Deer University

Latest Episodes:

Episode 038 - CWD Management Part 1 Feb 19, 2020

Show notes

Bryan Richards and Paul Shelton have been studying and managing Chronic Wasting Disease for almost 20 years. Bryan provides information on CWD in his home state of Wisconsin, and Paul describes how the Illinois DNR has managed the disease. These two biologists are a wealth of information and they describe the disparity in how their states are managing CWD.

Episode 037 - Deer Summer Nutrition Sep 09, 2019

Show notes

Steve, Marcus, and Bronson discuss the importance of summer nutrition for deer. We review some research on seasonal fluctuations in plant quality, nutritional requirements of bucks and does, and some of the most common warm-season food plot forages. Also, Marcus has an announcement to make.

Episode 036 – Impacts of flooding on deer – the good, the bad, the ugly Jul 23, 2019

Show notes

The deer herd located in southern portion of the Mississippi Delta region is undergoing an unprecedented flood event. Some experts estimate that about ¾ of a million acres are currently flooded, and many of these areas have been flooded for months. Deer are undergoing extreme nutritional stress as they are confined to the high ground and their food supply has been exhausted. In this episode, Steve and Bronson review the effects of floods on deer herds adjacent to the Mississippi River, and discuss the potential impacts of the current flood.

Episode 035 - Forest Management for Food and Cover May 18, 2019

Show notes

Forest management matters! Steve, Marcus, and Bronson discuss how forest management affects where deer spend time. Want to draw more deer to your property? Want deer to spend more time on your property? Manage the forest on your property to produce food and cover.

Episode 034 - Want to start a supplemental feeding program? Mar 22, 2019

Show notes

So you want to start a supplemental feeding program? You better listen to this episode. We again visit with deer biologist, Donnie Draeger, and discuss the pros and cons of supplemental feeding. Donnie and colleagues designed a study to determine exactly what impact a supplemental feeding program would have on antler size and body weight of free-ranging bucks. If you are expecting immediate results, and/or you only have a few feeders…don't waste your time and money.

Episode 033 - How Jeremy Flinn uses biology and technology to scout and hunt Feb 06, 2019

Show notes

Jeremy Flinn is graduate of the MSU Deer Lab and is now the Chief Marketing Officer for Stone Road Media, a company that represents many of the well-known brands in the hunting industry. We talk about the influence "brand-name" hunters have on the education of the hunting public and how Jeremy is working to insure accurate, biologically sound information is being distributed. We also talk about habitat management differences in the Northeast, Southeast and Midwest, and how Jeremy uses biological knowledge about buck movements, complimented with camera technology, to most effectively scout and harvest deer. If you would like to reach out to Jeremy, you can find him at jeremy@stoneroadmedia.com.

Episode 032 - Culling to Improve Genetics - Fact or Fiction Dec 20, 2018

Show notes

Culling to improve genetics is likely one of the most hotly debated topics among deer hunters. How often have you heard "that spike buck is genetically inferior." Or, "I culled that buck to get him out of the gene pool"? Heck, you may have even said this yourself! In this episode we listen to deer biologist Donnie Draeger of the Comanche Ranch in South Texas as he describes the results from a landmark, 13-year study, designed to answer this question once and for all – to determine if culling can be used to "improve" genetics and increase the average antler size of bucks.

After 7 years of removing bucks with below average antler size (i.e., culling) the average antler size per age class did not improve. In fact, in the area where culling was most intense, where culling began with the yearling age class, the buck population began to crash. Most people would think this level of culling, which allowed only the large-antlered bucks to live and breed, would result in production of super bucks! Instead, the effects of the environment (late birth, rainfall, etc.) suppress the expression of genetics, making culling decisions inaccurate and ultimately ineffective. Donnie will describe a negative feedback loop in buck antler size as an example of the law of unintended consequences relative to culling.

Here's the bottom line – for a number of reasons discussed in the interview a hunter can't determine the genetic quality of bucks in a free-ranging management scenario. Additionally, hunters can't determine the genetic quality of does. Combine that with the effects of a variable environment that will limit genetic expression, and buck dispersal to and from your property, and you have a recipe for culling process that only lowers the buck population. Lowering the deer and buck population may be needed on your property because food is limited, so harvesting lower-quality bucks may be an appropriate strategy relative to this objective. But harvesting smaller-antlered bucks with hopes of increasing antler size in subsequent generations is absolute folly. Thanks to Donnie and his colleagues for this incredible study and answering this culling question once and for all.

Episode 031 - Eating venison in a CWD world Nov 03, 2018

Show notes

Steve and Bronson discuss implications of the 2nd positive CWD sample in Mississippi and have a conversation about common questions surrounding eating venison.

Episode 030 - Buck Movement Patterns During the Rut Oct 24, 2018

Show notes

Today we visit with MSU Deer Lab graduate students Ashley Jones and Colby Henderson about their research project where they are tracking GPS-collared bucks and measuring their habitat preferences. We discuss buck movement patterns during the rut and what particular cover types bucks are selecting. We talk about focal areas and how often bucks are moving to and from different focal areas. Cover is critical for bucks, but cover that simultaneously provides food is the best! We will also hear from the Ole Buck, Steve Demarais.

Episode 029 - Midwest Deer Habitat Management Oct 09, 2018

Show notes

Jarred Brooke and Adam Janke are Professors and Extension Wildlife Specialists at Purdue and Iowa State Universities, respectively. Today we will discuss the most common habitat management strategies used for deer in the agriculture-dominated landscapes of the Midwest.

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