Biology And Management Of White-tailed Deer In Alabama

guarantee the superior bucks hunters pass up are actually doing the
majority of the breeding and passing their genes on to their male offspring.
Even if the biggest antlered bucks are protected and the smaller
antlered bucks are removed, the time required for any measurable improvement
in antler quality solely through genetic manipulation would
be far longer than the average deer manager or hunter can persevere
(i.e., several decades). The primary reasons are: (1) antler traits do not
appear to be highly heritable, (2) there is no guarantee the mature bucks
with the best antlers will do the majority of the breeding, and (3) the
culling of bucks only addresses at best one-half of a buck fawn’s antler
genes. Remember, a buck’s dam contributes half of his genetic makeup,
including genes for antler characteristics. There is no way to identify
which does carry the superior genes and which ones carry the inferior
genes.
The bottom line concerning antler genetics and its role in deer
management is still unclear. For the great majority of deer hunters,
culling of inferior bucks should not be of concern. If better antler
quality is a deer manager’s goal, then the majority of their effort
and resources should focus on improving the quality of the
habitat, improving buck age structure (letting bucks mature),
and maintaining the deer herd at a level well below carrying
capacity through doe harvest. While most wildlife biologists
agree these three practices can be effective at improving deer
quality on most properties, very few have seen examples where
culling resulted in an increase in the average antler size of a
free-ranging deer herd.
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