Wild Deer Culling Research pt.2 - The Comanche Ranch Study

Wildlife Investments

Chapters
0:02
Intro & Guest Welcome
1:04
Part 1 Recap & Study Goals
3:18
How the Comanche Ranch Study Was Born
4:47
Eagle Pass vs. Kingsville: Habitat & Rainfall
9:53
Study Design: Three Treatments Explained
15:27
Helicopter Capture vs. Hunter Harvest
22:27
What Success Should Look Like: The Theory
25:21
The Results: No Genetic Change
29:58
The Negative Feedback Loop & Near-Buck Extinction
40:02
How Often Do Bucks Switch Cull Status?
44:40
Why It Failed: Heritability, Rainfall & the Doe Problem
50:36
Breeding Value: The Scatter Plot That Changes Everything
59:14
Why Some Ranches Still Appear to Succeed
1:03:09
Closing & Preview of Part 3
1:05:24
Outro
Wildlife Investments
Wild Deer Culling Research pt.2 - The Comanche Ranch Study
Jul 29, 2026 Season 1 Episode 17
Moriah Boggess

We're picking up where our last episode left off on the topic of deer culling for genetic improvement. Donnie Draeger is joining us to discuss the iconic Comanche Ranch high-fence culling study that went to even greater extremes to test whether deer herd population genetics can be improved. He and Bronson discuss the logistics of conducting a study of this scale, the results, and what contributed to the challenges they face in improving genetic quality of bucks.


You can read more on the the actual study here:  https://wildlife.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1002/wmon.70013

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Episode Artwork Wild Deer Culling Research pt.2 - The Comanche Ranch Study 1:05:45 Episode Artwork Wild Deer Culling Research pt.1 - The King Ranch Study 56:02 Episode Artwork Marcus Lashley on Deer Density Dependence and Directed Seed Dispersal 50:03 Episode Artwork The Dunning-Kruger Effect & Deer Management 55:14 Episode Artwork Herbicides - Do We Need Them for Habitat Management? 59:08 Episode Artwork Turkey Management Q&A with Dr. Will Gulsby 52:50 Episode Artwork Forest Thinning for Wildlife: Balancing Timber & Long Term Habitat Goals 53:12 Episode Artwork Turkey Habitat Success Stories 42:33 Episode Artwork Turkey Habitat Management Basics 1:02:23 Episode Artwork Making Your Food Plots Work For Quail 57:01 Episode Artwork Do We Need Deer Population Estimates 47:04 Episode Artwork Winter Storm Timber Damage 53:49 Episode Artwork Value and Limitations of Thermal Drone Deer Surveys 54:39 Episode Artwork Is Doe Harvest Actually Important? 44:33 Episode Artwork Deer vs Quail: Managing Your Property for Both Species 42:35 Episode Artwork High Grading: Why Your Best Bucks Never Reach Their Potential & How To Address It 47:23 Episode Artwork Rifle Season Effects On Daylight Deer Activity - Research Results 48:26 Episode Artwork Marcus Lashley on Deer Density Dependence and Directed Seed Dispersal (Audio Only) 50:05 Episode Artwork The Dunning-Kruger Effect & Deer Management (Audio Only) 54:56 Episode Artwork Herbicides - Do We Need Them for Habitat Management? (Audio Only) 58:49 Episode Artwork Turkey Management Q&A with Dr. Will Gulsby (Audio Only) 52:32 Episode Artwork Forest Thinning for Wildlife: Balancing Timber & Long Term Habitat Goals (Audio Only) 52:52 Episode Artwork Turkey Habitat Success Stories (Audio Only) 42:14 Episode Artwork Turkey Habitat Management Basics (Audio Only) 1:02:06 Episode Artwork Making Your Food Plots Work For Quail (Audio Only) 56:48