After a tough year for range conditions and deer, hunters need to consider a number of factors before deciding where to reduce their harvest numbers this season.

This is one of those years that can drive hunters and landowners wanting to manage their deer herd mad.

There is little doubt that this year’s fawn crop is going to be down because of brutal summer conditions. That leaves the question about what to do about harvest recommendations.

It is human nature under these conditions to back off the antlerless harvest, but the mantra hunters have been hearing for years is to harvest as many does as possible year after year. The only time you back down is when you have a population below carrying capacity, something that rarely happens since few ever take as many does as necessary.

In Texas the annual fawn survival rate generally runs 30 to 35 % across the state, maybe higher on highly managed properties. This year it is expected to be below 30 %.

So do hunters continue to hit the antlerless segment hard, or back off and hope for better conditions this fall into spring?

“It depends on their population and habitat, and what is going on on the property,” explained Alan Cain, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s white-tailed deer program leader.

Cain said in the case of a high-fenced property where it has been hard to keep up with harvest goals the drought could “be a blessing in disguise.”

In the case of low-fence properties the more background information hunters have on the deer population and age structure the easier it is to decide this fall.

“Carrying capacity fluctuates. If I am on a place that has a deer to every three acres and it needs a deer to every 10, drought and low fawn crops are an additional harvest tool,” Cain said.

This is where data collection becomes important. And there are several ways to collect information on a herd. Any are good, but those serious about deer management incorporate them all.

“Data about a deer population is always good to have. It gives some perspective, not in one individual year, but over time. Not only a spotlight survey, but harvest data. Harvest data will tell you how many bucks you are killing and the age class,” Cain said.

He added in the first years of data collection aging doe may show an older age class. After years of intense harvest that may flip to younger does that are healthier and more able to produce healthier fawns.

Collecting weight information can also provide information from year to year, but can be misleading on some properties.

‘Harvest body weights is a good indicator of herd health. But a lot of people today are feeding protein or cottonseed so that might have an impact. Doing a browse survey and looking at what plants are being utilized would also be helpful,” Cain said. Even with browse surveys it is important to considered weather conditions.

Cain said he expects body weights to be down this fall where the deer are not being feed. Those that are are seeing a lot of utilization of supplemental feeds.

Line surveys are another way of learning herd information. Whether done by truck using a spotlight just after dark or by helicopter, line surveys are used primarily to determine buck/doe ratios.

To do a line it needs to be done along the same route across the property year after year, and deer are recorded as buck, doe, fawn or unknown. Most are done two or three times over consecutive nights. Biologists have criteria for more official spotlight counts, but anything is better than nothing.

Spotlight and aerial surveys can be difficult in the Pineywoods. There Cain said camera surveys can useful. The surveys are conducted over a 10-day period in September or October before acorns begin to fall with a camera every 100 to 160 acres on a food plot, at a feeder or along a game trail.

One other form of data collection is incidental sightings from deer blinds. In this case hunters record how many bucks, does and fawns they see from a blind, but for accuracy it must be done across the property at one time.

For those really interested in managing a deer population it all comes down to knowing your herd, the habitat and doing all you can to prepare for bad years like this one.

“It is an interesting year,” Cain said. “Overall body weights are down and quality is down, but there are people growing some tremendous deer. If you are doing good management and supplemental feeding you can buffer against a drought.”