herd management

Fawns are the Fix for Most Deer-Hunting “Mistakes”

Jun 3, 2020 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

I bring good news to all deer hunters who think they made some “mistake” last season or feel like “disaster” struck: The arrival of fawns each spring is the annual correction that makes it difficult…

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QDM Works. Culling Doesn’t.

Oct 16, 2019 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

Donnie Draeger used to believe in culling deer to improve antler genetics. Over his career as the wildlife biologist at the Comanche Ranch in southwest Texas, he’d spent a lot of time and the ranch’s…

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10 Weird Parasites that Live Inside Deer

Oct 20, 2014 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

You may not want to know what I’m about to tell you: Whitetails are virtual school buses for parasites. They are packed from nose to tail with mucus-covered lifeforms. The good news is these parasites…

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Can We Prevent EHD?

Mar 20, 2013 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

Hemorrhagic disease (HD) hit whitetails extremely hard in 2012, the latest in a recent string of notable years for outbreaks. The disease (mostly strains of a virus known as epizootic hemorrhagic disease or EHD, but…

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5 Reasons to Take Does Early

Aug 15, 2012 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

When the density of deer where you hunt exceeds the ability of the habitat to support those deer in healthy condition, it’s time to take an appropriate number of does to bring balance (and balance…

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Know the Signs of HD: Hemorrhagic Disease

Jul 2, 2012 Kip Adams

During the summer of 2011, regional outbreaks of hemorrhagic disease (HD) in white-tailed deer stole the headlines throughout portions of the Unites States. This – occurring just four years after the HD epidemic in 2007,…

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Harvesting the Right Number of Deer

Mar 9, 2012 Kip Adams

In other articles, we’ve talked about harvesting the right number of does and bucks in your QDM program. Once you set your harvest goals, it is critical that you monitor the results by collecting harvest…

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How Many Bucks Can I Harvest?

Mar 9, 2012 Kip Adams

Let’s continue our discussion of harvest prescriptions with another common question: “How many bucks can I harvest?” The number of bucks you can harvest will depend highly on your level of restraint and the age…

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How Many Does Can I Harvest?

Mar 9, 2012 Kip Adams

“How Many Does Should I Harvest?” This is undoubtedly the most commonly asked question I receive each year as fall approaches. Hunters ask whether they should shoot any, a few, or a lot of does….

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How to Establish a QDM Cooperative

Jan 25, 2012 NDA Staff

“We would love to participate in a deer management program on our property, but those dirtbags across the fence shoot everything that moves. So, what’s the point?” Sound familiar? I’ve heard this countless times over…

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