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**TildenHunter** · 07-30-2014, 08:20 AM

Incredible deer. You are doing something special in LA.

**jkelbe** · 07-30-2014, 08:25 AM

So how are you going to put together your hit list. Are you looking more at age, or combination of overall score and age? And do you name them? I know you have explained some about managing your herd, but how many deer per acre do you think you have, and how many is carrying capacity. Just curious how all this works, sorry for the 20 questions, love the thread, it's amazing.

**jshouse** · 07-30-2014, 09:12 AM

you need to just change the title to "the life of a farm," no way we are going to let this end next summer buddy

**elgato** · 07-30-2014, 01:30 PM

Originally posted by jkelbe View Post

So how are you going to put together your hit list. Are you looking more at age, or combination of overall score and age? And do you name them? I know you have explained some about managing your herd, but how many deer per acre do you think you have, and how many is carrying capacity. Just curious how all this works, sorry for the 20 questions, love the thread, it's amazing.

All good questions; important things to know.It is very challenging to census deer in the type habitat we have here. Mostly very thick woods with interspersed fields and right of ways. Unless the deer come into openings you don't see them.I'm on the farm practically every day and a lot of my management decisions are made simply from what I observe both from actual deer sightings and pressure on crops and habitat.

If I had to guess my estimate would be there are between 150-200 adult deer on my farm. My neighbor has roughly the same thus you can see what we have on the total property. I don't consider fawns as mortality has such an unpredictable effect on them. One thing for sure is that our numbers have predictably been growing since the fence went up.

More important than actual numbers is the correlation between population and habitat. I watch pressure on our crops closely. I also watch pressure on habitat closely. Browse lines along fields, pressure on native plants such as green briar, honey suckle etc all tell a story. My good friend Dr. Harry Jacobson showed me a neat trick. In the pictures below both trees are in openings ripe for deer pressure. Notice in the first photo the vegetation goes all the way to the ground. You see green briar, virginia creeper, some haw, and dew berry. Almost no grazing pressure. In the second photo you can see where the deer have created a browse line on the tree. This is the kind of indicator to look for to assess pressure on the habitat and help make harvest decisions.

Regarding harvest decisions it's kind of a swag. We always take more does than bucks. We have the privilege of being very light on buck pressure. We take extensive trail cam pics and I select which bucks can be removed based on history with the buck and age. Almost nothing gets shot before 4 and most are older. As it gets closer to the season I'll post pics of bucks we are removing and why.

About that buck in the last photo I posted.....while he is only 5 I think [ younger than I like to remove top end trophies ] he will be hunted hard by my neighbor and me. My neighbor teases saying the buck can hear him talking in his garden and it may be true. he lives right on our border. But he is so magnificent we will chase him regardless of age . That said the buck has been seen only once ever in hard antler.

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**ANSCAG** · 07-30-2014, 02:13 PM

This has been a phenomenal read. You sir, are the envy of many. Such wisdom and knowledge when it comes to property and herd management. I'm grateful you have decided to share this with us. Please keep us updated on these projects, and let us know if you ever decide you need an extra hand or two for a big work weekend. I know I'd drop most things just to come lend a helping hand and see this awesome property!

**jkelbe** · 07-30-2014, 03:49 PM

I understand browsing pressure, but I really like the example. I will have to pay more attention. I have noticed that I see browse pressure on their favorite plants, but I find places that they don't touch, meaning they are getting their fill on preferred natural browse. I love your approach and hope to learn more. Thanks for entertaining my questions. I look forward to you checking off your hit list and seeing some LDP's

**elgato** · 07-31-2014, 04:04 PM

This post has nothing to do with game or habitat mgt. but I thought I'd show my broiler set up. I have 25 broilers in each of the pens { they hold up to 50 } They are in a Durana clover field and are moved everyday to fresh clover. I keep all the ...organic, GMO free....free choice feed they can eat plus they love the clover and any bugs, worms etc. they may find as the coops are moved. They have plenty of room to walk and loaf along with ample shade.

When I get them from the breeder they spend the first 3 weeks in a brooder then about 5-6 weeks on the clover then we process them . Fantastic eating birds! Free fertilizer for the clover.

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**BillyloMexico** · 07-31-2014, 05:27 PM

Sweet!

**Bowhuntinonly** · 08-03-2014, 07:50 AM

I like it, very good fertilize. I wish there were some chicken houses near me!

**Reaper87** · 08-03-2014, 04:59 PM

Originally posted by Bowhuntinonly View Post

I like it, very good fertilize. I wish there were some chicken houses near me!

Some of the best stuff out there and it stays in the soil.

**armadillophil** · 08-03-2014, 07:59 PM

I love the mobile chicken coops

**elgato** · 08-03-2014, 09:06 PM

Joel Salatin gets the credit for coop design. I 'borrowed' from him. You can see attached dolly. Just drop it then one person can easily move. Chickens walk along underneath. Easy system.

**elgato** · 08-08-2014, 10:46 AM

It's chicken processing time. The broilers are now 9 weeks old , fully grown and ready for the freezer. Here is a pictorial of the process. First we transfer the first batch from the clover field to the processing area. Then they are placed upside down in the bleed out cone where they go to sleep then cut the neck artery. from there transfer to the boiler where the feathers are loosened for plucking. They are dipped several times till the wing feathers remove easily. Next the plucker...also handy for winter ducks....where all feathers are removed. Then the cleaning table where entrails, feet, head etc. are removed. Lastly washed and into the ice bath.

When we are selling them, this is when folks pick them up bagged after coming out of the ice. This 50 birds is for us and friends.

The only thing this has to do with game mgt. is that the birds fertilize my clover field

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