Victor Creek Hunting Club

Minutes 9/21/08

New Doe Regulations for the 2008 – 2009 Season Only

For the 2008-2009 seasons we are changing doe regulations. For this season the 90 lb rule has be modified. Your first Doe may be any size. We encourage it to be a mature Does over 90 lbs. If your first Doe is mature weighing over 90 lbs you will be eligible for a bonus tag to use on the club only. If it is not over 90 lbs you will not be eligible. There will be no penalty. However, each additional Doe must be over 90 lbs live weight. Each member will be eligible for bonus tags for each Doe over 90 lbs until all bonus tags are used. These tags are first come first serve.

There is also a possibility that we will be doing a deer drive. This will be to get the deer moving.

Change in Membership Dues

We still have 15 memberships not filled. Because of this, dues will be raised another $150 this year only to cover the cost of our lease. We are asking that this be paid a.s.a.p. We apologize for this inconvenience, we have been working hard to get new members but because of the economy people just aren’t willing to spend the money. Family Day will not be funded by the club this year.

Family Day

Family Day will be October 25^th this year. It will begin at noon. We will also have hotdogs for the kids this year. We are asking for you to bring a covered dish since that went over so well last year. And desserts are always welcome! We are also asking that you bring your own drinks to cut down on cost. Also to cut down on cost, there will be no door prize. A reminder for everyone to bring chairs to set in that day and if you have a card table, you might want to consider bringing that. If you have children with you don’t forget outdoor activities that they might like such as balls or other things they might like to do.

We need an accurate head count for those planning to attend family day. You can email me at sec@vchc.info, call me at home 501-321-1167 or text me on my cell phone at 501-802-7789. Don’t forget to include you name and how many when you contact me.

Reminders

New permanent home for our website: http://vchc.info

When you take a dear make sure that you record all information accurately. You cannot tell by squeezing the nipples of a doe to tell if they are lactating, you have to cut open the milk glands and if you see a creamy white or tan color they are lactating. Do not forget to write the check your check sheet number on the jawbone.

Identifying Does and Fawns

An adequate doe harvest is essential to maintaining population densities within available food supplies and balancing sex ratios. Unfortunately, well-intentioned hunters often mistake buck fawns for does. Harvesting "nubbin" or 6-month-old buck fawns will reduce future antlered-buck numbers, so it should be kept to a minimum. Fortunately, there are several ways to differentiate between does and fawns.

Early season bow hunters regularly see spotted fawns. The fawn's spotted coat is normally shed and replaced with a brownish or grayish coat by mid-autumn, although areas with late fawning may still have spotted fawns even during gun season. The fawn's forehead and nose are shorter in comparison to the adult doe's head. The relative shortness of a fawn's face is the most critical identifying feature.

Fawn behavior differs from the adult doe; fawns are more playful, naive, inquisitive, and in the buck fawn's case, more aggressive. A buck fawn may be the first anterless deer you see because he is less wary and more inquisitive. The "nubbin" buck has developing antler bases or pedicles (immature antlers) that are difficult to see early in the season but are easier to detect later, particularly from the side.

Use these tips to harvest an older doe and avoid harvesting a buck fawn:

Do not harvest an antlerless deer that appears alone. Adult does rarely travel alone. Does and fawns normally travel together in social groups, although it is often the buck fawn that enters an opening first. Wait until several deer are together and then look for obvious size differences. Harvest one of the larger antlerless deer.
Later in the hunting season, it is not uncommon for "orphaned" twin fawns to feed in food plots. Probability dictates one will be a buck and one a doe. In this situation, it is easy to mistake the buck fawn for an adult doe, since it is normally larger than the doe fawn. The doe's head normally is more rounded on top between the ears, because the buck's head is flattened by the presence of the pedicles. Close inspection with binoculars looking for the pedicles or antler bases helps avoid harvesting the nubbin buck.
Watch the behavior of deer. Fawns are playful, curious, and not as wary as adult does.
Examine the head of deer; check for pedicles on buck fawns, particularly from the side view. Pay attention to obvious fawns throughout the season; look for indications of pedicle development. Do not wait until you are ready to harvest a doe to look for differences between fawns and adult does. Do not harvest antlerless deer with short noses or foreheads.
Look for "wear and tear" signs that typify mature does (for example, ears that appear too short for the head, a swayed back, and a sagging belly). The snout of an adult doe is relatively longer than a fawn's. An adult doe's body is rectangular shaped, while a fawn's body is square shaped.
If you are not sure of the ages, wait to harvest an animal when you can make a more positive identification.

Antler Size Characteristics

Antler size is difficult to judge in the field, particularly under hunting conditions. Harvest decisions often are made hurriedly. You might mistakenly harvest a young, immature buck unless you can determine age and antler size with some measure of accuracy. In the Southeast, 1½-year-old bucks rarely exceed 12 to 13 inches inside spread. Not harvesting bucks with less than 13 inches inside spread effectively protects the entire yearling age class. Requiring a minimum number of antler points, as practiced in some states, also protects a significant number of yearling bucks. Restricting harvest of bucks not meeting a minimum inside spread criterion and number of points is a common management tool.

Use the following tips to judge antler size:

Ear width -- In the normal or relaxed position, the tip-to-tip distance between ears on a buck is about 15 inches. An alarmed deer orients his ears in a forward direction to focus on noises; this alarm behavior reduces tip-to-tip ear width down to about 12 inches. Use ear width to estimate inside spread of antlers if the buck looks in your direction.
Ear length -- The length of a buck's ear from base to tip is about 6 to 7 inches. Use ear length to estimate antler tine length directly. Beam length is difficult to estimate accurately and requires a frontal and side view. If inside spread exceeds the relaxed ear tip-to-tip width, then look at the side view. If the antler seen from the side projects forward beyond the midpoint between the eyes and the tip of the nose, you have a buck with beam length exceeding 20 inches.
Number of antler points -- It is almost impossible to see all antler points clearly from any one perspective. Use frontal and side views to get a full count of antler points. It is difficult to see brow tines except from the frontal position. From the side, count the number of points projecting upward from the main beam. If you see two on each side, it will likely be an 8-point buck. If you see three points projecting up on each side, it will likely be a 10-point buck.

Physical Characteristics

Whitetails are like people in the sense that the overall body appearance changes with age. The general appearance becomes "more mature" as the buck ages from year to year. By judging the general overall appearance and then focusing on specific body characteristics, it is possible to place bucks into one of several age classes.

Selective harvest to meet the specific needs of individual deer management programs requires that bucks be aged based on general physical characteristics. Specific antler characteristics such as minimum inside spread or minimum number of points can greatly help protect yearling bucks. Antler characteristics alone, however, may not provide the needed level of resolution for all selective harvest applications. Even general appearances change during rut; an older buck may lose up to 25 percent of its body weight due to increased activity and decreased food consumption.

The 1½-Year-Old Buck (Yearling)

It is often said a yearling buck resembles a "doe with antlers," which makes it relatively easy to discern. The 1½-year-old buck will not develop the swollen neck and muscular characteristics of older bucks. These bucks tend to have thin hindquarters and long, thin legs. Think of a teenaged boy, not yet reaching full height and not nearly "filled in."

Almost all yearlings have an antler spread less than 13 inches. These "teenagers" have not learned to be as secretive as their older associates are, so they often enter food plots earlier than older bucks and tend to be in the vicinity of doe family groups. The average size of a buck's antlers doubles between 1½ and 2½ years of age, so it is a good decision to let a yearling buck grow at least another year.

2½-Year-Old Buck

The 2½-year-old group is more difficult than yearlings to judge. The majority of this age group still have antler spreads inside the ears, but some individuals may produce a good set of antlers. During rut, this age class produces a limited amount of neck swelling due to muscle development, and the waist, or area just in front of the back legs, is relatively thin. Their hindquarters are much more filled in than the yearling's, but their legs appear to be "long and lanky." This age class has lots of growing to do before reaching full maturity, so it is best to let them grow at least another year. Their racks are only about 60 percent of the size they will be at 5½ to 6½ years.

3½-Year-Old Buck

The ability to distinguish 3½-year-old age group is important to a management program emphasizing harvest of mature-aged bucks with maximum antler development. During the rut, the buck's neck is thickly muscled, yet there is still a distinct junction between the neck and shoulders. Some biologists compare its look to that of a well-conditioned racehorse.

The chest region may begin to appear deeper than the hindquarter area; inside spread of antlers typically is at or outside the ears. These bucks can develop impressive antlers, especially on well-managed properties in productive habitats; they are easily mistaken for "mature" deer. In reality, they have reached only about 75 percent of maximum antler development.

4½-Year-Old Buck

A white-tailed buck physiologically matures by 4½ years of age. By this age they have almost all of their adult body mass and have lost the racehorse look. Its neck region is fully muscled, giving the appearance of blending into the shoulders, and the waistline is as deep as the chest. Buck activity patterns may have changed by this age due to an increased wariness; they may not venture into open areas until about dark. Physiological maturity is closely associated with the maturing of a buck's antlers. By this age, the average buck will have grown about 90 percent of his total antler size.

5½- to 6½-Year-Old Buck (Mature or Prime)

Fully matured bucks have a distinctive look that is undeniable once experienced. This publication groups deer 5½ years old and 6½ years old into one age class, because few hunters or managers will want to try to differentiate animals. Antler size typically is maximum at 5½ to 6½ years of age and may deteriorate thereafter, depending on forage conditions.

During the rut, the buck's neck blends completely into his shoulders, and his front half appears to be one large mass. His legs appear shorter than legs of younger deer, but this is an optical illusion because his chest is taking up more of the viewing area. Just as people in middle age, most mature bucks exhibit a sagging belly. Their eyes are squinty in appearance. Mature bucks often show battle scars such as torn ears, broken antler tines, and scratched necks.

7½-Year-Old and Older Bucks

Over-matured bucks are often mistaken for younger animals because some body characteristics tend to revert. Muscularity is lost in the neck area because these animals may not participate as frequently in normal rutting activities. A swayed back and a prominent potbelly are other signs of this aged buck. Loose skin develops on the neck and head areas as muscle tone declines. Recent battle scars may not be visible, but old scars such as slit ears are evident. A buck's antler size tends to decline with advancing age.

By Stephen Demarais, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries; Dean Stewart, Extension Wildlife Specialist, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, and Robert N. Griffin, District Administrator, Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks.

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This site last updated March 30, 2010

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