Deer Management
Disturbance Management
The art, or science, of managing white-tailed deer has been well documented. Wildlife Trends Journal regularly publishes articles that describe tips and techniques to improve the management of…
Contributor
Stephen Ditchkoff
Associate Professor
Stephen Ditchkoff is an associate Professor at Auburn University. At Auburn, Steve teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses in Wildlife Science and conducts research with white-tailed deer and wild pigs.
334-844-9240, sitchss@auburn.edu
16 articles by Stephen Ditchkoff
Predator & Pest Control
Pig Trapping: 10 Biggest Mistakes (Numbers 5 – 1)
In the last issue of Wildlife Trends Journal, I described 5 common mistakes made by pig trappers. These included trap type, door size, bait type, capture of boars,…
Predator & Pest Control
Pig Trapping: 10 Biggest Mistakes (Numbers 10 – 6)
With growing populations of wild pigs across the Southeast and other regions of the country, there is an increasing demand for hard, scientific data on pig biology and…
Deer Management
Common Pitfalls of High-fence Properties: Part II
High-fence properties can be extraordinary examples of well-managed deer populations, and large-antlered deer and high quality hunting opportunities make them extremely popular to some hunters and landowners. However,…
Deer Management
Common Pitfalls of High-fence Properties: Part I
I’ve worked with numerous high-fence owners, and every high-fence property is unique regarding its herd characteristics, habitat quality, and overall management philosophies. While one property drives towards maximizing…
Deer Management
Coyotes and Fawns
The past 40 years have witnessed quite a range of changes in white-tailed deer hunting, management, and population characteristics. Only 40 years ago, many areas in the Southeast…
Predator & Pest Control
A New Approach to Pig Control: Part II
In the last issue of Wildlife Trends Journal I described the failures of our approach to wild pig control in North America. We have been expending considerable effort…
Predator & Pest Control
A New Approach to Pig Control: Part I
Wild pigs are rapidly becoming one of the most important (if not the most important) invasive wildlife species in the Southeast. Their impacts on agriculture, wildlife management programs,…
Deer Management
Buck Limits vs. Antler Restrictions
In the last few decades, we have witnessed some dramatic changes in the philosophies employed for managing white-tailed deer. The era of not harvesting does has been replaced…
Deer Management
Bucks with Malformed-antlers
One of the biggest debates today amongst deer managers and hunters is how to deal with bucks that have an antler that is displaying normal antler development while…
Deer Management
Are Hunters’ Skills on the Decline?
A hunter slips through the brush, taking note of the light breeze, and formulating a plan to silently approach a stand of white oaks that are halfway up…
Deer Management
Collecting Data From Hunter-Harvested Deer
The ability of a land manager to make sound management decisions is entirely dependent on having detailed information about the resource in question. Without detailed data, a manager…
Deer Management
Baiting for Deer in 2007: An Update
One of the most contentious issues among deer hunters and biologists is the issue of harvesting deer over bait. The issue seems to resurface annually in deer camp,…
Deer Management
Movement Patterns of Mature Bucks
How many television shows have you seen where the hunter describes how they “patterned” the deer they shot? They knew the deer was going to be there because…
Deer Management
“Scientific” vs. “Artistic” Deer Management
During the past few decades, deer management has evolved from an art to a science. At one time deer managers developed management prescriptions based upon evaluations of deer…
Deer Management
Deer Management: Back to the Basics
If you’re reading this article, it’s a good indication that you have a strong interest in the management of white-tailed deer. More than likely, you are reading this…