4 things to know about mature bucks

[BSK]

I'm not so sure the telemetry studies from the King Ranch apply everywhere. I think they primarily apply in South TX brush country. From what I've seen on trail-cameras, and telemetry/GPS-collar studies conducted in the Southeast, mature buck behavior is highly individual. Some have small ranges and move little. Some have large ranges and move a lot. But one thing that is quite common between most mature bucks in the Southeast is how little they move during daylight in the fall. Outside of the week or so before breeding explodes, mature bucks in the Southeast are highly nocturnal during hunting season.

 

[in the dog house]

Last I checked deer don't read stats and studies

 

[BSK]

But those "stats and studies" are based on what deer really do--in the location in which they are studied.

The only problems are: 1) the wide variability in how deer in one location behave; and 2) the sometimes dramatic differences in average behavior by region and habitat/terrain type. For instance, deer in the eastern mountains of TN have some very different behaviors than deer in the agricultural region of the Nashville Basin, simply because of differences in terrain and habitat.

 

[7mminatree]

I can say for sure that mature mountain bucks will definitely move at midday.

 

[Outdoor Enthusiast]

But those "stats and studies" are based on what deer really do--in the location in which they are studied.

The only problems are: 1) the wide variability in how deer in one location behave; and 2) the sometimes dramatic differences in average behavior by region and habitat/terrain type. For instance, deer in the eastern mountains of TN have some very different behaviors than deer in the agricultural region of the Nashville Basin, simply because of differences in terrain and habitat.

Would you also include the following for deer (not necessarily mature bucks):
3) the wide variability in how individual deer behave

 

[Shed Hunter]

But those "stats and studies" are based on what deer really do--in the location in which they are studied.

The only problems are: 1) the wide variability in how deer in one location behave; and 2) the sometimes dramatic differences in average behavior by region and habitat/terrain type. For instance, deer in the eastern mountains of TN have some very different behaviors than deer in the agricultural region of the Nashville Basin, simply because of differences in terrain and habitat.

Would you also include the following for deer (not necessarily mature bucks):
3) the wide variability in how individual deer behave

I would agree with that.. Especially for mature bucks.

 

[bowriter]

Just my opinion:

You stats from almost any TX study cannot be generally used in the real world. It is simply a different situation. In addition, I can think of no blanket statement you can make a mature buck or for that matter, any mature deer. Just as it is with humans, different animals just act differently. In conclusion, I put very credence to almost anything in a magazine or on TV.

 

[catman529]

#4 is true for sure but I disagree with #2. First thing that came to mind was the albino buck a few miles north of Franklin that has been spotted in several different locations suggesting he roams for miles. Last year there was a news article on him and he would have been at least 5.5 if not older. I got video of him in 2010 and he was older than a yearling at that time. He used to eat clover in the soccer field at my church at night.

 

[Nealmeally]

I agree with the article pretty much..... BUT, all deer are different and a big influence on how they behave and react to certain situations, depends on how much pressure they've had put on them in the younger years IMO...

They are smart animals for sure. But human pressure makes them even smarter and more unpredictable.. I think a lot of hunters educate mature bucks more than they think, including myself.. And the more education, the smarter they become..

I've hunted and am hunting several places that has had little if any pressure for several years. So I've seen first hand the difference in pressured mature bucks and unpressured mature bucks.. The difference is huge...

 

[Mike D]

Mature Deer move mostly at night (excluding certain times of the rut) and almost NEVER where I am hunting.

You can take those 2 to the bank.

 

[BSK]

But those "stats and studies" are based on what deer really do--in the location in which they are studied.

The only problems are: 1) the wide variability in how deer in one location behave; and 2) the sometimes dramatic differences in average behavior by region and habitat/terrain type. For instance, deer in the eastern mountains of TN have some very different behaviors than deer in the agricultural region of the Nashville Basin, simply because of differences in terrain and habitat.

Would you also include the following for deer (not necessarily mature bucks):
3) the wide variability in how individual deer behave

If that is what is being studied, yes. However, in the studies mentioned in the article, mature bucks were the focus of the research.

 

[BSK]

Mature Deer move mostly at night (excluding certain times of the rut) and almost NEVER where I am hunting.

You can take those 2 to the bank.

Unless you hunt in the Midwest. In those regions, it's shocking how often mature bucks move during daylight. Trail-camera picture sets from Midwestern locations produce VERY different mature buck patterns compared to trail-cam picture sets from the Southeast. I don't know why the difference (possibly genetic, as the two regions have different sub-species of deer), but many variable may be at play.

 

[BSK]

Just my opinion:

You stats from almost any TX study cannot be generally used in the real world. It is simply a different situation. In addition, I can think of no blanket statement you can make a mature buck or for that matter, any mature deer. Just as it is with humans, different animals just act differently. In conclusion, I put very credence to almost anything in a magazine or on TV.

In the past, almost all GPS and radio-collar studies were conducted in Texas. However, in the last 5-10 years, more and more of these studies have been conducted all over the Eastern U.S. And it's amazing how different the results are from one study area to another. What these studies clearly show are 1) how adaptive the white-tailed deer is to the local environment, developing highly specialized movement patterns most advantageous to just that location; and 2) how unique each individual animal is. In a recent GPS-collar study in the Midwest, some mature bucks had very small annual ranges (a few hundred acres), while other mature bucks had massive annual ranges (in excess of 14,000 acres). In fact, in this study the "average" range-size numbers were meaningless, as no buck actually had a range near the average.

In another study from the Deep South (Louisiana) a GPS-collared mature buck never left a 60-acre overgrown clear-cut for an entire year. THAT is a small annual range!

 

[Outdoor Enthusiast]

In another study from the Deep South (Louisiana) a GPS-collared mature buck never left a 60-acre overgrown clear-cut for an entire year. THAT is a small annual range!

That is almost unbelievable!

 

[Winchester]

IMO the older bucks in TN seem to have very different personalities from one to the next. Some of what he says is really just generalities, like they become lazier and more nocturnal, which both are a given for Older bucks, especially the age deer he is likely talking about which is probably 5 1/2 and older. Bucks of that age here in TN act TOTALLY different than any other deer in the woods. I totally agree that if you want to be successful at consistently hunting these said deer you will have to change your hunting style from what works to just kill "deer".

 

[fairchaser]

Mature bucks here often get pressured into places that hunters aren't. That maybe adjacent to a highly traveled area but for some reason is not hunted. If it has the other elements that bucks prefer such as bedding cover, food, water and access to does, all the better!

 

[gator-n-buck]

Just my opinion:

You stats from almost any TX study cannot be generally used in the real world. It is simply a different situation. In addition, I can think of no blanket statement you can make a mature buck or for that matter, any mature deer. Just as it is with humans, different animals just act differently. In conclusion, I put very credence to almost anything in a magazine or on TV.

^^^^ This^^^^^^

If all these studies and article were correct all the time. It would be easy to kill mature bucks or any deer....

 

[bowriter]

Just my opinion:

You stats from almost any TX study cannot be generally used in the real world. It is simply a different situation. In addition, I can think of no blanket statement you can make a mature buck or for that matter, any mature deer. Just as it is with humans, different animals just act differently. In conclusion, I put very credence to almost anything in a magazine or on TV.

In the past, almost all GPS and radio-collar studies were conducted in Texas. However, in the last 5-10 years, more and more of these studies have been conducted all over the Eastern U.S. And it's amazing how different the results are from one study area to another. What these studies clearly show are 1) how adaptive the white-tailed deer is to the local environment, developing highly specialized movement patterns most advantageous to just that location; and 2) how unique each individual animal is. In a recent GPS-collar study in the Midwest, some mature bucks had very small annual ranges (a few hundred acres), while other mature bucks had massive annual ranges (in excess of 14,000 acres). In fact, in this study the "average" range-size numbers were meaningless, as no buck actually had a range near the average.

In another study from the Deep South (Louisiana) a GPS-collared mature buck never left a 60-acre overgrown clear-cut for an entire year. THAT is a small annual range!

Pretty much what I was referring to. Deer act differently in different areas. So do elk.

 

[Deer Assassin]

deer are wild animals they can do whatever whenever