Chaparrosa Ranch

Another year has flown by and hunting season is quickly approaching. This year will look like 2025 — fall through mid-April conditions were extremely poor across the entire area, but the latter part of April through mid-July provided timely moisture. Cooler than normal temperatures from late June through mid-July should give us average fawn recruitment. Phenotypical characteristics will be up from last year, but deer being off from a more normal winter-to-spring lead up limits the effect. Environmental conditions of late spring through early summer help fawns, but it's difficult to offset eight months of no rain on the bucks.

Since the past several years have been exceptionally dry, we need to be extremely diligent in harvesting only fully mature deer as trophies. Based on fawn recruitment in 2017–2020, there will be a short supply of bucks in the 6-to-8-year-old cohort. We have an ample supply of post-mature deer, which are probably too old to take advantage of late spring conditions. But there will be a surprise or two.

For the next few years, we need to allow age classes to work through the system. If you choose to harvest deer over 160", make absolutely sure they are over 7 years old. Undesirable deer need to be removed for genetic purposes quickly, on a one-to-one basis with bucks. Survey numbers will help guide total harvest and proper proportions in each category.