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BSK, others, opinions?

PickettSFHunter

PickettSFHunter

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 11, 2004
Messages
22,165
Location
Jamestown, TN
Ok heres the situation, My Dad and I lease a 350 acre property here in Fentress that is near town. The deer population is not all that high compared to some parts of the county but we do have a few. Anyway this property is 345 acres of thick thick hardwoods and 5 acres of clearings which we plant in annual fall food plots. We have taken several does off the property but have not taken any mature bucks yet. Weve only had the property 2 years so hopefully its a growing success.
Now here is the issue we have, We have zero or like one buck on this property during the summer and during early bow season. I am on the property alot as it is near my house and I run several cameras on it year round so I keep a close eye on what comes and goes. Now near October 30th we all of a sudden have an influx of bucks(rut range expanders I presume) and usually photograph 3-4 fully mature bucks as well as around 4-6 young bucks. These bucks dont leave after the rut, they hang around all the way through antler shedding time and I get alot of pics of bucks during the spring.
The question here is, what do you think is up with this property having zero or very few bucks during the summer and early bow season? I just dont get it, we have cover out the wazoo and plenty of browse.
 
Heres an aerial of the place so you can kinda see what its like. It doesnt show the new clearings where food plots but it does show the one older one.
stonehuntclubaerial.jpg
 
I have the same problem we have a lot of does and never see a buck till rut in starting or in full swing. my guess is that we have breading grounds and bucks dont like to live where they play.
 
In both your situations, I suspect what you are seeing is doe domination of the best resources. Surprisingly, does are dominant over bucks when it comes to habitat utlization. This is Nature's way, as the does are the young producers and raisers. A deer population can survive if there are few bucks, but can be in serious trouble if the young producers struggle. For survival of the species reasons, doe social groups will literally force bucks off of preferred food sources and out of the best cover habitat. Bucks will then move across the area during the rut to access the does, but the property isn't their permanent stomping grounds.

As more and more hunters and managers improve the habitat of their hunting properties, I hear them wondering why their summer buck population is decreasing and the summer doe population increasing. Yet conditions during the rut are fine. I do believe by improving the habitat of one "pocket" area, outside of the rut, bucks are being forced away from these better pockets by doe dominantion of the best resources.
 
I have plenty of does with fawns all year on/near my land. The only time I see bucks that are 2.5+ years old on my place is Nov and Dec, and they have no discernible pattern. What BSK said is what I finally realized a year or so ago. My land and the thicket out back must be fairly prime habitat that the does have claimed.
 
For a while this summer all the does dissapeared off my property and several bucks appeared. I presumed that the does were bedding and feeding on my neighbors property , staying close to his 2 acre pond, and displaced the bucks.

Is is my assumption that both our property's encompass the home range of the herd and as the the need for water diminishes the does will return to the primary food and bedding sources, (my property).

At least the footprints in the food plots indicate a return.
 
big jim,

Does will follow the prime resources as they change on neighboring properties with the seasons. However, come the rut, all bets are off.
 

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