MS. Hill Country Magazine July, 2014

MAGAZINEJULY, 2014

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Finding the Buck to Doe Ratio On Your Property

No matter what outdoor show you watch on TV or what hunting expo you may attend, sometime or another, the subject of buck to doe ratio will arise. Though no formula is perfect one sure fired way to get close is the following trail camera method.

You will need multiple cameras and they will need to be tested before use. Those from the same manu-facture will often be different so don’t take for granted that what it says on the wrapper is what you get. Put your cameras with slower trigger speeds in the fields and the faster ones in the woods.

You will need to leave your cameras out for 2 weeks and then relocate them 200-300 yards from the original site.

The more pictures you retrieve the more accurate the results. Total pictures of bucks = XTotal pictures of special or unique bucks = YTotal picture of does (not fawns) = ZDoe Multiplier = B Y divided by X=AA x Z = Number of doesY divided by B = Buck to doe ration25 bucks with 5 special is 5 div by 25 = .280 pictures of does is 80 x .2 = 16 Results- 5 bucks per 16 does

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Mississippi Alligator Hunting Application Period Still Open

Alligator hunting applications are available through June 9 for persons interested in hunting during the 2014 season on public waterways. Ap-plications are available only at www.mdwfp.com. For 2014, there are seven public waterway zones with 920 available alligator hunting permits; indi-viduals may apply for any or all zones. Applicants must be a Mississippi resident at least 16 years of age, provide a current email address, and pos-sess a valid Mississippi hunting license. Residents who are exempt from purchasing a hunting license may apply by validating their exempt status on the application. All drawn applicants will be notified via email within five working days of the June 9 deadline.

Applications will be through July 1 for private lands alligator hunting vouchers in the following counties; Adams, Attala, Bolivar, Carroll, Claiborne, Copiah, Hancock, Harrison, Hinds, Holmes, Humphreys, Issaquena, Jackson, Jef-ferson, Lawrence, Leake, Leflore, Madison, Marion, Pearl River, Rankin, Simpson, Sharkey, Sunflower, Washington, Warren, Wilkinson, and Yazoo. To qualify for an alligator harvest voucher, private lands within the open counties must contain at least 20 acres of privately owned surface water. Each property is limited to one application. Each ap-plication requires special documentation and landowner permission. Private land applications may be downloaded at www.mdwfp.com/alligator.

MDWFP requires that all persons selected for alligator hunting permits attend an alligator hunting training course to participate in the hunt. The training courses will be held at Roosevelt State Park on August 2, Delta State University on August 9, and Jones Junior College on August 16.

For more information regarding alligator hunting rules and regulations, visit our website at www.mdwfp.com/alligator or call us at (601) 432-2199.

MDWFP Remembers Fallen Conservation OfficersOn May 15, MDWFP hosted a me-

morial service to remember and honor Conservation Officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.

Tragically, Mississippi lost Conserva-tion Officer Master SGT. John Collum just six days before the memorial was to be held. He became the eighth Conserva-tion Officer killed in the line of duty after being struck by a vehicle while assisting on a tres-passer report near John Rankin Highway in Itawamba County.

MDWFP Executive Director, Dr. Sam Polles, was joined at the special wreath laying service by The Honorable Gov. Phil Bryant, Lt. Governor Tate Reeves, Senator Giles Ward, Represen-tative C. Scott Bounds, Mississippi Public Safety Commissioner Albert Santa Cruz, MDWFP Commissioner Clay Wagner, and MDWFP Commissioner Bryan Jones.

MDWFP UpdateJune 2014

MDWFP to Host Camp Fish in North and South Mississippi MDWFP and the Mississippi Wildlife Federation (MWF) will host

Camp Fish 2014 at the North MS Fish Hatchery Visitor Education Center adjacent to Enid Lake June 17-20 and at Paul B. Johnson State Park near Hattiesburg July 21-24. The camps are free and are open to youth ages 11-15. Camp Fish is designed to introduce Mississippi’s youth to fisheries con-servation, management, and sport fishing.

“The camp is about much more than children going fishing,” said MD-WFP Fisheries Bureau Assistant Director, Larry Bull. “Classroom discus-sions and hands-on exercises led by MDWFP fisheries biologists and MWF volunteers will help students gain a better understanding of fish, fishing, and fisheries management.”

To learn more about Camp Fish or to apply, visit www.mswildlife.org or contact Larry Bull at (601) 432-2200 or [email protected].

Local Anglers Assist with Largemouth Bass Stocking at Ross Barnett Reservoir

MDWFP recently stocked Florida-strain largemouth bass into the Ross Barnett Reser-voir. In cooperation with Pearl River Valley Wa-ter Supply District and local bass anglers, the fish were transported and released into backwa-ter areas. Volunteers at the Hwy 43 ramp near Tommy’s Trading Post stocked approximately 130,000 bass; an additional 40,000 fish were dis-persed from the Pelahatchie Bay Park ramp.

“Largemouth bass are a popular sport fish on the Ross Barnett Reservoir,” says MDWFP Fisheries Biologist, Ryan Jones. According to Jones, the goal is to produce more trophy-sized bass. The fish were reared at MDWFP’s Turcotte Fish Hatchery, located near Canton. MDWFP’s hatcheries produce fish for stocking in public waters throughout Mississippi.

EditorialSouthern

Summer Nights Dean WellsEditor

July, it’s nearly 100, so what does a sporting man do? Sweat, mow grass, sweat some more. Well not all together. You can hog hunt at night or fish maybe do a little frog gig-ging, coon hunting or maybe break out the beagles. If you are looking for a way to pass long summer nights in the out-doors running rabbits with beagles just may be your next fun button. There is something about backing up to the ken-nel about sunset and loading a bunch of eager little dogs that will make your heart feel good. I remember my summer pack back in the day and yet not so long ago. Winter was almost impossible to get to hunt because it seemed we were having a basketball game or practice almost every night of the week when I was a teenager. Therefore I actually got hunt more in the summer. Although you could not kill the rabbit it wasn’t a problem for me because I was there to hear the dogs run anyway. Summer nights back in the day would find me running beagles with ole Ronnie McClure about 1982. Ronnie and me would head to the bottom pretty regular with our favorite beagles. I remember some of his dogs and one of his best dog was Mike and my prize possessions was Suzanne, Diane and Mary Ann and ole Lulu. Our trucks for the hunt were either a 2 wd, 61 GMC that belonged to my paw paw, Ole Maude was her name and she sported a 305 A V6 with a set of recap mud diggers, McClure used his dad’s 2 wd, 73 Chevy lwb with a 350 and dual pipes it had a set of mud & snows. Most of the time we would have chores to do and we would try to meet up on Friday or Saturday night. Life was simple we just loaded our dogs, pulled down to the creek and dropped the tailgate. Our dogs pilled out like ants from a mound and into the fields and woods they went. Back then there weren’t any deer around, so you didn’t have to worry about your dogs getting after one. You would just sit on the tailgate, lean back on the dog box and spit lamb beer. Those days was before we found out everything fun was bad for you. We kept garret snuff, skoal, swisher cigars and sweet chewing tobacco at arms length at all times, Off for chig-gers and mosquitoes and a jug iced down with cold water. Conversation was pretty typical between two teenage boys I guess; it was chat about cars, trucks, sports, parents, girls and guns. It wouldn’t be long in conversation till one the dogs would jump old long ears and off they went. No singer alive can make a tune for a couple of country boys like a pack of beagles on a summer night. McClure and me must have talked for hours while our dogs ran bunnies, I guess till we ran out of something to say. Most of the time if we got

quite it was because we had fallen asleep. Sometimes around mid-night or after the music tapered off and we would … How do you say it “pee on the fire and call in the dogs”. Wet from the dew and pooped out, most of the dogs would be asleep before we were back to the house and you would have to help them back into the kennel. With the dogs’ unloaded see you laters spent, McClure’s twin pipes on his dad’s truck sounded off then moaned into the darkness and would be out of hearing range buy the time I pulled off my boots. I would stagger into the house in my zombie like state, sleep deprived, headed for bed, often smelling like cigars, wet dogs and sweat. The days of summer passed fast from 81-83 as did the lives of our dogs and each year it seemed to go by a little faster. As time went by, we seemed to have other things to do and then jobs and families and obligations. Good days they were with McClure and me. We never got into any trouble when we were running our dogs, now that I look back on it. We never hunted much with other folks, I always liked his dogs and he liked mine. Our dogs packed well and that was always good enough for me. The good thing about running our dogs in the summer was it made them tough and in shape. They could run for days in the winter once the temps fell in the 50’s. I wonder if the rabbits could have talked, would they have told there baby bunnies, about how they evaded the McClure and Wells pack of hounds all those summer nights. O well whether or not rabbits talk around a pile of carrots... I would say NOT. But still, the same rabbits of 81-83 ran like they were on fire to stay ahead of our sum-mer dogs.

Just for thought....You know, a fine a pack of hounds and few liars could

still be some fun even now, especially if you have some kids along. Kids love to hear the voices of their favorite dogs as they put Mr. Cottontail in the wind. They love to name them and tell why they like one over the other or which one is going to be the best hunter. One of the good things about beagles are, three will make a lot of noise but won’t eat you out of house and home. If you choose, you could even join a beagle club and go run your dogs with some of the guys in your club. If you do have kids and they seem eager give it a try, you may find them interacting with other beaglers too, talking a little dog smack and tailgate trash with the old guys. If not, just you and your son or grandson stretched back in a chair listening to the yodels of your favorite beagle will do just fine. As for grandma she might come along sometimes, but probably she will find a nice book more fun or making her favorite hunters some homemade cookies to revive one’s spirits after hunting those long southern summer nights.

The Editor

This time of year deer are craving salt and other minerals. The bucks need this during the time when their antlers are growing and they will literally eat the dirt if it contains traces of these raw materials. I have also seen huge holes dug deep in the ground where the deer have pawed and scratched day after day in order to reach any remnants that may be left. But it all happens within a small window of time. In fact, while they may dig for one small morsel in the spring and summer, they won’t even smell a salt block in the late fall and winter seasons. It’s pretty remarkable how complete the reversal really is and it’s one reason why in many states putting out salt for deer during the season is not illegal. It re-ally doesn’t do any good unless your season opens in August or early September. Kentucky is one of those seasons that do, so it is not unusual to see this scenario lived out as you sit in a tree stand. One time I remember watching a doe so intent to get a taste that she literally ignored anything or anybody that was near. Her head was so far down in a hole, I could have walked up on her and she would have never known it. But again, this window of time is short-lived. What occurs to me when I am remind-ed of this is how this short timeframe is not due to the lack of the mineral’s availability but to the deer’s

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lack of desire. The craving simply goes away. The desire that was once singu-larly focused has now been satisfied - at least for a time.

Desire is a strong emotion. It can get us in trouble or it can become the reason for our success. It can make us dependent and even addicted or it can keep us motivated toward great ac-complishments. And just like my deer is toward salt, desire can be satisfied. Now one might say that just as the deer is drawn to the mineral by his created

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design, we are drawn to our desires the same way. That is partially true because our body craves cer-tain minerals at times as well. But those who be-lieve in the Scriptures, believe that God designed man with more than a personality (because ani-mals have these), but with the very essence of God Himself. He made us in His image. This means that while our bodies may desire things to fulfill our created design, our spirit desires the things that fit into our Godly one. And what is amazing about these desires is while our physical body will one day die because of the lack of certain things; our spiritual one will never die. It will just be moved to another place and to another body – one that will be perfect for the person God has made each of us to be.

Each year, QDMA attends the meeting of the Southeast Deer Study Group, a subcommittee of The Wildlife Society (an association of professional wildlife biologists), that has been gathering for 35 years to share and discuss the latest results of their ongoing deer research. Even though it’s named “Southeast,” speakers and researchers from all over North America contribute. We’ve compiled some of the most interesting findings overheard at the four most recent meetings, 2011 to 2014, and they included the following statistical snapshots:

907 Acres – Average fall home range size of mature bucks in a University of Georgia GPS-collar study in unfragmented hard-wood forest in northern Pennsylvania. The aver-age core area size, or the area where a buck spends at least half of its time, was only 142 acres.

4½ – Average age at which whitetail skeletal dimen-sions reach their lifetime maximum. Tim Neuman at Auburn University was taking the measurements to see if breeding success among deer is related to age or body size. He didn’t find evidence that either

33 Fascinating FindingsFrom Deer Research

factor is related to successful fawn production.

55 Yards – Increase in the average distance adult bucks traveled away from hunting stand sites from the beginning of hunting season until the end. Au-burn University researcher Clint McCoy (shown with one of his captured research bucks) based this finding on GPS location data from 37 bucks across three hunting seasons in South Carolina.

11 Days – Longest duration of a spring-time ex-cursion by bucks in GPS-collar studies in Geor-gia, Louisiana and Pennsylvania (an “excursion” is when a deer temporarily leaves its home range). Nearly half of all bucks in these University of Geor-gia studies made at least one spring excursion, with trip distances ranging from 1 to 8 miles. So far, re-searchers do not have a reliable explanation for why bucks make spring excursions.

1% – Portion of Maryland deer hunters who claimed in a survey to have stopped deer hunting since CWD was discovered in Maryland in 2011. However, researchers with the University of Dela-ware and Maryland DNR checked the harvest reg-istry and found that 47 percent of these same hunt-ers continued to harvest and register deer anyway.

$180 per acre – An-nual amount spent fertilizing white oak trees based on soil-test results to see if acorn production could be increased, in a Univer-sity of Tennessee study that has been ongo-ing since 2006. The answer? So far, no benefit has been found compared to non-fertilized trees at study sites. However, selectively thinning white oak

Deer Research. . .(Continued from Previous Page)

stands has been found to work, and it has the second-ary benefit of increasing understory forage and cover for deer.

84% – The percentage of the total population of coy-otes identified by DNA markers from thousands of scats collected in Virginia that only appeared once in the collection. Dana Morin of Virginia Polytech-nic and State University said this supports other evi-dence that coyote populations in Virginia include a high percentage of widely traveling individuals and experience high turnover rates – both of which sug-gest that shooting coyotes does little to control popu-lations.

14% – Increase in bait consumption by deer inside four, 100-acre, coyote-free exclosures compared to outside the exclosures (fences are low enough for deer to come and go freely but not coyotes). This, combined with analysis of “vigilance” in trail-camera photos, demonstrated that the mere presence of coy-otes affects the amount of time deer must be on alert, reducing time for foraging and thus deer nutritional health, according to Mike Cherry of the University of Georgia.

$115,000 – The estimated cost to produce a 1-inch increase in average Boone & Crockett score among a localized population of free-ranging bucks by re-leasing pen-raised deer to improve genetics. Dr. Steve Demarais of Mississippi State University conducted

the computer-model study (using existing data on natural dispersal and immigration, breeding success, recruitment, and survival, plus the costs of buying pen-raised deer) in response to recent suggestions by deer breeders that this practice would be beneficial. Most biologists laughed at the idea, but they had little data to stand on. Now they do.

81% – Average percentage of “hiding cover” at bedding sites chosen by Texas fawns 14 days old or younger. Random sites in the same areas av-eraged only 65% hiding cover, suggesting fawns actively select heavier cover. Asa Wilson of Texas A&M-Kingsville presented the results.

Cotton Rats & Persim-mons – The two most com-mon food items found in 353 coyote scats collected on two public hunting areas in Georgia. Despite the di-versity of food items found,

scats indicated that coyotes on one of the WMAs switched almost exclusively to eating fawns dur-ing the fawning season (study conducted by the University of Georgia and Georgia DNR).

12 Hours – The duration of a rendezvous be-tween a buck and doe that were both wearing GPS collars and being tracked by University of Tennessee researcher Seth Basinger on the 39,000-acre Arnold Air Force Base. Interestingly, both deer were on excursions outside their nor-

mal home ranges when they hooked up, and they returned to their respective home ranges afterward.

1 to 10 p.m. – Peak hours for fawn births to occur among 147 pregnant does studied by Dr. John Kilgo and others with the USDA F o r - est Service Southern Research Station.

Though fawns were born around the clock, 63% of births were concentrated in only 37% of an average day: after-noon and early evening.

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7.8 to 9.4 – Increase in average crude protein lev-els in natural forage species from 2011, a drought year, to the following year when rainfall was nor-mal. University of Georgia researcher Levi Hor-rell found, at one site, that protein in American beautyberry jumped from 9 to 14% correspond-ing to increased rainfall. This illustrates how drought can reduce carrying capacity and deer health factors, like fawn recruitment and antler growth.

The Justin Beiber Theory – Auburn University researcher Pete Acker’s theory explaining his finding that a small percentage of bucks under 1 year of age (button bucks) successfully fathered fawns each year in a six-year study. Conducted in Auburn’s 430-acre high-fence research facil-ity, the study found breeding success distributed across bucks of many ages, even as the buck age structure changed to represent more older bucks in the population.

6.75 – The number of hours per day a healthy buck can switch over from foraging to finding does during the rut, if he enters the rut in good condition. “Good condition” can mean 25% body fat, which is 44 pounds of fat on a 175-lb. buck. Dr. Dave Hewitt of Texas A&M-Kingsville pre-dicts bucks that acquire large fat reserves before the rut are more likely to breed successfully be-cause they can afford to spend more time getting the job done.

80% – Increase in deer detection rates at trail-camera bait sites after feral hogs were trapped and lethally removed from the surrounding area, in a study by Chad Newbolt of Auburn Uni-

versity that took place on Fort Benning, Georgia. The study results strongly suggest that deer ac-tively avoid hogs, so hogs can essentially exclude deer from food sources with their presence.

June 22 to April 18 – Range from the earliest date a doe was bred by a buck (June 22) to the latest date (April 18) in a study of more than 300 hunter-harvested does examined by the Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission. The rut peak var-ies from July in south Florida to late February in northwest Florida, which is likely the widest variation in the timing of the rut peak found in a single state.

18 Inches – Average difference in gross antler score between bucks given supplemental pelleted feed compared to those eating only natural for-age (all of them were in 200-acre high-fenced re-search enclosures). Dawson Lilly of Texas A&M-Kingsville said antler size dropped for all bucks in drought years, even those on pelleted feed, be-cause natural forage is always important and can-not be replaced by supplemental feed.

93% – Proportion of Mexico inhabited by white-tails, according to the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute at Texas A&M-Kingsville. Their range extends from the U.S. border to the tropical jungles of Central America and includes 14 recognized sub-species. Some of the smaller, native sub-species may be disappearing, replaced by another sub-species – the Texas whitetail –

being imported from the north by ranchers.

4 – Number of pregnant does out of 28 (14 percent) being tracked by North Carolina State research-ers that were found dead

at the site where tracking devices indicated they were giving birth. Evidence suggested all four were killed by coyotes, which may have taken ad-vantage of the does’ vulnerable state during birth, killing both the mother and fawn. The study took


place at Fort Bragg Military Installation and also found that 55 percent of collared fawns were killed by coyotes or bobcats.

50% – Average change in buck neck circumference during the rut. The University of Delaware found this while studying more effective designs for ex-pandable collars used in tracking deer for research purposes.

20x – Number of times deer vision is more sensi-tive to blue wavelengths of light than human vision, based on University of Georgia research.

98 to 128 – Range of average adult doe body weights (live) in Mississippi from the sandy soils of the Lower Coastal Plain (smallest weight) to the “Delta” region, known for the most fertile soils in the state (study by Mississippi State University).

30% – Proportion of 487 antler sheds studied by Auburn University that were broken in some way. The main beam and G-2 were the least likely to break among antlers in the collection.

241,000 – Number of to-tal bites witnessed by Texas A&M-Kingsville researchers following tame, GPS-collared does as they forage. Recording bite size and foraging choices, the researchers have watched deer select 137 different plant

species as food.

24% – Reported decrease in hunting-lease values in Texas as a result of problems associated with fe-ral hogs. Reported by: Dr. Billy Higginbotham of Texas AgriLife Extension.

80% – Increase in fawn survival from 2009 to 2010 in an Auburn University study; 2010 was the first

year trapping of predators was extended through-out the fawning season at the study site.

34% – Proportion of privately owned deer habitat that would remain open for hunting in suburban Delaware if a 200-yard no-hunting safety buffer was implemented around every home or building. If the buffer was only 50 yards, 91% of privately owned deer habitat would be available for hunting. Re-ported by: Jacob Bowman, University of Delaware.

3 – Number of unique bucks responsible for siring a set of triplet fawns born at Auburn University’s Deer Lab, a 430-acre research enclosure in Ala-bama (each fawn in the set had a different father). “Multiple paternity” has been reported numerous times in twins, and two unique sires were report-ed for a set of triplets, but this is the first report of three sires for a set of triplets, according to Stepha-nie Irvin.

69% – Proportion of 23 “multiple paternity” cases in a Texas A&M-Kingsville study that involved at least one sire 2½ years or young-er. Since mature bucks were present in the age structure, Aaron Foley suggested that young bucks were able to

breed by sneaking an opportunity with an estrous doe just before or just after a mature buck was on the scene.

43 yards – Average distance on the ground between the satellite-reported location of GPS tracking col-lars and the actual, known locations of the collars, in a study testing GPS collar accuracy. Accuracy varied for certain conditions but, overall, was ad-equate for measuring home-range size and shape. Reported by: Blair Smyth, University of Arkansas at Monticello.

Three Ways to Track Fawn RecruitmentOver the last decade, predators, especial-

ly coyotes, have greatly altered deer popula-tion dynamics in many parts of the country by reducing fawn recruitment (the number of fawns per doe that survive to 6 months of age). Not surprisingly, the level of their impact varies from one state to another, and often even from one property to another.

Results from several Midwestern and Northeastern studies indicate that coyotes are responsible for taking, on average, 10 to 20 percent of fawns. This level of fawn predation likely has minimal impact on the overall recruitment rates, particularly in highly productive herds. However, other studies of coyote predation rates, particularly in the Southeast, suggest that coyotes may take a greater toll. Several studies have reported that fawn recruitment rates have dropped from a historic average of 0.9 to 1.2 fawns recruited per doe to 0.4 to 0.5 or less. This equates to a decrease of more than 50 percent in deer herd productivity and certainly has important implications for harvest management, particularly doe-harvest goals.

The results from our studies at the University of Georgia Deer Lab and those of other researchers across the eastern United States clearly demonstrate the high variability in coyote predation rates and subsequent-ly in fawn recruitment. Thus, it is more critical than ever for deer managers to monitor fawn recruitment rates before setting harvest goals. Herd monitoring will allow a proactive, rather than a reactive, approach to accounting for the coyote’s potential impact on your deer herd.

Several simple techniques for estimating fawn recruitment are available to aid in monitoring of recruit-ment rates. However, none of these are perfect, and each requires an understanding of exactly what infor-mation they can provide and how to properly interpret the results.

Trail-Camera SurveysMany deer hunters know that systematic trail-camera surveys can be used to determine and track deer

density and buck:doe ratios. QDMA’s book Deer Cameras: The Science of Scouting covers trail-camera surveys in detail. However, using trail-camera surveys to monitor fawn recruitment requires some special considerations.

First, timing is everything. Typical pre-season surveys conducted during late August or early Septem-ber may underestimate fawns-per-doe because many fawns are still too young to consistently accompany their mothers. Unfortunately, waiting until later in fall to run surveys is usually not an option due to their interference with hunting season. Furthermore, a fall survey coincides with peak acorn drop in most areas, making baited camera sites less attractive. Although the estimate of actual fawn recruitment may be low, pre-season surveys still provide important trend data that – when compared from year to year – can tell you if your fawn recruitment is trending down or remaining stable, as long as you conduct your surveys the same way and at the same time every year.

Post-season (winter) trail-camera surveys con-ducted after the hunting season may provide a better estimate of actual recruitment. Fawns are much older and more mobile during January and February, and the increased attractiveness of bait increases the probability of photographing the majority of the local deer herd. However, winter surveys also have problems that must be consid-ered. During January and February fawns become much more difficult to distinguish from does, es-pecially yearling does. Thus, care should be taken to study and learn the distinguishing characteris-tics of does vs. fawns. To safeguard against incor-rect classification, we typically go through a famil-iarization exercise where we spend at least 20 to 30 minutes viewing pictures of antlerless deer on a new property before we begin actual quantifica-tion of animals.

It is also important to consider doe harvest when estimating recruitment using winter sur-veys. Hunters typically harvest adult does in dis-proportionate numbers to fawns, thus skewing the observed post-season recruitment ratio. To cor-rect this, the number of does and fawns harvested must be added back to the estimates of doe and fawn numbers derived from a post-hunting-sea-son survey.

3 Ways To Track. . .(Continued from Previous Page)

Hunter ObservationsUsing sightings recorded in the stand by experi-

enced hunters is an excellent method of estimating fawn recruitment – and other measures of QDM progress. In contrast to trail-camera surveys, ob-serving deer from the stand provides an opportu-nity to observe behavioral cues that can help dif-ferentiate does from fawns as the season progresses. Even inexperienced hunters can quickly learn to differentiate adult does from fawns using educa-tional tools, such as the selective antlerless harvest posters offered by the QDMA. The only costs asso-ciated with using hunter observations as an index of recruitment are time spent in a stand and a quality set of optics, which you probably already own.

As with trail-camera surveys, timing of data collection is very important. Depending on when births occur in your area, and the timing of the hunting season, decreased fawn mobility may bias early season estimates to the low end. Observations recorded during the rut may bias recruitment high because fawns may be temporarily “abandoned” while estrous does are being tended by bucks, making these temporarily-orphaned fawns highly visible. As with trail-camera surveys, late-season hunts may overestimate recruitment as a result of doe harvest throughout the season. Therefore the choice time to collect observational data is during the fall, prior to the rut. However, as long as your data are sorted according to the period collected (early season, pre-breeding, rut, or post-rut), the

data can be a very important tool for identifying year-to-year trends in recruitment.

It is important to keep in mind how a property is hunted when using hunter observations. Including data from an entire month you spent bowhunting a thick block of woods over a faint trail hoping for a shot at the buck of your dreams will definitely bias recruitment estimates because you will likely see the same does and


fawns repeatedly, if you see many antlerless deer at all. Ideally large, infrequently hunted “nutrition plots” will provide the best picture of recruitment. Lightly hunted properties will typically see more fluctuations in recruitment than larger properties hunted by many simply due to smaller sample siz-es – the more sightings in your dataset, the more precise the results. Frequently changing stand lo-cations will improve the precision of your recruit-ment estimates as well as your hunting success.

Good estimates are the product of quality data. Hunter observation cards, sheets or booklets should be provided to every hunter, and the return of those records to a common area at the end of each hunt should be mandatory. At a minimum, records should include the date, hours hunted, stand location, hunter’s name, and the sex and age of each animal observed. If the hunter isn’t abso-lutely sure about the age or sex of an animal, it should be recorded as an “unknown.”

At the end of season, add up the fawns and does sighted during your ideal monitoring period, then divide the number of fawns by the number of does to get a fawns-per-doe index. As with trail-camera surveys, trends in fawns-per-doe are more impor-tant than the absolute value of recruitment for a particular year.

Hunters should also record the number of coy-otes or other predators they see while hunting. At the end of the season, calculate coyotes seen per hour of hunting time, another useful index. If fawn recruitment is trending down while coyotes per hour is trending up, you don’t have to be a bi-ologist to see the connection.

Lactation RatesThe simplest, but perhaps least sensitive, index

of fawn recruitment is lactation rates. Lactation rate is expressed as the percentage of adult does (2½ and older) in a season’s harvest that were lactating, indicating that they raised at least one fawn successfully that year. Determining whether

a harvested doe is lactating is as simple as noting the appearance of its udder, as the glandular tissue will be swollen and the teats enlarged. When field dressing, milk will be easily seen when the udder is cut. Simply note in your harvest data records whether each adult doe harvested is or is not lac-tating.

T i m i n g is important when collect-ing lactation rates. In re-gions where the rut occurs in October and November,

and fawns drop in May and June, lactation should be recorded for does harvested during October through early December. After this period, even does with fawns will likely have dried up. If fawns are born in July or later in your region, you may not want to begin recording lactation rates until October or later. This will provide sufficient time for does that may have lost their fawns to com-pletely stop lactating.

Lactation rates of yearlings and does 2½ or old-er should not be pooled together. The percentage of all lactating yearling does is an important indi-cator of herd health, as these deer achieved sexual maturity and bred as fawns, but is not an accurate indicator of recruitment.

Unfortunately, lactation rates are not a sensitive index of recruitment as it is impossible to deter-mine whether an adult doe without milk lost one, two or possibly even three fawns. In addition, it is impossible to know if a lactating doe was nursing one, two or three fawns. Therefore, lactation rates will certainly underestimate the level of fawn pre-dation in your herd. Nevertheless, lactation rates can again provide important trend information if collected consistently from year to year, but should not be relied on as your only index of fawn recruit-ment.

ConclusionAs stewards of the deer resource, we should be


proactive, rather than reactive, to these data. On properties with appropriate deer densities, low or declining recruitment rates should be met with more cautious doe harvest. In extreme cases, ab-staining from doe harvest for a year to gauge the herd’s reaction may be necessary. However, adjust-ments in doe harvest must always be done in the context of the habitat. Responsible management requires deer densities above carrying capacity to be reduced to appropriate levels, regardless of pre-dation.

The keys to successful herd monitoring efforts are consistency, consideration of deer biology, and good record keeping. One year of excellent, de-tailed record keeping will not make up for years of neglect. Collecting recruitment information using a variety of methods allows for comparison of results to ensure that a curious spike or dip in recruitment is a product of an actual change in re-cruitment, rather than a biased or erroneous data-

set. Finally, the importance of using trends, rather than data from a single year, to make management decisions is critical. Studying the seasonal cycles in the biology of your local deer herd will not only im-prove the timing of data collection, but your abili-ties as a hunter as well.

About the Authors

Will Gulsby is a Ph.D. candidate studying wild-life ecology and management at the University of Georgia. His current research focuses on the im-pacts of coyotes on fawn recruitment. He is also a QDMA member and enjoys hunting, trapping, and assisting landowners in improving their deer habi-tat and hunting experiences.

Dr. Karl V. Miller is a professor of wildlife ecol-ogy and management at the University of Georgia and a Charter Life Member of QDMA. He is a pre-vious winner of QDMA’s Joe Hamilton Lifetime Achievement Award as well as QDMA’s Al Brothers Professional Deer Manager of the Year Award.

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Most RVers travel in twos. They are usually retired, have a small dog or two, and are blessed with limitless options when it comes to buying an RV.

But those of us with kids who want to go RVing (or even crazier: fulltime in an RV!) have fewer options, and usually less money because we still need to buy diapers, toys and thousands of crayons. We need to think about seatbelts and sleeping arrangements and frequent potty breaks. So, choosing an RV for a large family can be a challenge and you need to be very strategic. If you have, say, three or more kids here are some of your RV options:

MotorhomesWith a motorhome, you will have plenty of room to

hold the kids as you drive. (You only need to make sure there are adequate seat belts available or have some in-stalled if they’re lacking.)

If you go with a smaller motorhome, say a Class C that is well under 30 feet (like the one pictured above), you

can drive to most plac-es without much hassle – but you’re still re-stricted from cruising downtown and check-ing out the city sights. With a Class C, you have a huge sleeping space over the driver’s

seat in addition to a back bedroom and any convertible sleeping spaces elsewhere. The drawback is that you have far less storage space than a larger, bus-like Class A.

If you get a bigger motorhome, like the Class A you see above, you can always pull a “toadie” (a separate vehicle that you drive around after parking the RV). But with a large family, you need to pull a pretty big car or minivan to seat

Choosing anRV for a

Big Family

all of you. Yes, it’s possible, but you will have two engines to look after and very dismal gas mileage, plus the extra hassle and danger of towing a vehicle. On the plus side, a Class A affords you more storage space and a smoother ride, and with a toadie, you can park the motorhome and drive your extra auto wherever you want without a prob-lem.

Motorhomes and Keeping Kids in Seatbelts:You can essentially “live” while driving, which is entic-

ing. You can make a sandwich, watch television, use the bathroom, do school work, arts and crafts, and so on, as you’re traveling down the road. But that can be a double-edged sword. When you want your children to be seat-belted when driving, it can be hard to resist the tempta-tion to get up and play or grab a snack. There are obvious dangers to running around a moving vehicle. Things can fall on them or worse yet, a sudden stop or accident with-out being belted in could be catastrophic. You don’t want to get in the habit of milling about when driving, and a motorhome set-up can be too irresistible for most kids to just sit still.

Pull-BehindsSo, your next option is a trailer, which is pulled with a

truck or large van or SUV, or a fifth-wheel trailer, which is attached in the bed of a truck and pulled. With either of these options, you’re going to need a “tow vehicle” that is both capable of pulling your RV and also safely seating your entire family. The good news is that you can easily detach your tow vehicle from the trailer or fifth wheel and drive around with ease. No toadies needed! Your kids are safely belted in during driving times and there is only one engine to look after. No, they won’t have easy access to the fridge or bathroom, but you will probably be stopping frequently anyway, so that’s not too horrible of a problem. The only real obstacle is finding a capable tow vehicle that seats everyone. Let’s look at your pull-behind and tow ve-hicle options:

TrailersTrailers are a great option for families. Many models

come with a bunk-house layout and for well under 35 feet, you can sleep eight to 10 people easily. You can pull a trailer with

a crew cab truck (seats 6) or if you need more seating, look at either the 1-ton vans or full-size SUVS. Many can pull 10,000 pounds with ease and seating is anywhere from eight up to 14 depending on the model. (Always

Choosing an RV. . .(Continued from Previous Page)

check the tow limits carefully before moving ahead with any purchase.) There are many “ultra light” trailers on the market which might be tempting, but keep in mind that lighter isn’t always better quality, and if you’re going to fulltime, quality will be a huge priority.

Fifth-WheelsA fifth wheel is often the preferred choice for families

. They are generally bigger and better-made than trailers, and offer a lot more storage space. Because they are tall-

er (up to 13 feet tall), you’re likely to find models that utilize this space with lofts and bigger bunk beds than in a trailer. Toy hauler

models come with “garages” that often include two queen sized beds that can be automatically lowered or raised into the ceiling. (If you have a large family, it’s worth checking out the toy haulers.) The only drawback for a fifth wheel is that they tend to be bigger and heavier, and you are lim-ited to using a truck as your tow vehicle unless you employ some unconventional options.

Unconventional Options

Let’s say you want a fifth wheel but your family is too

large for a crew cab truck. You could buy a specialized drop-axle hitch to attach to either a large van or SUV. (Check out the Automated Safety Hitch for more infor-mation.) Or you could add a row of seats to your existing truck right behind the cab. (Check out Cowtown Sleepers in Fort Worth Texas.) We actually use a Safety Hitch with our crew cab Chevy truck, and are about to get an addi-tional two seats installed to make it more comfortable for our family of six!

Above: A Ford Excursion pulling a fifth wheel using the Au-tomated Safety Hitch. Below: A custom row of seats in a pick-up truck. This truck went from seating six to nine!

Whatever you end up with, make sure you put as much time and thought into your choices as you can. Go to RV shows and look at everything. If you can go to RV parks, that’s a great place to get input from friendly RVers, and don’t forget to ask for input from the RV community on-line as they have a great forum for newbies.

Most of all, don’t be afraid to think outside of the box and get the best set-up for you and your family!

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FISHING ReportsTrace State ParkWater temps are running in the mid 80’s. The bream bite remains pretty good. Most anglers are targeting the coves and points with red worms and crickets fished on the bottom or under a cork. The full moon this past week, put them back up towards the beds in the back of the coves. Be advised that the fishing side of the lake is no wake. Bass anglers are reporting decent numbers of bass coming in the coves and around brushtops and points. More and more anglers are targeting off shore structure as bass move into their sum-mertime patterns. Deep diving crankbaits, big T-rig worms and C-rigs are working there. Crappie fishing has also been pretty good, anglers are targeting cover/brushtops in 10-15ft of water, and are finding a few suspended fish in the mainlake, around the channel with both minnows and jigs. Catfish anglers aren’t re-porting too much action, but a few are being caught on liver and nightcrawlers fished along the bottom on the main lake, and in the small lake. Contact the Park at (662) 489-2958 for more information.

Pickwick Lake/J. P. ColemanThe water level is 414.02 and holding at the time of this report. The water levels have remained pretty steady the last few days. Current is starting to play more of a factor as we move further into summer. The deep, off-shore bite is steadily improving with countless fish being caught on the humps and ledges. Techniques like deep diving crankbaits, C-rigs, football jigs, and big T-rig worms are all catching fish. It took around 22 pounds to win a tournament this past weekend. We have also heard some good reports of striped bass coming in. Jigging spoons in the same area as the largemouth have produced some nice fish. Catfish an-glers have been having mixed success on cut bait and whole skipjack. Many reports are continuing to come in with people catching cats along the rock walls as the spawn is in full swing. Best depths for larger fish bumping the bottom has been 15-20 ft, with deeper water near by. A reminder that the Mississippi hand-grabbing season runs from May 1 - July 15. On Pickwick, only one catfish over 34 inches may be harvested. Please view the rules and regulations regarding handgrabbing before you head out.

Enid LakeLast week’s rainfall runoff pushed the lake a little above summer pool, but not too muddy to catch fish. MDWFP creel surveys show most crappie anglers are trolling jigs and/or minnows or crankbaits about 1 - 2 ft off bottom in 15 – 16 ft of water. Crankbaits have the edge lately. White bass have moved back into the main lake and may also be caught trolling for crappie. Fish for white bass over sandy main lake points with small shad-colored crankbaits or jigs. About the best action with the water rising is for catfish. Fish worms or stinkbaits in the river and creeks. Channel catfish are gathering on rip-rap to spawn in the holes. Male channels get big, dark bluish heads during spawning season. Fish natural baits under a bobber over the rocks. Catfish can also be taken fishing lines or noodles (jugs). A few folks have been landing a few catfish handgrabbling. For largemouth bass, fish spinnerbaits or soft plastics on creek channel edges about 12 ft deep along flooded grass where the water is clearer. Some fish can be taken fishing soft plastics about the same depths on offshore structure or main lake points. The spillway had all gates closed (0 cfs) Monday. Expect the gates to reopen and fishing to improve later this week. Best luck down here has been for catfish on various natural baits.

Grenada LakeFinally we got enough rain to get to summer pool and then some; rising water slowed some fishing, but

not for catfish. The Thunder on the Water crappie tournament Saturday was won with 10.92 lb (7 fish); big fish was 2.37. Fishing was tough with the water rising; trolling was the winning pattern. About the best action with the water rising is for catfish. Fish worms or stinkbaits in the rivers and creeks as long as the runoff lasts. Channel catfish are gathering on rip-rap to spawn in the holes. Male channels get big, dark bluish heads during spawning season. Fish natural baits under a bobber over the rocks. Blue cats (white humpbacks) can be taken on lines, noodles, or by grabbling. The best thing going right now is grabbling, with both big blues and flatheads being caught. White bass have moved back into the main lake; they’re most likely going to be caught by folks trolling for crappie. Fish for white bass over sandy main lake points with small shad-colored crankbaits or jigs. Best luck on largemouth bass has been fishing spinnerbaits or topwaters in clearer water on channel edges in creeks closer to the dam. Some bass have moved onto points 5 – 8 ft deep.

The spillway had one gate opened 0.5 ft (100 cfs) Monday. The COE should reopen the gates more later this week. Best luck down here has been for catfish on nightcrawlers or shad.

Sardis LakeWater level 258.63 ft, rising 0.1 ft/day; 1.4 ft below rule curve Monday. For water level information,

call (662)563-4531 or check at http://155.76.244.230/offices/ed/edh/docs/bullet.txt for a table or http://ftp.mvk.usace.army.mil/offices/ed/edh/graphs1.htm for a graph. The lake is supposed to be maintained at summer pool (260 ft) from May 1 – August 1. Unless we get significant runoff soon we may be looking at another low water year.

The lake finally rose some, but is still below summer pool. It didn’t muddy up as badly as some might think except in tributary areas. Clearer, hotter weather this week should push fish a little deeper. Best luck here for crappie has been trolling jigs and/or minnows or crankbaits 9 – 12 ft deep; the middle section of the lake is getting the most trolling effort. Cranks are probably doing a little better. Expect a few catfish on either. The best action this past week was for catfish on worms or stinkbaits in the river and creeks; expect that action to last as long as the runoff does. Channel catfish are gathering on rip-rap to spawn in the holes. Male channels get big, dark bluish heads during spawning season. Fish natural baits under a bobber over the rocks. Blue catfish (white humpbacks) have been biting cut shad fished on trotlines or noodles (jugs) and will move into newly flooded areas. Grabblers have been getting both blues and flatheads lately. White bass have moved back to the main lake; they are most likely to be landed by folks trolling for crappie. Fish for white bass over sandy main lake points with small shad-colored crankbaits or jigs. For largemouth bass, fish spinnerbaits or topwaters on channel edges 4 – 6 ft deep or Carolina rig soft plastics 8 – 12 ft deep on offshore structure or points.

Some crappie and bass are thin due to the rigors of spawning plus a winter die-off of threadfin shad. This year’s gizzard shad should be big enough to fatten up crappie and bass in a month or so.

The spillway had all gates closed (0 cfs) Monday. Expect them to reopen later this week if there isn’t too much rain runoff. Expect better fishing when the gates reopen. Best luck down here has been for crappie on jigs and/or minnows or for catfish on natural baits. Jug (noodle) fishing and grabbling have also been producing cats in the Lower Lake.

Pontotoc City LakeBream have pulled off the bed and are in deeper water. The evening bite is best, they have been coming shallow late in the evening and biting worms and small spinner baits. Catfish or spawning but when they start back biting they will biting liver and or kool aid chicken. Bass have been slow but you can pick some up on worms and spinnerbaits. Crappie bite has been deep on pink head jigs white tubes.

Gates open from 6am-8pm. Camping spots $15 per night regular price or $12 for 65 and older and handi-cap.

Call Mrs. Bobbie for lake report or reservations. 662-489-5792

Apalachicola Fishing ReportWell the fishing as been pretty good both inshore and offshore this year. We’ve been catching redfish, speckled trout and white trout. We’ve been using salt water assasin, shrimp and live bait. Offshore we’ve been catching grouper, some red snapper and kings. We’ve also been catching plenty of reef fish such as lane snapper, black sea bass etc. Book Me A Charter Guide ServiceApalachicola, FL850-653-2622 [email protected]

MDWFP UpdateJune 2014

(continued from pages 4 & 5)

Tornado Damage on John Bell Williams WMA On April 28, 2014, tornadoes impacted many areas across Mis-

sissippi. Several important recreational areas in northeast Missis-sippi managed by MDWFP received extensive damage to infra-structure and forests. One of those areas was John Bell Williams Wildlife Management Area (WMA).

Located in Prentiss County, John Bell Williams WMA is a 2,930-acre WMA consisting of bottomland and upland hardwood forests owned by the Tombigbee Water Management District. MDWFP cooperatively manages this area for wildlife and outdoor recreation, and the Mississippi Forestry Commission (MFC) as-sists with all forest management activities.

MDWFP personnel worked on John Bell Williams WMA the day after tornado touchdown to clear WMA roads and assess damage. MFC estimated that approximately 500 acres of forest were impacted by the storm, including much of the greentree reservoir. MFC is currently working with the Tombigbee Water Management District to plan salvage of affected timber. Timber salvage is expected to begin soon. WMA headquarters sustained structural and water damage. Repairs to the headquarters will take place as soon as possible. Management operations, particularly for the greentree reservoir, may be affected for some time. MDWFP is asking users of the WMA to be patient while measures are taken to repair damages to the area.

MS Science Museum Set to Host Teacher Workshops The Museum provides training in internationally recognized environmental education programs for

teachers such as “Project WILD”, “Project WET”, and “Growing UP WILD” with CEU credits available. These programs may be conducted for teachers of all subjects and grade levels either in your school or at the Museum. These workshops are also excellent for volunteer educators such as scout leaders, camp lead-

ers, and other youth leaders. Upcoming Workshop Schedule:July 21: Flying WILDJuly 22: Project WETJuly 24: WILD about PlantsJuly 25: Aquatic WILD For details, visit www.mdwfp.com/museum or contact Angel Rohnke or Me-

gan Fedrick at (601) 576-6000.

MDWFP is pleased to announce the open-ing of Mississippi’s newest public shooting range. McHenry Shooting Range, located in South Mis-sissippi near Perkinston, opened on May 30.

McHenry Shooting Range includes:Pistol Range: 20 shooting lanes with ranges

from 5, 10, and 20 yards. Shooters will utilize target stands and frames provided by McHenry Shooting Range.

Rifle Ranges: two ranges with ten shooting tables per range. We provide movable target stands; shooters are able to engage targets out to 170 yards.

Skeet and Trap: three Olympic-style skeet ranges and one trap range on the premises for shooters to hone their shooting abilities through-out the year.

5 Stand: the 5 Stand is built on a pier over-looking a small lake surrounded by sporting clay throwers. Actual hunting conditions will ready

you for hunting season or just to test your skills.Archery: two archery ranges utilizing both known

distance sighting-in targets and 3D animal targets at unknown distances.

Mississippi residents may purchase an annual range permit for $40.00 or may pay a daily fee of $5.50 per hour.

McHenry Shooting Range is located at 1060 E. McHenry Rd, Perkinston, MS 39573.

For more information regarding McHenry Shooting Range, visit us at www.mdwfp.com or call us at (601) 928-1645.

MDWFP Opens New Public Shooting Facility

On a crisp, clear November night at deer camp, the conversation around the campfire subsides for a moment as you add another log to the fire. Just as you ease back into your camp chair, the silence is broken by a long mournful howl. Its maker is soon joined by what sounds like a dozen other coyotes, each making their own yips, barks and howls.

This scenario, once unusual or even rare across much of the eastern United States, has now become common. As deer hunters, it’s natural for us to want to do something about it.

Given our current knowledge of coyote predation on deer, when is coyote control justified? The answer depends on where your current management program is in relation to the Four Cornerstones of QDM.

Herd MonitoringOften, the initial reason we want to remove coyotes from places we hunt is purely the product of a logical chain

formed in our mind. We know coyotes kill deer, thus more coyotes kill a greater number of deer, and therefore de-creasing the number of coyotes will result in more deer. However, we often go through this thought process without determining if the fact that coyotes are killing deer on our property is really a problem. Enter data collection.

The results of recent coyote research agree that coyotes can affect deer populations through fawn predation, al-though the magnitude of the effect differs from one location to another. Thus, estimating the recruitment rate (the number of fawns surviving to 6 months of age per adult doe) where you hunt is the most important first step to determine if you have a coyote problem.

Another important piece of information gathered through herd monitoring is the number of deer per square mile. Once you have this information in hand, a call to a game biologist in your area should tell you if your deer herd is above, below or on par with what’s normal for that area. However, many quality managed properties are capable of supporting larger than average deer populations.

Habitat/Herd Management

“When you hear hoofbeats behind you, don’t expect to see a zebra.”

Will stole this saying from his wife, who learned it in medical school. Healthcare providers always rule out the most common causes of an illness before moving on to the more unusual ones. The same applies to deer manage-ment. If herd monitoring indicates that fawn recruitment or deer density are abnormally low, the first step is to rule out poor habitat quality as the potential cause.

The easiest way to evaluate the quality of your habitat is with the help of your local state agency biologist. He or she should also be able to give you a general idea of where your deer herd stands in relation to the carrying capacity of the land by observing browsing pressure on plants preferred by deer in your area. If this process reveals that deer densities are at or above carrying capacity, read no further. Before coyote control is even considered, this issue must be resolved either by reducing deer numbers through increased harvest, or by improving habitat quality. However, if the numbers don’t add up given the quality and quantity of available forage, read on.

Coyote Control: When Is It The Right Option?

Coyote Control. . .(Continued from Previous Page)

Hunter ManagementYou’ve determined the size of your deer herd, the

number of fawns recruited each year, and the current status of your property’s habitat. Next comes the most difficult aspect of managing deer – managing hunters and their expectations. There are two general scenarios we encounter when dealing with hunter management issues. Ironically, they are polar opposites. In the first scenario, hunters want to harvest more than is the sus-tainable number of deer on a given property each year. This may be the result of their having become accus-tomed to years of hunting in the absence of predation. The other scenario is where hunters struggle to achieve adequate annual doe harvest.

If you fall into the latter category, again, read no fur-ther. Implementing coyote control on a property where hunters struggle to keep the population in check is sim-ply adding fuel to a fire. If, however, you are a mem-ber of the former category, and all other aspects of your deer management plan are in place, only two options will prevent a steady decline in deer numbers. One is to redefine hunter expectations and reduce the annual doe harvest. The other is to implement coyote control, thereby increasing recruitment and thus the sustainable annual harvest.

The Cost of Coyote RemovalIf you’ve carefully considered every aspect of your

deer management program and determined that coyote control is worth considering, the obvious question be-comes “How much will it cost?” The answer depends on the size of the property, the duration of the removal effort, and who conducts the trapping. Hiring a profes-sional trapper to work a large property (1,000 or more acres) will likely cost you $100 to $200 per day. Most recommend a two-week minimum duration.

Those with smaller properties may be able to locate a trapper who is already running traps nearby. They may be willing to set a few traps on your property at a re-duced cost. Another option is to try and find an experi-enced hobby trapper. Simply offering your land to them as a place to trap might be payment enough.

However, trapping coyotes, especially on small tracts of land, results in only a temporary decline in coyote numbers. Emerging data indicate that eastern coyotes can be highly mobile. Residents, who are usually older

and more dominant individuals, maintain territories while younger transients may bounce from one area to another looking to establish their own territories. As soon as a territory is vacated (on your property for example), it quickly becomes occupied by a new indi-vidual. Therefore, to be most effective, coyote removal should be conducted every year.

This ability to recolonize an area quickly has im-portant implications for the timing of trapping. Short-duration efforts should be focused just before and dur-ing fawn drop so that coyote numbers are lowest when fawns are most vulnerable. Where legal, some trappers may be unwilling to trap during spring and summer without payment because it is often more difficult and pelts are past their prime.

ConclusionDetermining the direct effects of coyotes on deer

populations is difficult. This is why it is more important now than ever for deer managers to use proven tech-niques, such as trail-camera surveys for determining herd size and recruitment rates. This information will allow you to determine if your current recruitment rates are on par with history or have declined in response to coyote predation.

If these comparisons show significant decreases in recruitment, consider your habitat first. Remember that nothing in nature is static. If you’ve done nothing to maintain deer habitat on your property in recent years, it may be that the amount of high-quality habitat on your property has declined.

If, however, you’ve given due diligence to habitat management, the size of your deer herd is in balance with the habitat, and herd monitoring indicates that recruitment rates are lower than expected, only two options remain. You must either lower annual harvest numbers or increase fawn recruitment using coyote control. Keep in mind, however, that removing coyotes is not guaranteed to increase fawn recruitment. The re-lationship between deer and coyotes is very dynamic and, as our own research suggests, even several months of professional trapping was not sufficient to increase fawn recruitment on one of our study sites.

The one thing for certain is that coyotes are here to stay and, thus, we must learn to incorporate their effects into our deer management programs.

Nosler has introduced its first proprietary rifle car-tridge — a smokin’ hot little number called the 26 Nosler.

The company set out to push the limits with this thing, designing it as a flat-shooting 6.5mm car-tridge with performance capable of taking full ad-vantage of the newest long-range shooting reticles used in today’s scopes.

Nosler 26 cartridge comparison.

The 26 Nosler cartridge was de-signed with the high ballistic coef-ficient (B.C.) in-herent in 6.5mm (.264) caliber bullets. It spits out the Nosler 129 grain AccuBond Long Range bul-let at a blazing 3400 fps out of the muzzle.

What does that mean? Zeroed at 350 yards, the 26 Nosler has a Point Blank Range of 0-415 yards. Loaded with the 129 grain ABLR, the 26 Nosler retains as much ve-locity at 400 yards as the 260 Rem-ington produces at the muzzle.

Nosler 26 cartridge specs.

The 26 Nosler case is non-belted, thus headspaced off of the shoulder to further enhance accuracy. The “26” also utilizes a standard (30-06) length action meaning shorter bolt-throw and lighter weight than magnum length actions.

“I really feel the 26 Nosler has great value amongst the large family of 6.5mm cartridges,” said Bob Nosler, President of Nosler, Inc. “With minimal recoil, tremendous velocity, energy and the ability to point and shoot at the intended target up to a quarter mile away, this is the quintessen-tial deer, antelope and long-range target cartridge available on the market today.”

The Nosler Patriot rifle is built on the M48 ac-tion and chambered in the new 26 nosler.

The Nosler Patriot rifle is built on the M48 ac-tion and chambered in the new 26 nosler.

The cartridge was submitted to SAAMI in June, 2013. The formal launch took place at the 2014 SHOT Show in addition to Nosler’s new platform rifle, the Patriot, which is chambered in 26 Nosler and built on the company’s well-reputed M48 ac-tion.

Outdoor Life Names The Nosler Patriot Chambered in 26 Nosler as Editors Choice

RECIPE of the

MonthPan-Fried Crappie Patties

1 limit of fillet crappies (other fish works)1/2 red pepper minced (that small for people don”t now how to cook)3 green onions minced2 T old bay seasoning (seasoning salt works too)1/2 bread crumbs 2 eggs

First dice up fish into small pieces, add all the rest of the ingre-dients stir up like meat loaf. Patty up like slider size patties, put on wax paper sheet pan and freeze. Pull them off sheet pan and put them in zip lock bag to store in freezer. Take out as many you wish to pan fry with a little oil until cooked. You can cook right from the freezer.

Sporting Goods

Don’s Gunsand

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In 1989, the first Michigan deer made the long journey from Houghton Lake, Michigan, to Starkville, Mississippi. A year later a group of Mis-sissippi deer went north to Michigan. We have an-swered some of our questions in the intervening years. First, we have found that deer moved from the northern U.S. to the southern U.S. may have a difficult time adapting. Of 5 male and 10 female Michigan deer originally transported to the Mis-sissippi State University research facility, only 5 fe-males survived to 1994. Six of the Michigan deer died as fawns from the viral hemorrhagic disease, and 4 deer died at 2-3 years of age from pneumo-nia. In the same period, none of the native Missis-sippi deer in the Mississippi State facility died from hemorrhagic disease and no similar cases of pneu-monia were seen. This suggests that the Michigan deer lack immunities to some of the diseases com-mon in the southern U.S.

Surprisingly, the southern deer seem to have adapted quite well to the northern U.S. Although three Mississippi deer died from incidental injuries soon after their transfer to Michigan, most adapted very well to the colder climate.

The most obvious visual difference between the two races of deer is skeletal size. On average, the Mississippi deer are considerably smaller in stature than their northern counterparts. Within the same age classes, Michigan deer outweighed the Missis-sippi deer by an average of 25 to 30 lbs. for does and 25 to 50 lbs. for bucks.

Although body size differences were dramatic, other less obvious differences may ultimately prove more significant to the biology of the white-tailed deer. Two events we are paying close attention to are fawning dates and the timing of antler events.

One surprise finding was that the Mississippi buck in Michigan was not able to breed Michigan does at their normal breeding time. The buck was not ready to breed the does in their normal first heat cycle. As a result, the does bred by the Missis-

Crossbreeding Michigan and Mississippi Deer,A Research Update, We Thought You Might Find Interesting

sippi buck had fawns one month later than normal.Except for those Michigan does bred by the dis-

placed Mississippi buck, fawning dates of Michi-gan does have averaged almost 7 weeks earlier than Mississippi does. However, both Mississippi and Michigan does had fawns an average of 3 weeks earlier when in Michigan than in Mississippi.

Timing of the rut can be related to the buck’s physical performance. This is seen when we exam-ine the timing of antler events. Hardening of the antlers and shedding of antler velvet averaged al-most a month later for Mississippi deer than Mich-igan deer, whether in Mississippi or in Michigan. Similarly, the casting of antlers averaged a month later for Mississippi deer.

Interestingly, the seasonal event of molting from winter-to-summer and summer-to-winter coat has not been different between the two races of deer. However, we have seen later molting for both races of deer when in Michigan compared to Mississippi, with molts occurring almost three weeks earlier in Mississippi than in Michigan.

It is well documented that daylight length regu-lates the timing of molting and reproductive events of deer. The preliminary findings of this study sug-gest that the photoperiod differences between the two locations are causing these normal seasonal events of reproduction and molting to occur three weeks earlier or later, depending on the geographic location. However, what is surprising about our results is that reproduction appears not only to be governed by photo-period signals, but also by a ge-netic clock which causes the two races of deer to respond at different times to the same photoperiod signals. The test of this finding will result in how the crossbred offspring from the two races of deer respond.

Initial results of reproductive activity from crossbred offspring seem to be confirming a genet-ic linkage is occurring for reproductive timing. The crossbred does followed so far have had fawning

Crossbreeding. . .(Continued from Previous Page)

dates between the two parent races.Much research remains to be conducted

in the area of genetics. The results should provide many exciting new discoveries about the importance of genetics and environment to the white-tailed deer.

What is the importance about this study to the average sportsperson? The answer re-lates to the practice of wildlife management in every state in the country. All states have had native wildlife introduced, or reintro-duced, at some time, from other geographic locations. Some of these relocations have been harmful and some beneficial to the gene pools of resident wildlife species. It is foolhardy to think that genetics will be an unimportant component of wildlife man-agement in the future. In fact, genetics have historically been important on a large scale. With this in mind, it is extremely important we find out how genetics effects traits impor-tant to survival, reproduction, growth, and other qualities of wildlife. What better place or species to start with than our favorite game species, the white-tailed deer! Hope-fully, the results of this and other studies will allow us the opportunity to wisely manage attempts involving the genetic manipulation of our native game species.

Survival Rate and Cause of Death of Adult Bucks

in MississippiQuality Deer Management (QDM) is being practiced

on many hunting clubs and on public lands in Mississip-pi. Because with QDM young bucks are passed over by hunters and allowed to live to older age classes, it is im-portant to know the survival rates of adult bucks when subject to hunting mortality. A study funded by Missis-sippi Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (MDWFP), participating hunting clubs, Anderson Tully Company, and Deer Hunting Magazine, has helped to address this question.

We implemented a study to find the answer to the question, “what happens if young bucks are let go by hunters?” From 1989-1994, a total of 320 deer were cap-tured on 16 study areas. Radio transmitters were placed on 167 adult bucks. Mortality occurred for 92 of the transmitter collared animals with 72 (78 percent) dying from gunshot, 12 (13 percent) from unknown causes, 6 (7 percent) capture related, 1 (1 percent) from meningi-tis and 1 (1 percent) from pneumonia.

These preliminary results indicate that adult bucks in Mississippi have very low natural mortality rates. If pro-tected from hunting mortality as yearlings, there is an extremely high probability that the same buck will live to an older age class. Thus, protecting these young bucks should not greatly reduce the hunter’s bag. Instead, pro-tecting young bucks improves the quality of the deer herd and the hunting experience.

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MS. Hill Country Magazine July, 2014

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Transcript of MS. Hill Country Magazine July, 2014