had similar results.
I've managed supper tight ratios a decent sized handful of times. The buck fights weren't as bad as when more bucks than does, but they sure appeared to be more frequent, definitely more busted up racks than when skewed a bit higher to does, but the buck movement definitely also seems to increase the tighter the ratio. I see the 1:2-2.5 ratio as a balancing point between keeping buck stress lower, while still offering pretty good buck movement during the rut, if that makes any sense.
All that said, I know that none of this has been in a controlled enough environment and even a "decent sized handful of times" is not enough to base firm conclusions on. I do believe there's something to that, though.
