EP13: When You Should and Shouldn’t Kill Cull Bucks

 

This is Huntin' Land, the podcast for Land Hunters and Landowners; with Real-Time Rut Reports, Waterfowl Migrations, and How-to's for Habitat Management and Land Investment.

 

Well, It's finally over, or unfortunately over, I guess it depends how you're season went. This is the time of year we sit back and reflect on our season and determine what we're going to do next year to improve. There are a lot of components that go into making a property great habitat for deer. There are also a lot of things hunters can do to best manage their herd. Today we're talking to Mark Buxton of Southeastern Wildlife Habitat Management on the subject of Cull Bucks. There's a lot of conflicting information flying around the internet about cull bucks and we're going to hear how Mark uses the determination and killing of cull bucks in his wildlife management strategy. 

 

We get a lot of landowners that want to know, how much is my land really worth? We’ve recorded a video series to explain exactly how we determine that... just head over to http://www.landhuntin.com/go to get the series. I’m confident it will help you achieve your land goals.

 

Some of the questions we cover in this episode:

 

What is a "Cull Buck"? A definition of the qualities and characteristics of a cull buck and what a cull buck is on varying properties

 

Is it possible to improve genetics through culling? We know that killing a cull buck prevents him from breeding, Mark tells us if killing a cull buck has any effect on genetics. 

 

How does taking out an "inferior" cull buck improve a deer herd? Mark gives us boots on the ground proof of what his management practices are doing

 

What is a "Mature Buck"? At what age can we kill a cull buck? When should we hold off on killing a cull buck?

 

In the Southeast, How many mature deer can the best habitat support? 

 

Do we Need to let all of our bucks reach maturity to determine if they are a cull buck? 

 

Taking out cull bucks is but one tactic in a bucket full of strategies. Mark gives us the important checklist to determine before we start taking cull bucks. 

 

Thanks for listening, If you would like more information on habitat management on your land be sure to email us your questions to pros@landhuntin.com.