Whitetails 365: Neighborhood Blues

Whitetails 365: Neighborhood Blues

By Tom Peplinski

This month, I am responding to a question concerning dealing with neighbors and trying to set up a management program in the neighborhood. Brady from Davis county asks, “For several years now, I have been trying to get my neighbors to agree on a management strategy of shooting less smaller bucks. Many neighbors agree to pass up the little guys but some neighbors won’t. The problem is, the neighbors that are willing say they won’t participate until everyone does. I have only 90 acres myself. Do you have any ideas on how to make this work?”

Lessons Learned
Many years ago, I had the exact same scenario as Brady does. My dad owned 120 acres in an area with high hunting pressure and very little interest in any other management concept other than maximum buck harvests. Successful seasons were measured solely on the number of buck tags filled. I was only a teenager at the time but wanted something more from my hunting. I was not a trophy hunter by any means but at the same time I wanted a deer herd with older deer in it. As a very young hunter, I started the process of trying to convince my dad first and foremost of the concept…he was on board. Then, I literally went out door to door and started talking to my neighbors. My dad went along to some of them but not all. In most cases, they were willing to at least talk about the concept, but very few would actually buy in or commit.
Once I had talked to most of the surrounding neighbors, I scheduled a local meeting and had members of the local QDMA come and talk. I sent out personal invites to all my neighbors and held the meeting at the Town Hall. The QDMA leaders thought that a meeting in a structured setting with many of the neighbors present would help to get everyone on the same page. Turnout was ok, and there was some good discussion, but again, most neighbors walked away shaking their heads. Some neighbors “signed up” for the concept but most sat back to see what everyone else would do.

To make a very long story short, the endeavor failed. Under the old concept of filling tags was everything, some hunting groups used the idea to fill more tags on young bucks that neighbors were passing…which led to animosity between landowners. Some groups that said they would participate didn’t…adding proof to those who said it would never work that indeed it wouldn’t. There were the strong stubborn groups, like ours, that kept it up but it eventually faded until nobody talked about QDM or letting small bucks go. That was over 30 years ago.
I bring all this up because I think had I known what I know today about whitetail management, I would have gone about the thing a whole different way…which leads me to Brady’s question.

Start Small
30 years ago, I was convinced any sort of whitetail management had to consist of hundreds or even thousands of acres. This is why I set out to convince dozens of landowners and all their hunters that we needed to agree on a management method. Well, trying to get dozens of landowners to agree on anything is never going to be easy. Today, if I had to do it all over again, I would have concentrated on a few like minded groups and worked from there.

90 acres doesn’t sound like much at all, but with good habitat and hunting practices, Brady should be able to have some success just on his 90 acres. By creating the best habitat, providing some food, and putting as little pressure on the local deer as possible, he can actually have some decent success even on his parcel alone. From there, I would work with one more landowner/hunter you can count on. By finding at least one more farm that will practice some form of quality management, you will be starting to expand your efforts and likely the quality of animals around you will start to get better. Unlike 30 years ago, most hunters today have been at least exposed to the idea of managing for a more quality deer herd. So, the likelihood of at least one other landowner around you having the same thoughts as you are probably pretty high. Many of the hunters that will go along…but not unless everyone does simply don’t want to be taken advantage of. Or, they are simply using this all or nothing approach as a way of saying no (I’ll do it only if my neighbor does while knowing that the neighbor won’t). Either way, you should respect any landowner/hunters opinion and move on. Work with like minded landowners and do the best you can. In today’s world of whitetail hunting, quality management can become addictive. Sometimes no prodding at all is the best approach to neighbors that don’t want in!

Be the Good Neighbor
Nothing, NOTHING will get a neighbor more upset faster than telling them what they can or can’t do with their land…including how they should hunt. If a neighbor is not receptive to a discussion of quality management, then let it go. Continue to be a good neighbor and don’t let hunting ruin things in your neighborhood. Don’t be the guy that cuts down what they shoot or talks behind their back about how they hunt. By being the good neighbor, you are far more likely over time to have them come your way in terms of letting small bucks walk than by trying to mandate to them how they should hunt. If they shoot a small buck and it runs on your land…instead of grumbling about it help them track it and drag it out. Being friends to your neighbors is a far better strategy of winning them over than being the jerk that they resent. In my hunting life since that experience 30 years ago, I find this is a much better strategy than trying to talk them into something. Share your hunting pictures with them and congratulate them on deer they shoot even if it was one you would pass. Sooner or later, if you are friendly neighbors, they will come around…right? Stick to your goals and objectives, hunt the way you want to hunt, but don’t dictate to them.

Another great way to become a good neighbor and hopefully foster a like minded approach to deer management is by helping them out with their land. This sounds counterintuitive but keep your eye on the long term. By this I mean if you have the means and capability to put in food plots, offer to put one in for them. Help them hang a stand or two. While you work together the conversation will undoubtedly turn to hunting when you can talk about what you want to accomplish on your farm. Sound goofy? This stuff works! If they begin to show interest in managing the herd…even if it only first starts with a food plot…over time they will begin to enjoy the hunt more than just the kill and the pressure to pull the trigger on all those small bucks will decrease. Take a positive accommodating approach to your neighbors; especially the ones that you want to win over.

I had a neighbor once that owned a bunch of land around a hunting group I was in. He refused to hunt mornings or ever walk into the timber for fear he would bump one of “his” bucks onto a neighboring property. His obsession with trying to control the local deer herd or “his deer” was ruining his hunt. He refused to assist neighboring hunters retrieve deer…even making it purposely more difficult as a neighbor. Not only did his obsession hurt relationships in the area, it actually backfired as many neighbors would purposely practice poor management practices just to spite him. Don’t be that guy.

Changing the Way You Hunt
By changing the way you hunt it can go a long way toward helping a management effort in your area. In some areas, driving or pushing deer is a popular gun hunting method that has been practiced as long as I can remember. If you are trying to get more mature deer by protecting younger ones driving deer can be one of the worst ways of helping your efforts along. Along with that, putting pressure on the deer that call your farm home during the gun season can get them to hop the fence to a less choosy neighbor. By eliminating any pressure on the deer herd during and around the gun seasons a hunter/landowner with very little acreage can actually protect a surprising number of young bucks. The absolute key here is no pressure at all and making sure there is security cover and food available.

In many cases, hunters should at least consider skipping the gun seasons all together if they are trying to give young bucks a chance to make it. I never encourage less participation in the hunting seasons but this could be one exception. Maybe an alternative to this would be to hunt but not enter the timber at all. Maybe only hunt evenings when you can get to your spots without bumping any deer. The point is, put little to no pressure on your farm and more of those young bucks will stay. Don’t however, take this so far that the enjoyment you get from hunting goes down or you prevent others in your hunting party from enjoying their own hunting.

Make sure to send in any questions or ideas for an article you would like written for the Whitetails 365 column to tapeppy@gmail.com. Thank you.