regular visitors

[Doc]

6 deer in the front yard this afternoon (adult does and a couple fawns). They came up the driveway and headed for the flower garden ..... lol. We've had smaller groups (2 or 3 deer at a time) doing that on a daily basis for about a week. Following quite a long ways behind was another bigger deer, but as I look out the livingroom window toward the driveway, I am looking down on driveway through the trees because the house is higher than the driveway, so I never got a good look at it, but all the deer in the yard stopped eating and were staring down at him. Just before he got to a point where I might have had a chance to tell whether it was a buck or not, he stepped off the driveway and into the thicket. My wife had to head out, so she spooked the whole bunch of them when she started up the car and I never got another look at him.

I might have to build a stand out in the yard this year ...... lol.

What I was wondering was whether the bucks might be getting into that "following" phase where they seem to know that soon they will be expected to do something, but really don't know what that is just yet. Over the years, about this time of year, I have noticed that kind of behavior on several different occasions. The bucks seem to be just off and on following the small female herds at a distance, but not acting real pushy about it yet. It's kind of like they are just keeping tabs on the where-abouts of the ladies for future reference.

Doc

[WNYBuckHunter]

I agree with you, I have noticed the same thing this time of year. I figure it has something to do with the bachelor groups breaking up and the bucks kind of keeping an eye on the does.

[nyslowhand]

A buck would be crazy to set-up his rut area where there are no does.

When they typically establish these areas with rubs/scrapes, there are already does living within there.

IMHO - Right now the bucks are trolling for the girls and an area to s/u in for the upcoming festivities.

This is for the pre-rut and becomes much more unpredictable and volatile when the chasing/breeding starts.