In this episode, we dive into a common question for deer hunters and wildlife management organizations alike: How many does should you harvest? Managing deer populations for optimal health and balance between deer numbers and available forage is crucial. Here are the 12 key signs that indicate you may need to harvest more does than you have been:

1. Full Buck Tags, Empty Doe Tags: A balanced harvest of one doe for every buck can prevent an unbalanced buck-to-doe ratio and overpopulation.
2. Rattling and Grunt Calls Rarely Work: If bucks aren’t responding to calls, the buck-to-doe ratio may be too skewed toward does.
3. Browse Lines: If deer strip vegetation up to a certain height, it’s a clear sign of overpopulation and inadequate forage.
4. Older Does in the Harvest: The age distribution of harvested does can indicate whether you are under or over-harvesting them.
5. Kidney Fat: Deer health can be gauged by fat levels around their kidneys. Sparse fat means poor health and a need for better habitat or more doe harvest.
6. Food Plot Cages: Simple browse enclosures can show if your food plots are over-browsed, signaling a need for more forage or a reduced deer population.
7. Deer Eating Poor Forage: When deer start eating low-quality, tough-to-digest plants, it’s a sign they are overpopulated for the available food.
8. The Rut is a Dud: A lack of rut behaviors like buck fights or scrapes can be a sign that too many does are available, reducing competition.
9. Non-Native Plants Rule: If your land is infested with non-native plants, it reduces the carrying capacity for deer, requiring a lower deer population.
10. Internal Parasites Are Abundant: High levels of parasites in harvested deer signal poor health, likely caused by overpopulation.
11. Tick-Infested Deer: Ticks thrive when deer populations are too dense, leading to health issues for deer and increased tick-borne diseases.
12. You Hunt in a CWD Management Zone: Chronic Wasting Disease management zones require special consideration, and harvesting does is crucial to maintaining healthy deer populations and slowing the spread of the disease.

Guest Info: Lindsay Thomas Jr., Chief Communications Officer of the National Deer Association (NDA), shares his expertise on deer management and the importance of proper doe harvest. Lindsay has over 20 years of experience in wildlife journalism and has been instrumental in educating hunters on sustainable hunting practices.

Links & Resources:

• National Deer Association
• Article: https://deerassociation.com/12-signs-you-should-harvest-more-does/

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