Deer movement

[erussell]

Interesting article I found on deer movement. It's quite lenthy but if you can hold in there its a good read and informative.

We noted in Chapter 8 that some older bucks just pull up stakes and move after the velvet drops from their antlers. They may stay in their new home range a whole year and then return to the original home range. Or they may just come back to visit their original home range. Either way, it explains in part why some bucks you’ve been hunting just up and disappear. It also explains why you may see a big buck on your area, that you have never seen before. The reason? He wasn’t there before and he just moved in.

The Tomberlin study in Maryland spent considerable effort looking at buck movements during the rut. Turns out that all bucks don’t just have one home range. Take “40 orange” for example. This 4 1/2-year-old buck had two home ranges over 1.2 miles apart. In the summer, he lived in one home range, but from Sep 3 to Sep 23, he used both areas. After that he moved to the second home range.

http://www.imbmonsterbucks.com/info.php?id=215

[Doc]

Isn't it amazing how we read several studies that tell us solid facts about buck patterns and other deer behavior "facts" that may last for a few decades or more as recognized absolute gospel created by some very well respected experts, and then along comes some other "expert" with equally qualified studies that trashes all that went before? It kind of makes me wonder just how much stock you can put in any of it. I mean, we have all these expert biologists who have learned to prove whatever they want about whitetails, and by the way have been able to make a decent living at doing so. And along comes the next generation of "experts" that disprove everything that we have bought into over the years. It's not just hunting that is playing this game, but all kinds of things that men of science have laid claim to with their computer models and their statistical proof. And what the heck, we sit here nodding our heads up and down swallowing all of this because we believe the experts when they speak. Who else can you believe? I am getting awful cynical about this stuff ..... all of it. It puts a little more creedence in only what I see and dope out for myself.

[nyantler]

Sometimes I think just plain old experience in the woods deer hunting is the thing to most rely on...

[erussell]

Sometimes I think just plain old experience in the woods deer hunting is the thing to most rely on...

And a whole lot of luck

[YoungBucksTasteBetter]

I'd have to agree...I've hunted mostly on public land all my life and I've never hunted with the intent to target an individual animal - rather my Pop taught my brothers and me to find the "spine" of an area..that ridgeline or other feature where the deer all pass through (whether it be bucks wandering about in full rut or deer just generally trying to escape from other hunters in the area, etc).  That tactic has served us well, and I can only remember a few times over the years where we saw the same buck more than once - when we did the sightings were normally spread out in time - as noted..it was "luck" to see them to begin with.

[G-Man]

This is why passing up little rack bucks doesn't stockpile big bucks on a property. I read somewhere that 150 acres may have 1 big buck on it 140in plus. It then might have 2 or 3 fringe bucks 100 to 140 in if it is prime habitat. So the average landowner 50acres has a limited chance at his big buck anyway. Figuring 4 or more hunters per 50 acres..someone is going home empty handed.

[nyantler]

This is why passing up little rack bucks doesn't stockpile big bucks on a property. I read somewhere that 150 acres may have 1 big buck on it 140in plus. It then might have 2 or 3 fringe bucks 100 to 140 in if it is prime habitat. So the average landowner 50acres has a limited chance at his big buck anyway. Figuring 4 or more hunters per 50 acres..someone is going home empty handed.

That would only be because other surrounding properties aren't passing on bucks... if all areas of NY passed on young bucks.. the population of big mature whitetails would rise significantly in only a few years... for example.. if you have 100 one year olds, 10 two year olds and lets say 2 three year old bucks and a four year old in all of ny (it's an example guys.. relax).. If no yearlings where killed that hunting season and (1) 3 year old was taken along with (2)2year olds... the next year you would have if all the deer survive the winter... 100 new yearlings, 100  two year olds, 11 three year olds, and 2 four year olds if the same happened the following year you could possibly have 75 or more 3 year olds and better.. when you only had 3 older bucks in the first year... then i promise you everyone would be seeing mature bucks... and remember if you start using numbers in the thousands in each WMU we're taking no time to produce a stable age structure of older bucks

Because of the increased competition amoung those older bucks you'd be seeing far more than only one 140 or better buck in most deer hunting areas

[G-Man]

Great in theory, problem is there would be 3 guys that get their deer and 997 that don't . while you and i might be willing to go game less for a season or two the vast majority of the other 997 wont be happy. managing the herd is more about hunter contentment than actual herd health age structure. This is the problem with the surveys of would you like to see older deer to which everyone says yes but they never ask the question would you be willing to forgo a buck harvest for 2-4 years to accomplish this. In this thought close antlered harves for 2 years..no ar's involved, older more mature bucks would be the result and we could harvest does to satisfy meat need/wants. but it will never happen.....

[growalot]

there is just one aspect of deer movement I'm concerned with...daily doe movement.....I know that the deer on this particular hill do this.....move down hill in the morning....and up hill in the evening...now depending on what part of the hill they started...for it's 1.8 miles long and has 3 saddles is that the right term?...benches? any how this will also give a lateral movement on our land for we are in the middle ....the buck just follow the doe around

[Doc]

there is just one aspect of deer movement I'm concerned with...daily doe movement.....I know that the deer on this particular hill do this.....move down hill in the morning....and up hill in the evening...now depending on what part of the hill they started...for it's 1.8 miles long and has 3 saddles is that the right term?...benches? any how this will also give a lateral movement on our land for we are in the middle ....the buck just follow the doe around

That's true. I suspect the greatest buck hunters are the ones that zero in on doe movements.

[nyantler]

there is just one aspect of deer movement I'm concerned with...daily doe movement.....I know that the deer on this particular hill do this.....move down hill in the morning....and up hill in the evening...now depending on what part of the hill they started...for it's 1.8 miles long and has 3 saddles is that the right term?...benches? any how this will also give a lateral movement on our land for we are in the middle ....the buck just follow the doe around

That's true. I suspect the greatest buck hunters are the ones that zero in on doe movements.

Although doe movement may be a good way to see an occasional buck or two... focusing on bucks themselves I believe is far better way to see more and better bucks... Although I am by no means one of the greatest buck hunters and don't expect to be any time soon.. I have killed my share of good bucks and passed on well over a hundred in past years.... by focusing on places where bucks would hide, bed, travel and by actively looking for them I am fortunate enough to see on average at least 3-4 buck a day usually when I hunt... in some cases I come on the same buck a couple times a day...

As for doe movement... a single doe would be better to keep tabs on than the movement of many does in my opinion... and if you are watching doe movement you will certainly eventaully see a buck.. but it could be days or weeks before that happens... If you focus on buck sign your chances of seeing a buck more often are far greater.. and the more bucks you see the greater your chances of harvesting one...

[Localqdm]

If the Lord allows me the time and opportunity, I plan on focusing on a buck or two for the first week or 2 of bow in Oct.  Then focus on the doe bedding areas for the next 2-3weeks when the bucks are cruisin,  then focus on when and where the neighbors are sending the deer for shotgun.  by muzz, I'll hope to sit wherever their eating, but if its like yrs past might have to sit over their beds just to see any movement before dark, after the orange army has them all nocturnal.  We'll see.

[nyantler]

If the Lord allows me the time and opportunity, I plan on focusing on a buck or two for the first week or 2 of bow in Oct.  Then focus on the doe bedding areas for the next 2-3weeks when the bucks are cruisin,  then focus on when and where the neighbors are sending the deer for shotgun.  by muzz, I'll hope to sit wherever their eating, but if its like yrs past might have to sit over their beds just to see any movement before dark, after the orange army has them all nocturnal.  We'll see.

The nocturnal thing is the hardest thing to overcome when you are a stationary hunter... that goes away when you are actively looking for bigger bucks... younger bucks seldom go nocturnal because they aren't experienced enough to know to do it... I focus on hard to reach areas when the hunting pressure is high... and have been very successful catching big bucks holed up in those areas over the years.

[Localqdm]

NY, i'd like the opportunity to try to seek them out. Just don't have the access to do it justice here.  I'm afraid i'd just end up hurting my chances for next season if i bump one up that I want to pass on, cause he will die by someone else then, and all I did was stink up the areas that hold deer where I hunt.  I'd rather let the neighbors stink up their bedding areas, leave ours smelling pretty and hold the buck there or catch him screaming from the neighbors.  Tough and slow sometimes though. 

[nyantler]

That's your choice... lots of guys like waiting for bucks... I never worry about invading a bedding area or stinking up anything...even in my own back yard...the idea is not to go in and scare the buck it's to sneak in and kill him... I'm usually more worried about how long of a drag it's gonna be to the truck or my home 

Seriously though.. I think guys get too rapped up in all things they're told they shouldn't do when hunting a buck... that might be part of the reason a lot of guys don't kill bucks... if a hunter is constantly worried about doing the wrong things he will never learn to do the right things. I never worry about pushing a buck to another hunter.. if it happens then oh well... thats part of hunting.

[growalot]

That's where what I've been saying for years comes in ....deer don't follow the "rule" book the same in all areas....different herds different herd mentality.....I see what your saying down at camp...but here at home I have 3 different spots that routinely when I go in an hour before day light settle down in the stand and all hell breaks out 30 yrds away...and I have buck fighting all around me....that is the first two weeks...then after that they are just cruising and scent marking...cross checking scent trails with best activity being 9-1 and 3 to dark...either coming thru just before  in the dark ...or just after...9....they will bed down in the area and  get up after a while and move a bit  and feed then either follow a trail off or bed down and wait some more...it's the small guys that will be on their feet cruising...like a dog on a trail .....just what I see...I hunt every single day from bow opener to end of gun...one reason why I have so many set ups....never a chance to over hunt one changing movement...ppl around me ...tend to be on there feet moving around "looking" ...or during bow going in and leaving during the deers prime movement hours....those areas get no traffic nearly all year then boom new scents ...noise...ect....I've mentioned a lot I don't see the big boys most of summer...then I'm seeing big buck all the time...I know exactly why...which why I think I am able to see a lot of movement on my place...doe stay here year around...they see me every day in there domain the buck are off in there ''Groups"....then when nature starts ramping them and hunters start disturbing them they move here...in the fall...after turnip planting..mid Aug usually I tend to stay off the property more...with the exception of mowing trails ..which doesn't bother even the new comers...this has been happening for years...but we also have a few "staging" areas on this property....actually I should have said the only deer movement that concerns me is the doe and surrounding hunters.....they are what drive buck movement on OUR property