Just curious....

How would it improve the herd if you only shot trash bucks and

let all of the Does walk including the big boys?

Depending on were you are and your buck doe ratio...it could hurt the herd big time.... if you dnt have very many deer than would be fine but then i wouldnt shoot anything at all

Well in most area it would suck at improving your herd as most areas have too many does already.

Now,some areas have not enough does I am told. In those areas it would help I suppose.

Each place is different.

Have seen what doing that for years did to a herd. Not recommended, especially when the state has a buck a day limit but a hunter could only kill no more than 2 does a year and those had to be with archery equipment. Buck to doe ratios 1:26 is not a healthy herd

What is considered a healthy buck to doe ratio?

Our place was heavily overhunted before we bought it. For the first two years we didnt shoot anything but hogs, the pop/deer rebounded very fast, but they were also two of the wetest years in history. After that we started shooting what surveys and our biologist indicated. Once you have reached your carying capacity it will hurt your herd to not take enough mouths off the land.

Still depends on the area but around here your lookin at 1 buck to every 3 doe being pretty good.

I had a friend do exactly what you are asking about on a 5000 acre HF ranch. He shot all the bucks out he did not like and only kept the ones he wanted. Shot the does down to CC number. He wanted high fawn crops and high numbers of young bucks to cull from. Took him several years to get to a 1-1 ratio, but when he did the results were eye opening.
Now would I suggest it for you? No, since we know nothing about your area of the state, your ranch and the deer herd. If you had 1000 acres to hunt on all it would take is for you to be at carrying capacity and have 5 does per buck. Add in 2 back to back wet years and your population will expand beyond belief. High doe to buck ratios are great for reproduction but not for a healthy herd or habitat. Those high doe numbers are great for growing large numbers of young deer. Problems is when it rains normal to above normal high doe numbers will multiply your population over CC in just one year.

1 buck to every 1.5-2 doe is the right mix

If you can get to that ratio LF that is great. 1 to 1 is ideal. But hard if not impossible to get to it in a lot of Texas. 1 to 3 is great for Hill Country and takes a lot of work to get to it and even more to maintain.

My understanding is that if you have to many doe the bucks can't get to them all. Causing multiple ruts because the does are still producing estrous. The bucks stay in rut mode longer getting run down. By the time they are done the prime time to recover is over. Also as long as they are in rut mode they will keep their antlers. Which pushes there antler growth back. Causing smaller racks come winter. That's if you eat antlers! Some do.

Probably wouldn't help much, but participating in selective harvesting of a "big boy" on occasion would prolly be fun.

if your trying to manage the buck segment of the herd its not really going to help. the does eat as much groceries as the bucks.kill your does and let the bucks eat and see what culls you have and shoot some of them too, just make sure they are mature. and in a drought year kill as many does as you can to futher help the bucks.

But after drought years you might need your does to help rebound population if there is no fawn crop for a year or multiple years.

we got lucky. we always had a pretty balanced buck to doe ratio.

we shoot about an equal number of each every year and we have a 1:1 ratio. was pretty much that way back in 94' when the ranch was low fenced

What do you think has allowed this?

I think you also have to take into consideration the Does had some part in passing down those "trash" genetics..

At the home place all doe get a pass. Low deer density, and we normally see more bucks than doe. At FILs place near Canyon lake,we put the smack down on 'em. LOTS of deer and population is way out of control, probably 1 to 5 buck to doe ratio.

Half the genertics of a poor buck comes from the doe. taking out does, allowing new genetics to rise, helps to get better bucks. Or so I've been told. I shoot at least one doe in October each year.

shoot all the scrappy deer buck or doe and thats a good start. want to leave the biggest and the best out there so genes will carry buck or doe, then start to worry about age factor best bet is shoot all the doe you can and take 1 good mature buck every year. allot of people only hunt the bucks and leave all the doe year after year so either shoot all the doe you see or make it a rule that everyone has to take 2 doe before they get to shoot a buck

This all depends on deer densities,and does not take into consideration that all properties are not created equal. DON'T SHOOT all of your momma deer... Would a rancher shoot his momma cows?

X2

What you shoot depends on a large degree of what you have to choose from.

Do ranchers keep all their calves? You have to make room for new mouths if you are at CC.

This is true Ranchman. I just feel like everyone thinks(and I here it a lot) shoot a bunch of doe,when they haven't even done a census ,and they're not even sure what's out there. Our place was shot out a few years ago and I'm VERY ptotective of the doe that we have. I can look at available browse and see we're not even close to CC. You might sit in a stand for a couple of hunts and not see a single deer. Even see doe that are alone, no running buddies with her. I DREAM of the day when we have to shoot doe.

Theres a pretty interesting article in Texas Trophy hunters magazine by Dr.Deer on this subject. Its worth a read if you get the chance.