Harvesting deer at the right age is an important aspect of trophy deer management according to Dr. Byron Wright, Texas Cooperative Extension wildlife specialist.

“There are three aspects to antler development in white-tailed deer,” he said, “genetics, nutrition and age.

“Age is crucial for developing quality antlers and must be considered right along with nutrition and genetics. A lot of people are concentrating on genetics these days when many would be better off improving their deer habitat and letting their bucks get a little older. I really think most hunters would be happy with the results of letting their bucks mature on good habitat before harvesting them.

Wright said research and experience has shown scientists that bucks reach their peak antler growth between 5 and 7 years old.

“I often hear folks claim their biggest bucks are over 7 years old,” said Wright. “This may be true with penned deer living under optimum conditions, but I question whether it’s valid in wild deer. If some of the biggest bucks being harvested really are over 7 years of age, what percentage of the deer 8 and 9 years old do they represent? If 80-90 percent of the bucks 8 and 9 years old have declined in antler quality, then it is pretty dicey business to manage for the 10-20 percent comprising this very small age class.”

Wright believes more research should be done before concrete statements are made about post-mature bucks growing the biggest antlers in the wild.

“Irrespective of the 8–9-year-old controversy, bucks have to be at least 5 years old) o grow their biggest antlers,” said the specialist. “Being able to estimate a buck’s age before harvest is vitally important in a trophy management program. Aging deer on-the-hoof is more art than science. A person needs to look at a lot of known-age animals to get the feel for the process. Aging deer means looking at many different characteristics and making your best educated guess. Factors like individual animal variation, health, breeding stage, observer bias and geographic area all influence an animal’s appearance. There is a lot of variation among animals that leads to mistakes when judging the age of deer, especially when an animal shows characteristics from multiple age classes.”

Wright said figuring a deer’s exact age is difficult and unnecessary. What is really important in his opinion is being able to place the deer in one of three major categories: young, middle aged and old. He considers yearlings and 2-year-old deer young; 3-4 years old, middle aged and 5-7 years old.

Young deer have: 1) long legs 2) long, thin necks 3) high flanks, 4) rumps higher than their shoulders and 5) an overall slim, dainty appearance.

Middle-aged deer have: 1) thick, muscular necks, 2) necks that swell from the shoulders 3) heavily muscled rounded hindquarters, 4) bellies that are full, but not sagging, 5) legs that no longer appear long and gangly and 6) flat backs that do not sway.

Old deer have 1) swayed backs, 2) “potbellies”, 3) very heavy necks and shoulders, 4) necks that blend into their chests, 5) short or stubby-appearing legs and 6) “squinty-eyes”.

“Allowing the bucks on your hunting lease to grow up will pay dividends later on,” said Wright. “Hunters interested in trophy deer management should hone their skills to increase their odds of making accurate judgements about age.

“My ‘on-the-hoof aging suggestions are simply guidelines. Mistakes are going to be made when judging a deer’s age. We just have to learn from those mistakes and while we keep practicing.”

GRASS IDENTIFICATION

Tom Guthrie Mills County Extension Agent sent out this information not long ago and it is very useful.

Fall is one of the best times of the year to really get out on the land and learn how to identify many of our grasses. Often our native and improved grasses show out during the fall. Most have seed heads right now and will be seeding out soon. When you have the ability to identify and understand the plants on your property, this allows you to get a big picture view, which will lead you to become a more successful range manager. All the other variables that come into play such as monitoring stocking rates, evaluating range condition, and understanding toxic plants begin to make more sense. When learning to identify grasses, it is helpful to understand plants and their key characteristics. We need to learn to look closely at the differences in height, shape of the leaves, stems, hairiness, and seed heads.

The above ground parts of a grass plant are divided into two parts: Vegetative and Flowering. The flowering parts are referred to as inflorescence and include seeds. The vegetative parts include leaves and stems that are usually round or somewhat flattened.

Stems are generally hollow. Grass stems are jointed and usually swollen at the joint or node. A leaf originates at each node and leaves alternate on each side of the stem. Joints are short and compressed, giving rise to a cluster of leaves at the base of the plant.

Grass leaves have two main parts, the blade and the sheath. The sheath clasps tightly around the stem elevating the blade. The blade is the part that extends away from the stem.

A small membrane-like projection, the ligule, extends from the sheath. Sometimes called a rain guard, the ligule provides a small barrier at the base of the blade to keep dirt and rain from fouling the sheath.

The reproductive part, the inflorescence, is made up of many smaller spikelets. Spikelets are composed of offlorets or grass flowers. The number of florets in a single spikelet can vary. At maturity, the florets produce seed. Each seed is enclosed by two small leaf-like bracts known as the lemma and the palea. In many grasses these bracts will have a prolonged sharp extension called an awn. These awns cling to the hair or livestock and clothing, giving the seed some mobility. A few grasses have awns that are deterimental to livestock.

We all tend to take our grasses for granted. This is not new as it has gone on for centuries. There are many reasons for the degeneration of our grasslands. These include factors such as overgrazing and drought. Your efforts to restore grass production need to begin with a solid understanding of the fundamentals of grass growth. The good news is that grass is a renewable resource, and it has the ability to respond to good management. As stewards of the land and land managers, we have the ability to implement good management strategies.

Key Points!

1. Know the range plants – when they grow and where; how and what kind of livestock should graze them

2. Develop a management plan – proper stocking and flexible stocking rates. Deferred rotation grazing. Livestock distributed for moderate use.

3. Give grasses a rest once every 3-4 years or more frequently.

Below are some apps out there that are available to help identify grasses, plants, flowers, and trees.

Apps

• PictureThis

• Seek by iNaturalist

• West Texas Wildflowers Invasive Plants

• My Tree ID

• PlantSnap Google Lens

• ToxicPlantIdentification

• PlantNet

• Ag Weed ID