Too often, hunters assume deer will "spread out" and equalize themselves across the landscape, but nothing could be further from the truth. I regularly see instances of "pockets" of high and low densities in very close geographic proximity. Additionally, I see pockets of very different sex ratio and buck age structure in very close proximity. One year, the sex ratio at the southern end of my property held steady at 2 does per buck for the entire season while at the northern end, just 3/4 of a mile away, the sex ratio held at 4 bucks per doe for the season.
Local differences in herd dynamics are usually most dramatic during the summer. For the survival of the species, does are dominant over bucks during the fawning season. They will dominate the best habitat to increase the chances of their fawns' survival (best food and cover resources). Does with fawns will literally dominate bucks right out of the best habitat. When a single landowner is doing all they can to improve the habitat of their property, often what happens is that property becomes an island of great habitat surrounded by a sea of poorer habitat. The great habitat of the managed property becomes dominated by does social groups in summer forcing the bucks off the property onto the surrounding poorer habitat. Now once the breeding season rolls around the property will see a big influx of new bucks once the dominating effects of mothering does declines.
It is not uncommon at all to see an area with very few bucks during summer suddenly become flooded with new bucks come late October or early November. I would run cameras all season long (not over bait) and see what shows up, especially in November. If there are older bucks in the area, they will travel into that property come the rut.
