Biology And Management Of White-tailed Deer In Alabama

comes intense with improved buck age structure. This is a desirable
situation for the deer hunter, as techniques such as hunting near scrapes
or rubs, rattling, and grunting become more effective for harvesting a
mature buck. Because mature bucks spend more time making and checking
scrapes, leaving rubs, and searching for receptive does, they are
more vulnerable to harvest than those under conditions where such
behaviors are suppressed.
As with adult sex ratio, selective harvest pressure through hunting
has the greatest influence on buck age structure. Most bucks are
removed from the herd before maturity under traditional harvest practices,
resulting in a buck segment comprised primarily of immature
animals. Research has shown ritualized courtships and prolific signpost/scent
marking behaviors are not characteristic of immature bucks.
In one study, yearling bucks were found to make only 15 percent as
many scrapes and 50 percent as many rubs as mature bucks (Ozoga
and Verme 1985). This study also indicated yearling bucks made scrapes
only one week before the first doe was bred, while mature bucks made
scrapes up to two months before the first doe was bred.
If signposts associated with mature bucks contribute to earlier
and shorter breeding periods, signpost behavior of immature bucks (in
the absence of mature bucks) is not sufficient to elicit a normal breeding
cycle. This relationship should be of particular importance to the
deer manager. Implementing harvest strategies designed to produce
a normally functioning deer population should be the
primary concern of those charged with managing deer herds.
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