About J. Wayne Fears

History is important, especially when it comes to managing white-tailed deer. This is true for a lot of reasons; the further back a wildlife manager can look at what has been done to a tract of land, the better he understands what works and what doesn’t in terms of making today’s deer management decisions.

Forms as an Accurate Way of Recording History

Before I start discussing forms, let me be the first to say that one of the reasons we enjoy hunting is to escape the pressures of the daily world, and for many of us this is a world of filling out forms. However, in the case of managing deer and the property on which the deer populate, it is easy for management practices, harvest data, and observations to be forgotten if they are not recorded in a timely fashion. The easiest way to do this is to have forms on which you can record vital information to establish a property’s history.

As a wildlife management consultant, there is nothing more refreshing to me than to arrive at a client’s property to have him hand me a 3-ring binder in which is stored several years of forms, providing me food plot historical data, deer/wildlife observations on each food plot, and the deer harvest data for the property. This, along with the wildlife management plan for the property, quickly tells me the history of the property and what is likely going on with the deer population. By studying the food plot forms, I can see if the soil is being managed correctly, if the correct crops are being planted, if they are being managed correctly, and how the food plot fits in with the entire deer habitat. All of this helps in making decisions that will bring about better hunting.

A food plot history can be established using seasonal food plot record forms that are stored in a 3-ring binder.

It has been my experience that most hunters don’t mind filling out forms as a part of their deer hunting experience. This is especially true when they see how it improves their hunting.

Food Plot Form

Whether you have one food plot or 100, there are a lot of decisions that go into a food plot every year. It is simply impossible for most land managers to keep up with all that data by memory, so it needs to be recorded. The first step to take is to name or number each food plot so it will have a unique identity. What works on one food plot may not work on another, and if the food plot is planted twice yearly – warm season and cool season – two forms should be filled out.

With the food plot identified, here is the information that needs to be recorded on each food plot annually: size of plot, GPS location, soil test date, soil test results, lime application date and amount, fertilizer analysis, amount applied and date, crop planted and date, seed rate, seed depth, method of planting, weed control method, dates and amounts of rain after planting, and degree of crop success – poor, fair, average, above average, outstanding.

	Quality deer are a result of total habitat management. Data collection forms are a great aid in improving the habitat on a given property.

As you design your food plot form, be sure to leave room to record other management practices and dates. As an example, let’s say you plant a food plot in perennial clover, so much of the form will not need to be filled out, as you are not planting annually. But you will need to record any information on top-dressing fertilizer you apply, such as analysis, rates, and dates. Also, your mowing dates and heights are important to record.

Set up a 3-ring binder to keep all of your forms safely stored. To not do so is to allow them to get misplaced.

If you need help in designing a form for your property, your game & fish agency regional wildlife biologist, county agricultural agent, or NRCS agent is available to help you with the design.

Over a period of time, this recorded data can be used to tell you what works and what doesn’t on each food plot, along with the long-term results. This can save you time and money in the future, and result in better hunting.

Deer Observation Form

This is a simple form you can download or make on your computer that will give you a history of what is observed on each food plot. Over a period of time, you can learn where deer prefer to enter and depart each food plot, what time of day they prefer, number of deer utilizing a plot, their like or dislike of a crop, like or dislike of a plot’s location, other wildlife utilizing the plot, and the effects of weather on deer movement on that plot.

Deer harvest forms should be a part of any hunting property data collection system.

This form should be designed to record the following information: name of food plot, date and times of observations, weather for that date, wind direction, temperature, number of does, fawns, and bucks seen, identification of bucks by antler points, where deer entered and exited, times of each observation, and other wildlife seen – especially predators.

Game cameras can give you a lot of this information on all-night activity and on days no one hunts a food plot, but the human observation notes can be very valuable, since they provide details that can lead to determining how to hunt on or near a food plot.

Many food plot managers who have permanent blinds on a plot keep a supply of forms and a pen on hand in a weatherproof container so it is easy for a hunter to keep a record on the day he or she is in the blind.

Several state game & fish agencies offer deer observation forms that you can modify to fit your needs. One from the Tennessee Cooperative Extension Service may be downloaded at https://extension.tennessee.edu/publications/Documents/F814.pdf

Deer Harvest Form

While the deer harvest form is not directly related to the food plots on a property, it is one of the most important data collection tools used in deer management programs. Harvest data, kept annually over a period of years, gives the deer manager facts to use in making long-term management recommendations for a given tract of property. Accurate harvest records allow the deer manager to evaluate characteristics such as deer body condition, antler quality, age structure, and reproductive performance of the deer population on the property. Combine this with food plot history and observations, and the deer manager has a lot to work with to continue improving a property.

Here is what should be recorded from each deer taken:

	Being able to age deer using jawbones is a part of collecting accurate harvest data.

• Deer number – Assign consecutive numbers to harvested deer. Write the number on the jawbone taken from the deer. This keeps the correct jaw with the matching tag.
• Record state tag number. If the state game & fish department requires a deer tag, record the number.
• Sex of deer.
• Date of kill.
• Location of kill.
• Weight of deer – Most deer managers like to get live weight if possible. Keep a good quality scale available to obtain accurate weights.
• Antler measurements – Measure right and left main beam circumferences, right and left main beam lengths, inside spread, and number of points 1-inch long or longer.
• Age of deer – Use the jawbone to age each deer. If you don’t know how to age deer using a jawbone, learn.
• Doe lactation – If you harvest a doe, cut into the udder to see if milk is present.
• Name of hunter.

While collecting all this data from your food plot and deer harvest can be a lot of work and a number of different forms to fill out, it can be a fun part of the hunting experience. The real reward can be that over a period of time, a better habitat management program can result, and lead to a better quality of the overall deer population. All this spells more successful hunting.