My game plan is about to change. Just like when a football coach realizes what he’s been doing isn’t working, so it is with the hunter. For weeks now, my rifle cartridge has been taken in and out of the chamber repeatedly. In fact, the once shiny brass is now dull and tarnished. Just the other morning after a long sit, I thought I heard my rifle quietly whisper, “make up your mind, I’m tired of sitting with you for hours on end with no action.” So, by now you have probably deduced that my hunting thus far has been less than desirable. Not that I’m not seeing bucks, quite the contrary. There are plenty of bucks in the areas I frequent, but the number of mature bucks that have already left their genetic potential behind are far and few between. I have a couple of theories as to why this is occurring, and then I will share my game plan going forward through the rest of the season.
If you recall, we incurred one of the hottest, driest, summers on record in 2023. This is noteworthy regarding the effect of what this weather pattern has on whitetails and a virus that explodes during these climatic conditions. I won’t write a dissertation on a biting midge in the genus Culicoides, but this insect carries a virus that is transmittable to deer that causes Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease, (EHD) also known as Bluetongue. The insect and virus thrive in warm, dry years, when water levels diminish. The gnats lay their eggs in the moist soil at the edge of ponds and stagnant streams. When deer congregate at limited water supplies, they are vulnerable to the bite of this insect and the transmission of the virus. Interestingly, older, mature bucks are the most vulnerable to this disease and the toll can be heavy when this age class of animals is infected with the virus. Some studies show that as high as 80% of older bucks will succumb to EHD in years when the disease outbreak is severe. With what we experienced this past summer, it is highly probable this is one of the reasons we aren’t seeing many older bucks. There is another likely cause as well.
Before I get into what likely is a major reason for diminished numbers of older bucks, I must first provide a little history of what it was like many years ago in Madison County. Though I will describe this local area, I’m sure it will pertain to many other parts of our state as well.
I began deer hunting in Madison County over 35 years ago. This area was rich with cultivated crops of cotton, soybeans, and corn. Cotton was the primary cash crop produced with over 50,000 acres grown in the 1980s and 1990s in Madison County alone. The soils in this region are very fertile, especially along creek bottoms and the Big Black River. Deer populations during this era were just beginning to expand and numbers were well below carrying capacity of the land.
Around this time, a conservation program was enacted and put into place that would take marginal farmland out of production know as the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Landowners were paid a fee for 15 years to put their land into timber. For the first few years these fields which were historically row crops now became briar thickets and deer numbers exploded. Along with these numbers, buck quality in this area was unprecedented. Here’s where the saga began.
News travels fast and it wasn’t long before the word got out on how good the deer hunting was in Madison, Hinds, and Yazoo County. Landowners owned large farms and emphasis had been more on quail hunting than whitetails. The bucks in this region got old and they got big. Before long however, land in this area became very desirable for the trophy hunter. Land specialists promoted, advertised, and listed tracts of land boasting of the huge potential for giant bucks. Over time, ten thousand-acre tracts sold off to five thousand-acre tracts, which then became one thousand-acre tracts, which became one hundred-acre tracts, and now have become twenty-acre tracts. So, what once were huge tracts of prime hunting real estate, have now evolved into hobby farms, horse farms, and homesites, with a four-wheel drive truck, a side by side, a bicycle, and a pair of roller skates on the corner of every property line. I am not exaggerating either. If you haven’t already put two and two together, this means there is a deer stand and a rifle on every corner as well. With this huge amount of increased pressure, the high grading began.
Hunters began harvesting the biggest and best bucks the land could produce. When there were large tracts of land, and very few hunters, a lot of bucks made it to see another year. However, this isn’t the case anymore. With a hunter in every tree and in every box blind, the harvest of mature bucks is epic. In fact, the most mature bucks in this area have been shot so hard that it is becoming harder and harder to see a four-year-old, much less the six and seven-year-olds that are needed to reach their full potential. Not only have a high percentage of older bucks been harvested, but the highest quality bucks went first leaving less than desirable genetics to take over the gene pool. Antlerless deer harvest waned as well allowing the total herd numbers to spiral out of control further leading to a lack of buck quality. I’ll lay out a prime example of what has occurred and continues to play out.
Many years ago, there was a tract of land west of Canton known as the Bank’s Place. I checked cotton on this farm for many years. Deer were few and crop damage from them was minimal. The grower and I hunted together on this tract for decades and the deer hunting was excellent. Eventually this tract of land was sold for development. I can’t remember exactly how many acres the place is, but it’s over a thousand. You will now know it as Charlton Place. It has been chopped up for homesites and hobby farms. Land prices for these 20 to 75 acres mini farms are exorbitant. Million-dollar homes have now taken the place of cotton. Along with the homes, there are deer feeders and deer stands on every corner of these postage stamps.
You won’t believe the number of pickups that are parked on the edge of the sedge fields during deer season. Rifles pop like fireworks on New Year’s Eve. With each crack of a rifle, another buck folds. I know what I am talking about too! I see it and hear it every day. Don’t get me wrong, it’s all legal. The point I’m trying to make is that there is way too much pressure on the buck population. Everyone wants a trophy buck these days, but few know how to manage and or fail to implement management strategies for maximum potential. This is occurring up and down this high potential corridor and the heavy hunting pressure has taken an extreme toll on what was once the best hunting area not just here, but perhaps even in the Southeastern U.S.
So, how has my game plan changed? I’m going back to enjoying hunting and I’m not concentrating on trying to harvest the highest scoring buck that I can find. In fact, this strategy has been implemented in the past. For many seasons our hunting group made a pact to not harvest any 10 pointers unless it was a buck of a lifetime. We harvested old bucks with eight points or less and a lot of antlerless deer. Alas, though some neighbors also adopted this strategy, there are far more hunters now that do not. With all the smaller tracts now, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that if these great bucks roam too far from home during the rut, they get popped by those with not a common goal in mind. Then the mindset evolves into “if I don’t shoot him, then somebody else will.” So, back to what I’m doing now. My focus is back on harvesting antlerless deer and old bucks with less than eight points.
Of course, I can’t do it alone, but just think if every hunter in Madison County harvested at least three antlerless deer and perhaps no bucks for at least two years. Think of the age class that would rebound. Do you think this strategy would be accepted and adopted by neighboring hunters? It probably wouldn’t because just as the dollar is the driving mechanism for the sale of hunting land, so is the greed of hunters for the biggest and the best bucks the land can produce. Just remember, we can kill em all if we so desire. Think about this and ask yourself if you’re willing to do your part for the betterment of the species. Are you? And on another note, this also applies to turkey hunting as well. You’ll read about this too, soon. Until next time enjoy our woods and waters and remember, let’s leave it better than we found it.
