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Stop this fighting!!!!!!

Sligh1

Administrator
Staff member
Dang things!!!!! Worst I’ve personally ever had it. We lose a few to fighting every now & again but not many.
This is a lesson learned for us…. Yet, I don’t really know how to fix it completely. “The learning never ends”. Really don’t think it can be “fixed” as this is nature but probably some adjustments….
We been very hard on doe #’s. We are for sure down. We are not at all loaded with “high scoring old deer” (as of now- none). We do have bullies & older management bucks that we are hunting… & love it!!
History: last 2 years thinned Doe #’s on one farm that was high. Rest didn’t need it. At same time- we got most every management/older buck we could find. So- overall deer #’s for bucks & does did go way down.
I’m guessing we thinned does “too much”. Made these bucks into crazed fighting lunatics.
We’ve lost a bunch now due to fighting. While tracking a doe - we come across this. A 3-4 year old 8. & a 6 year old heavy brute. Pics don’t do Justice - he’s HEAVY!! I’ll get better pics later. Crap way to die but that’s life in the wild. Called the DNR on salvage tags. He’d been missing for probably 2-3 weeks. How it goes. Can’t control it. Only thing we personally will do is continue to hunt (& love doing it!!!!) bullies & bucks that are ripe or need to go. None get a pass. Where we hunt, we never say “I’ll pass that low scoring older buck to hold out for high scoring deer”….. I hunt them, buddies do, kids, etc. Ticks me off but this is life in the wild. Not a fun way to go & wish it was a hunter that killed him in 5 seconds with smile on face BUT…. This time……
(Buddy identified the 8 & sent me the pic of “it’s him”.).

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It’s a sad end to these bucks. Must be a real competition issue. We see it more in Iowa than Minnesota. Age difference is the key I suppose. Not as many older fighters in MN.
 
I’m guessing we thinned does “too much”. Made these bucks into crazed fighting lunatics.
That was my thoughts when I started reading your post. I've seen a few younger bucks all busted up, no mature buck seen this fall and fewer does.
 
Those high and tight racked bucks are always the bullies. It's like they have short-man's syndrome, or something. Always a chip on their shoulder with something to prove. Pick a fight with the biggest guy in the bar...

I'm not certain doe management impacts buck aggressiveness as much as genetics does, but I don't know how to prove it.

I think the best way to manage bullies is by killing them as soon as possible, after you identify them as bullies.
 
I found 2 130" 10 pointers dead this year, my best guess was fighting. I pulled the last of my cameras on Thanksgiving, but between November pictures and bucks I saw during gun season, I'd guess a full 25% of our bucks were busted up in some form or another. I don't think a lot of people realize how hard they are on each other, especially in an area with well managed doe populations.
 
You're blessed to have these problems...
I know. Spent a lot of years seeing only 1.5 year olds & only a handful at that …. So I do know to be thankful with these problems.

We are cutting way back on doe shooting. There’s some old bullies that will be the fun of the remaining season!
 
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