One can argue that nothing that an animal does is for fun. Humans created the concept of fun, but most that have spent much time watching different predators hunt might perceive that indeed they do enjoy it. They even incorporate hunting behaviors in their play (play is another term some also reserve for humans). Whether it is a coyote, bobcat, or a human hunter, removing more bucks than does decreases the competition among bucks and reduces the pressure for the most "fit" bucks to reproduce more than the "unfit" bucks. Part of fitness is the ability to carry around a big set of antlers and use them to fend off other bucks. My property is over 100 acres, most in wildlife habitat that we created over the last 25 years. The last 10 years have produced mature bucks (3.5+yr). The herd is significantly smaller than the is needed to produce very very healthy animals because enough hunters in my area remove more bucks (mostly yearlings) than does. As a result, I have removed a lot of does (within legal limits). And when that is not enough, I invite a friend to help. Very few if any deer spend 100% of their time on my land, but a lot of deer spend a lot of time on it. Its all about probabilities, not absolutes. Some bucks are completely nocturnal. As far as I know, the birth ratio of males to females is 1:1. Predator losses are about 1:1. Buck losses to rut stress and hunting are what skew the sex ratio. Hunting practices can be modified to affect that ratio. Managing what can be controlled is all one can do, and it does work. BTW- lower densities also help prevent disease epidemics.
Last edited by RAH; 12/08/15 06:19 AM.
