Biology And Management Of White-tailed Deer In Alabama

tivity of the property (Woods 1999b). Other factors, such as size and
shape of the property, current land use practices, activities on neighboring
properties, and monetary constraints of the hunting club or
landowner, also will determine what steps need to be taken to achieve
the management objectives (Woods 1999b). If too many limiting factors
are at work on the property, it will be necessary to reevaluate the longterm
goals or search for another piece of property.
Once the limiting factors have been identified, a deer management
plan can be developed. When formulating a plan, it often is useful
to view the deer herd as a water bucket and each of the limiting factors
as holes in the bucket. For the bucket to hold water, the holes on the
bottom must first be patched. Once the bottom holes are patched, holes
farther up the bucket can be repaired, until all deficiencies have been
repaired and the bucket is capable of remaining full of water. The management
plan should be designed to address the most serious limiting
factors or holes (e.g., overharvest of bucks, overpopulation) first so the
chosen objectives can be achieved in a reasonable amount of time. In
most parts of Alabama, this means implementing both herd and habitat
management practices from the beginning.
In most situations, deer herd management is limited to
one technique—legal hunting. By shooting or passing deer as directed
by the management plan, hunters are able to manage age and
sex ratios of the deer herd, as well as keep deer numbers in balance
with the available habitat (Woods 1999b). Since herd management is
such an important component of any deer management plan, all hunters
involved need to be aware each time they decide to shoot or not to
shoot, they are making a management decision. Once this is under-
87