Editor’s Note: Wildlife biologists, land managers and knowledgeable deer hunters all agree that the more we learn about deer, the more we know that there’s a lot more to be learned. No one has all the answers. However, there are some standards that are fairly dependable and are universally accepted and this is the information that I’ve included in my “Deer Hunter’s/Manager’s Pocket Reference.” I wanted a booklet I could keep in my daypack in a Ziploc bag and refer to when I was in hunting camps or out in the field and had a question about deer and deer hunting. So, we created the Deer Hunter’s IQ Test that has appeared in newspapers and magazines across the country. Read below to learn how well you and your hunting buddies did.

* “I know you’re not going to believe this, but we’ve got a chain-link fence that’s 10-feet high around our manufacturing plant, and we’ve got a wooded area inside the fence where there’s always deer. Just as I was leaving work, I saw a coyote chase a really-big buck up to that fence, and the buck jumped that 10-foot-high fence.” What do you think? Can a buck jump a 10-foot-high fence?

Answer: Maybe, but more than likely not. The general rule is, from a standing start, a buck can jump 7 feet. From a running start, a buck can jump 8 feet. However, as I’ve said before, and I’ll continue to say, when you’re talking about wild game, especially individual deer, there can be an exceptional animal that’s a rule breaker. However, a more-likely scenario is that the fence wasn’t actually 10-feet high. Let me explain. Even if the fence was 10-feet high, if it went down in a valley, and the deer jumped from the high part of the hill toward the low part of the fence, even though the fence may have been 10-feet high, because of the terrain, the deer could jump over the fence at a low place in the fence. Another possibility is that the fence may not have been 10-feet high. If you measure the fence, it may be only 8-feet high and look like it’s 10-feet high. Another scenario is that the man saw the deer jump the fence and asked one of his coworkers, “How high is that fence?” The coworker may have answered, “Oh, I bet it’s at least 10-feet high,” not really knowing the exact height of the fence. Now I’m not saying that there may not have been a super deer on steroids that jumped that 10-foot fence. However, it’s highly unlikely.

* “Our hunting club is going to go on a trophy-management plan this year, because we want to take a lot of big bucks each season. We’ve got an awful lot of does and spikes, but very-few older-age-class bucks.” Will a trophy-deer-management plan produce “a lot” more big bucks? Or, will this hunting club be better off considering a quality-deer-management program? What’s the difference? Do you know?

Answer: Most hunting clubs who use the phrase “trophy-deer-management plan” are really talking about a quality-deer-management plan. Through habitat manipulation, hunter education and controlling hunting pressure and the doe population, you can have more quality bucks on a piece of property than you’ll have without any management scheme. The goal of a trophy-management strategy is to maintain a low deer density with a good portion of the bucks being large antlered bucks in above-average physical condition and the habitat in excellent condition. This type of program usually requires 5000 or more acres and is sometimes done by forming a deer cooperative. This strategy requires a commitment to:

• Fully-mature bucks with large antlers being the focus;
• hunter pressure being controlled;
• outdoorsmen hunting who have above-average field-judging skills and self-control;
• low deer density;
• aggressive doe harvest;
• intensive habitat management; and
• the strategy being designed and monitored by a wildlife biologist.

This is one of the reasons I compare a quality-deer-management program with a trophy-deer-management program in my reference guide. And by far, the majority of hunting clubs opt for a quality-deer-management program instead of a trophy-deer-management program. With a quality-deer-management program, you can grow more older-age-class bucks on your property than you will with a trophy-deer-management program.