Deer University

In this episode, Steve and Bronson talk about the problems associated with wild hogs. Some people love 'em, but more people hate 'em, largely because of the damage they cause to agriculture, fields, food plots, forests, and streams. Not to mention, hogs compete for food with our native wildlife like deer and turkey. In Mississippi alone, wild hogs cause over $60 million worth of damage a year. On a national scale, damage estimates are in the billions. If you are serious about deer management and deer hunting, you don't want hogs! For more information about wild hogs, please visit www.WildPigInfo.com

Today Steve and I announce some great news - we have finally finished our eBook on the buck harvesting strategy we call the "Strategic Harvest System." We then discuss the basics of deer movements like dispersal, home range size, migration, and excursions. Hopefully, we have answered your questions about bucks moving from here to there, and why.

On this episode we don't review deer biology, but instead we talk about the history and philosophy of hunting and conservation. Ever heard of the Boone and Crockett Club? It's far more than just an antler and horn scoring system - they represent the foundations of wildlife conservation. Please listen to my conversation with Keith Balfourd of the Boone and Crockett Club and their Hunt Fair Chase Initiative. Hunters, this is very important! 

In this episode, Steve and Bronson discuss the biology behind how the rut works and how the timing is determined by genetics, hormones, and the ratio of daylight to darkness. Why and how does the timing of the rut vary from place to place? Does moon phase affect the rut? Can hunters influence the duration of the rut? Everything you need to know about the rut is reviewed in this episode.

We're back! It's been several weeks, but we are back with an episode on food plot science. Marcus and Bronson discuss important information about common cool-season food plot forages for deer. Keep in mind the MSU Deer Lab has food plot app to help you measure food plot acreage and make planting decisions. It's currently only available for iPhone, but will be available for Android in a few weeks.  

In this episode Bronson visits with Dr. Mickey Hellickson about his antler rattling research conducted in South Texas. To our knowledge, this is the only scientific study ever conducted to understand what rattling techniques are effective and what times of the day and times of the year are most productive. If you have ever considered antler rattling, or wondered why it didn't work, this is your episode.

In this episode, Steve and Bronson discuss how the stress of rut affects the physical condition of bucks and what managers can do to minimize these impacts.

In this episode, Steve, Marcus and Bronson discuss why summer nutrition is so important for deer, and what are the management options you can use to improve summer nutrition.

In this episode Steve, Bronson, and Marcus answer questions from the Deer University audience. Questions about mineral stumps, supplemental feeding, deer parasites, age-related antler size decline are discussed. 

In this episode, Bronson speaks with Dr. Eric Michel about his research at the MSU Deer Lab. Eric discusses the topic of epigenetics and how mothers pass information to their offspring that signal whether or genes should be fully expressed, or not. Eric makes comparisons of his research at the MSU Deer Lab to where he is now in South Dakota. Bronson, Steve and Marcus wrap up the episode with a summary of the research findings and applications to deer managers and hunters.

Ever heard the old saying "you are what you eat"? A 10-year research project conducted by the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries & Parks and the MSU Deer Lab was designed to explore the regional differences in buck body and antler size found throughout the state of Mississippi.  Were these differences caused by nutrition or genetics, possibly from when deer were re-stocked in the 1950s and 1960s. The results suggest body and antler size is not only a product of what bucks eat, but what their mother ate! Good, or poor, nutrition will impact deer for generations. 

In this episode we visit with Marcus Lashley, habitat management specialist in the MSU Deer Lab, and talk with him about a novel habitat management technique we call mineral stumping. Marcus and Bronson will discuss what mineral stumps are, how to create them, why deer love them so much, and how you can use mineral stumps to boost deer nutrition on your property and create more hunting opportunities.

Have you ever wondered WHY deer eat the plants they eat? Deer and cows are both ruminants (have a 4-chambered stomach), but deer have a completely different diet. In this episode, Bronson and Steve discuss the physiological adaptations of deer, and those adaptations influence the types of plants they eat.

We continue our discussions of predator impacts on deer herds with Dr. Marcus Lashley, a researcher in the MSU Deer Lab. Marcus will discuss a study he recently completed in North Carolina where coyotes were undoubtedly limiting the deer population by reducing fawn survival. He has some valuable information about habitat management to improve fawn survival. Also, he will tell the audience how to avoid an "ecological trap" when improving fawning cover to reduce coyote impacts. Last but not least, wait until you hear how far a coyote can travel! then information WILL impact coyote trapping effectiveness.

Coyotes and other predators are routinely blamed for reduced deer sightings and deer population declines. But how do you know if predators are really problem where you hunt? In this episode we review the most recent scientific studies to inform you about potential predator impacts, and what to do about it.

In the second episode on culling we discuss a form of selective buck harvest that is rarely practiced for the right reason.  We call this strategy "managing the standing crop of bucks." For most people, this is the only form of culling, or selective harvest, that will have any positive impact on your deer population.

Ever heard this? "I killed that buck to get him out of the gene pool." Or, "That buck has bad genetics, and I don't want him breeding." We hear these statements all too often. On this episode we will explain the why and how of culling. When can you make progress, and when you can't.

Who's your daddy? In the first technical episode, we explain buck breeding success. There are so many misconceptions about which bucks do the breeding. For years, biologists and hunters alike thought the old, mature buck did all the breeding; then, DNA testing came along. We will bring you up to speed on the latest research and tell you how this information may affect your management program.

In this first episode, we explain what the Deer University podcast is all about. What topics will be covered in subsequent episodes and who will benefit from listening. We will also tell the audience a little about our backgrounds and how we got to Mississippi State University.