Dukats Journal of Hunting

We have some property and are trying to manage the deer herd to produce some better bucks. Unfortunately, the property is only two sections and the neighbors have paid hunting and shoot the majority of the bucks as soon as they step across the fence. Is it worth it to let them shoot our older bucks and hope a few make it through or should we start taking the best bucks on the place every year before they get to them?

Here is one of the management bucks we took this year.

How about a group of five or six create the "Nebraska Deer Consortium' and buy the neighboring land?

It will be impossible to manage a herd when everything that wanders off is instantly tagged. Unfortunately, your best bet is probably to show constraint and hope that several of the larger bucks make it through the hunting season.

Maybe a meeting with the neighbor will help. A brief lesson is economics may help create a win-win agreement. There are very few places with the proper environmental conditions to consistently raise trophy bucks. _base_d on a very limited supply of LARGE bucks, maybe the neighbor can be convinced to allow less people to hunt, but then charge more for the better quality animals.

I bet it is damn frustrating hoping bucks make it "one more year" so they reach their maximum trophy potential.

Best of luck!

Not a bad idea on the consortium. You up for some land in Nebraska? Unfortunately, I don't think the neighbors would sell, but there might be another chunk of land that would fit the bill.

It might be possible to lease their land for hunting if we paid what they are getting from their deer hunters. Makes it a little tougher to hunt yourself, but if you took a few guys and made enough to pay what they are getting it might work.

We tend to get bucks from miles around during the rut since the does like the place, but their aren't a lot that stay year round. Hopefully a few stick around and make it through the gammet of the rest of the seasons and the archery seasons next year.

I'm not up to buying the land right now ($$$$) but I am up for hunting with you next November!