Herd Monitoring is another important building block. There are two types of
data commonly collected, harvest data and observation data. Harvest data
should be collected from deer harvested during the season or found dead at
other times. Observation data may be collected at any time, but generally
collected while hunting. Together, these data help hunters and managers make
educated decisions about their deer herds. Good records generally result in
good management decisions, whereas poor or incomplete records often result
in faulty decisions.

It takes a substantial amount of data to develop a good "picture" of a herd. On
many properties, the number of deer taken is too small and measurements are
too variable for conclusions to be drawn from a single year's data.
Therefore, data must be collected over several years or combined with
surrounding properties' data to determine trends in herd condition.

Harvest Data
Harvest records are generally the most important information from which to
base management decisions. However, management decisions are only as
good as the quality of data gathered. Therefore, harvest data must be
complete and consistently collected from every deer harvested. This should be
made mandatory. If this is not possible, a convenient, well-equipped check
station or shed to process deer will help encourage data collection.

When possible, one person should record all of the data while others process
the deer. Data collected on both bucks and does include: date of harvest, sex,
weight, age (jawbone), harvest location, hunter's name, and any comments or
unique observations. Additional data collected on bucks should include number
of points, antler spread, antler length and circumference at the base.
All jawbones should be retained until after the hunting season and provided to
an experienced wildlife biologist for aging. With practice, hunters can become
efficient at estimating deer age.
Harvest data provide useful insight into the current condition of a deer herd.
When compared to previous years, harvest data provide the opportunity to
see where a deer management program has been and where it is going. This
information is particularly useful in QDM programs that implement antler
restrictions to protect young bucks.

Observation Data
When properly collected, observation data can reveal important details about a
herd's size, sex ratio, fawn survival, age structure, and overall management
success. The most important aspect of observation data is consistency.
Whether collected throughout the year or only during the hunting season,
observation data should be collected the same way each time and compared
only to information collected during the same period in future years.

Observation data can be collected by hunters or with remote-sensing cameras.
When collected by hunters, every deer should be counted during each outing,
even if the same animal was observed during a previous observation period.
This means the same animal may be counted several times during a season.
This is fine. The purpose is not to count every individual deer on a property,
but rather to determine the relative abundance of deer and the proportion of
bucks, does, and fawns. Also, unless a deer can be positively identified as a
buck, doe, or fawn, it should be recorded as "unknown." A small amount of
reliable data is better than a large amount containing numerous misidentified
animals.

The use of remote-sensing cameras positioned along trails or feeding areas is a
relatively new method for collecting observation data. These cameras have the
advantage that they can monitor deer at night and when no one is hunting
the area, as well as provide useful reference photographs. This is especially
important for mature bucks, which are infrequently seen by hunters except
during the rut. The photographs taken can provide useful information on herd
size, sex ratio, and buck abundance and age structure. They also can raise the
excitement level around the deer camp and verify that management efforts to
produce older bucks are working.
Craig Co., Virginia Deer Management Program
Herd Monitoring
Let him go, so he can grow
1693 Little Cuba Lane
New Castle, VA 24127
phone:  540.330.7967       email:  More Information