How long before a new buck moves in

[Northcountryman]

Looks like it’s likely my buck that made all those beautiful rubs is dead ; DEC officer said he had a broken leg so , more than likely , struck by a vehicle at night or something . This was such a nice buck He likely intimidated all of the other smaller bucks in the area and are not likely to encroach upon his area , so I’m wondering: how long would it take one or more of them to figure out he’s gone and move in to his area? 

[Robhuntandfish]

I don't think it works that way. I could be wrong. Deer have a fairly small home range they are either there or they are not.  Having one or more large bucks in the area I would think would only be based on deer density for the area. Usually bucks will run in bachelor groups in the summer and then tend to be more loners in deer season but don't really change their home range much. They might wander out of it looking for does but wouldn't think having a bigger buck gone will change much. 

[Jeremy K]

I wouldn't even consider showing it until they are prequalified...

[chrisw]

First off, even if it was the largest racked buck in an area don't assume it was dominant. Secondly, that buck could've been a cruiser that didn't even live on the property. Also, if the habitat was good for one large buck, it will be for another. But... It doesn't really work like the way you mentioned. Just because there is a vacancy now doesn't mean there is a deer waiting to move in. Every deer does different things. We have big bucks on our lease that disappear every year during the rut, and show back up late season. We also have several mature bucks frequenting the same few hundred acres. I don't think that because one deer is dominant that the other mature deer leave, it's simply a pecking order. At any one time we can have 3-5, 4+ year old deer working the same area if there are hot does.

My advice, get out and hunt that property, don't worry about the dead deer. Deer die every day, in every way. My bet is there are other bucks still around.

Sent from my moto g(6) using Tapatalk

[Northcountryman]

Thank you , my friend , yes , I’m sure hoping that maybe the dead one was a cruiser and not THE one . so , I set my climber up in there today and will give it a shot anyway ; I mean , what can it hurt ? It’s be interesting to see what happens at the very least . My gut instinct , though , is that was the buck frequenting that area , but I’d like to see If there’s some other younger bucks around that show themselves as well . 

[Jeremy K]

I've been hunting the same piece for 17 years and we've always got rubs in the same 2 spots in the pines every year, no way we have a 17 year old buck LOL.

[TreeGuy]

I've been hunting the same piece for 17 years and we've always got rubs in the same 2 spots in the pines every year, no way we have a 17 year old buck LOL.

Can u guarantee, 100% that you don't ???

Sent from my LM-V405 using Tapatalk

[Four Seasons]

4 minutes ago, TreeGuy said:

Can u guarantee, 100% that you don't ???

Sent from my LM-V405 using Tapatalk
 

Lol.  Very safe bet he don’t. 6yrs would be totally amazing!!

[Northcountryman]

This area that he frequented ( or frequents if he’s still alive and kickin) is like, classic hunting magazine topography , I swear. Well , Maybe not In terms of food plots but bedding areas tree type and cover ridges , etc ., classic ! When you come Down  off The high point , there’s a ridge line that he travels ( I would imagine other deer would also ) that’s fairly level and is about 2/3 up when comparing high to low ground . The trail meanders ina gentle gradual elevation change upward ( or downward depending upon direction of travel) and is the most natural gradual change in elevation that you can take . It’s perfect!! Also, wind directions typically blowing from SW come over the high point of the ridge in the direction of the road and drift down the slope . There are some lower slopes with evergreens patches that I envisioned him bedding down in facing downhill so he has his back covered with his nose and can see and hear danger from below and , to either side . Perfect setup .