Start A Game Management Program

By: Keith Warren, TV Host of “The High Road”

With deer hunting season underway around the country, it’s a popular time to think about game management. As hunters take to the field, they hope to see that trophy buck and all too many times, it never happens. In most cases, not being able to see a big buck is not because they are not good hunters. It’s because there are no big bucks there. Why? Because the lack of serious game management.  

It’s hard to kill a trophy buck when they don’t exist. Game cameras can help tell the hunter what’s is in their area and lots of important information can be obtained from these pictures. But, these cameras are only one tool a game manager uses. 

Many hunters and landowners are lost when it comes to growing bigger bucks because they don’t know where they are to begin with. And I’m not talking about where the deer are here. If you are looking to start managing your deer so that you see real results, you must have accurate data to tell you where you are at all times. 

Growing big deer takes time and you must stay committed to the program or you will not be successful. 

To start your program, you need to know the basic information. Sex, age, weight, body condition, lactating (if it’s a doe), antler mass, spread and gross score on bucks. Keep this information in a journal and this will help you know where you currently are with your program. 

Of course age and nutrition are needed in order for any deer to get larger and those things are easily controlled simply by not pulling the trigger. With the availability of great supplemental protein feed at any local feed store, giving your deer better groceries has never been easier. 

I like to feed deer year round and you will notice that their feed consumption changes, as their nutritional needs change due to range conditions. 

After years of record keeping on all deer harvested, you will be able to see trends that will help you see if you are on the right track or not. And the best part is you can prove it because you have good data to back it up.

So if you are looking to grow bigger deer, you have to know where you are now. Start a serious record keeping program and at the same time, try to hold off pulling the trigger for a while, at least on the young bucks. Provide supplemental protein feed and be patient. Normally, within two to three years the results are easy to see and you will feel great knowing that your commitment to your deer herd is paying off.